Sydney Festival: This Is Our City In Summer
Sydney Festival 2014 opens today in an explosion of exceptional theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film and more that will bring the harbour city to life from January 9-26. Sydney Festival 2014 is comprised of 106 events, 21 of which are free. With 372 performances across 33 indoor and outdoor venues, Sydney Festival 2014 features 722 artists from 80 companies across 17 countries, in 10 world premieres, 4 Australian premieres and 13 Australian exclusives.
In Sydney’s famous outdoor venue The Domain, two fantastic free events are set to delight, kicking off with Chicago’s R’n’B, soul and disco diva Chaka Khan on the opening weekend, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing Gustav Holst’s astrological suite The Planets, conducted by Hamburg State Opera Artistic Director Simone Young, in Symphony in the Domain.
Against a backdrop of some of the world’s greatest theatre and dance, new Australian works of magnitude and cultural importance dominate this year’s theatre program. The world premiere of Black Diggers unfolds the untold stories of 1000 Indigenous soldiers who fought in World War One, whilst Michael Kantor and Tom E. Lewis’ indigenous re-working of King Lear in The Shadow King has recently premiered to a rousing reception by audiences in Melbourne, Australia.
In Parramatta in Sydney’s west, the favourite free event Parramatta Opening Party is back with free music and festival fun, and everyone’s favourite yellow friend Rubber Duck is back too!
Photo (c) Prudence Upton
