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A smorgasbord on offer: Our picks of the Sydney Festival
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A smorgasbord on offer: Our picks of the Sydney Festival

Sydney Festival is upon us for another year. Here is everything you need to know - reviews, previews and interviews - to plan your festival experience.

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William Barton will perform original works as part of Sydney Symphony Under the Stars.

A cheat’s guide to the Sydney Festival

There’s a smorgasbord of theatre, dance, opera, art, comedy and music on offer.

  • by Lenny Ann Low
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Masterclass: ‘It’s courageous, it’s uncomfortable. And it’s just a play, isn’t it?’
★★★★

Nothing is sacred in this bonkers, unexpected two-hander

In this latest round-up of Sydney festival performances our critics give their verdict on Masterclass; Tiddas; It’s a Sin; Orpheus and Eurydice; Anoushka Shankar; and Big Name, No Blankets.

  • by John Shand, Peter McCallum, Harriet Cunningham and Kate Prendergast
Grey Filastine and Nova Ruth aboard the Arka Kinari.

Forget private jets, meet the performers who sail to their gigs

Since 2019, the Arka Kinari has roamed the world’s oceans on a mission to promote sustainable living.

  • by Nick Galvin
Belgian director Alexander Devriendt on the set of Are we not drawn onward to new erA.

Are we not drawn onward to new erA: Read it backwards to see the future

A new play by Belgian provocateurs Ontroerend Goed starts this week as part of Sydney Festival 2024.

  • by Helen Pitt
Sarah-Louise Young in An Evening without Kate Bush.

Swapping places with Kate Bush for a rousing, wuthering tribute to fandom

One-woman show An Evening without Kate Bush celebrates what fans love about the enigmatic art-pop genius.

  • by Nick Dent
Ode To Joy (How Gordon Got To The Nasty Sex Pig Party) was a hit at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.

From a sex party to a brush with Kate Bush, Sydney Festival heats up

The shows keep coming during week two of the city’s annual culture fest.

  • by Nick Galvin
Elenoa Rokobaro flexes gender like a kind as Nellie Small.
★★★½

Nellie Small: Black, queer, proud … and way before her time

Our reviewers give their verdict on Sydney Festival’s first batch of shows, including Send For Nellie; A Bucket of Beetles; Il Tabarro; Smashed: The Nightcap; Encantado; and Bananaland.

  • by John Shand, Chantal Nguyen, Cassie Tongue, Peter McCallum and Kate Prendergast
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Sammy Butcher

The People’s Band who took Aboriginal culture to the world

The pioneering Warumpi Band are being celebrated in a new theatrical tribute.

  • by Nick Galvin
Julie Byrne: “They remind me why, they remind me of our purpose in this, so it was worth what it took to find the right words.”

‘There was so much I wanted to preserve’: Julie Byrne on making music through grief

The musician’s one-time boyfriend, long-time musical partner and dear friend died suddenly a few months into making her third album.

  • by Annabel Ross
Lunch with Kate Miller-Heidke at Woodford Folk Festival.

Kate Miller-Heidke says her singing is like ‘a yodelling ambulance or Enya on meth’

On stage, Kate Miller-Heidke’s self-deprecating sense of humour is clear – the audience laughs at her jokes about the high register of her voice.

  • by Helen Pitt
Michael Shaw with his latest work at Walsh Bay.

Here’s the kind of inflation everyone can enjoy

Sculptor Michael Shaw loves blowing things up, and now he’s turned his attention to Sydney.

  • by Nick Galvin
Elenoa Rokobaro stars as Nellie with Eleanor Stankiewicz in the Sydney Festival show, Send for Nellie.

Nellie Small: The queer black icon Sydney didn’t know it had

A long forgotten star of the Sydney stage, Nellie Small, will be honoured in a tribute show at the 2024 Sydney Festival.

  • by Helen Pitt
Jacob Nash is presenting his third Blak Out program as part of the Sydney Festival.

‘We will move forward’: Jake Nash looks to the future after Voice disappointment

Admitting it will take some time, Sydney Festival’s Blak Out co-ordinator addresses the emotional impact of the failed referendum.

  • by Nick Galvin
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Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/culture/music/sydney-festival-2024-20240105-p5eveq.html