The World’s First Silent Opera on Sydney Opera House Steps

The Sydney Opera House will play host to the world’s first silent opera later this year. The opera tells the tumultuous story of the iconic landmark’s steps creation, with the production being performed live on its steps.

Performed by Opera Australia, sound will be transmitted to the audience via state-of-the art headphones, platforms will move across the 100-metre-wide steps, huge screens will display historical photographs and projections and lighting effects will round out the spectacle. Audiences can even expect the appearance of a Hills Hoist.

For five nights, 12 singers (plus Gerry Connolly playing the Queen) will perform Sydney Opera House: The Opera, a revival of Alan John’s The Eighth Wonder (1995) on the steps of the Opera House. An orchestra will play from within the building and both sounds will be transmitted to audiences, who will experience the performance “cocooned in a world of pure sound”, according to Opera Australia’s artistic director Lyndon Terracini. 

The uneasy birth of the Australian icon – which saw a decade of delays, budget blowouts and architect Jørn Utzon’s vow never to return to Australia – is a story built for drama (a movie is also in the works). With the exception of extremely high winds or electrical storms, this multimedia spectacle will go on regardless of the weather, so don’t miss this chance to see Opera Australia under the stars with wine and perhaps a raincoat, just in case.

From October 28 – November 5.

Visit opera.org.au

SEE ALSO: Sydney Opera House: The Movie