Sydney Festival 2019: Program guide for Western Sydney
From acrobatics to a symphony and 1930s jazz, the Sydney Festival has plenty in store for western Sydney.
Parramatta
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From acrobatics to a symphony and 1930s jazz, the Sydney Festival has plenty in store for the west.
The 2019 festival program was unveiled today, including a range of events happening in Parramatta across January.
Prince Alfred Square will be home to a three-day festival of circus performances, including an aerialist suspended from a giant, glowing lunar balloon 20m above the crowd.
Riverside Theatres will stage a variety of theatre productions, including the world premiere of Shanghai MiMi, a cabaret show inspired by 1930s Shanghai.
Sydney Symphony Under The Stars returns to Parramatta Park on January 19 for the third year; the popular event attracted more than 10,000 people this year.
In Blacktown, a surround sound pavilion at the Showground Precinct will showcase the stories of elders and future leaders from the local Aboriginal community.
Sydney Festival director Wesley Enoch said while he loved “all the projects” in the west he was “especially looking forward to” Circus Comes to Town and Shanghai MiMi.
Enoch said the festival has had more ticketed and free events in western Sydney in the past few years and “audiences have really grown”.
“In our first year of presenting Sydney Symphony Under The Stars in Parramatta we had a really amazing 6000 people attending by the time we did it for the second time this year in January we had over 14,000 attend,” he said.
“We’ve also seen amazing numbers of Western Sydney locals attending our shows but we have also seen more and more people from all over Sydney attending events in Parramatta and western Sydney.”
Western Sydney highlights
■ Circus Comes To Town — Prince Alfred Square, January 11-13
Prince Alfred Square transforms into three days of circus fun. Watch five Mallakhamba artists perform stunts on large vertical poles combining gymnastics, wrestling and aerial yoga, or see an aerialist suspended from a giant, glowing helium sphere 20m above the crowd in Heliosphere. There will also be ticketed acrobatics and flying trapeze workshops over the weekend.
■ Sydney Symphony Under The Stars — Parramatta Park, January 19
Pack a hamper and enjoy music under the stars in a free concert by Sydney Symphony Orchestra at The Crescent. The orchestra will perform a selection of iconic film music and classical favourites.
■ Brett & Wendy A Love Story Bound By Art — Riverside Theatres, January 18-27
This drama will delve into the tumultuous world of iconic artist Brett Whiteley (played by Paul Gleeson) and his wife, muse, model and confidante, Wendy (played by Leanna Walsman).
■ MAAS and the Moon — Riverside Theatres, January 9-27
A free display curated by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences includes scientific instruments and models and astrophotography from the museum’s collection of astronomical history, design and decorative arts.
■ Rock Bang — Riverside Theatres, January 10-13
The rock ‘n’ roll circus combines acrobatics, headbanging live music and comedy in a circus extravaganza from Circus Oz and art-rock-comedy duo Otto & Astrid from Die Roten Punkte.
■ Splash Test Dummies — Riverside Theatres, January 11-13
This aquatic adventure brings together synchronised swimming on unicycles, human balancing acts and water skiing in a family friendly show of slapstick stunts and comedy.
■ Talking Circus — Riverside Theatre, January 13
This free talk discusses how diverse cultures shape contemporary circus.
■ Shanghai MiMi — Riverside Theatre, January 10-20
Inspired by 1930s Shanghai, Riverside Theatres will be transformed into a cabaret show with dancers, acrobats, aerialists and singers to a background of Chinese jazz and blues.
■ Blak Box — Blacktown Showground Precinct, January 9-February 2
The voices of elders and future leaders from Blacktown’s Aboriginal community feature in Four Winds, a surround-sound experience.