June will not be beach weather for Sydney. Here’s what you should do instead
There’s no need to let wet weather dampen your social schedule. Sydney’s arts and culture scene has plenty of hot-ticket indoor events that don’t require gumboots, an umbrella or an impossible-to-refold rain poncho. Check out our guide to the best indoor music gigs, theatre shows, exhibitions, performances and festivals happening in June, all of which will keep spirits soaring even as the rain falls.
Titanic. The Human Story
Walsh Bay Arts Precinct Pier 2/3, until July 6
History buffs (or fans of James Cameron’s 1997 romantic blockbuster) can get up close to the tragedy of the Titanic at a month-long exhibition that has toured the United States and Britain and features 200 objects and personal artefacts from passengers and crew members. There is a detailed recreation of the ship’s interior from first class to third class that visitors can walk through, while an audio guide lets listeners be completely encompassed by the stories of those who were onboard. titanicexhibition.com.au
Japanese Breakfast
Sydney Opera House, June 3
Japanese Breakfast is the musical project of songwriter Michelle Zauner.Credit: Pak Bae
There are still a few seats left to catch Japanese Breakfast, the musical project of songwriter Michelle Zauner, as the Grammy-nominated indie pop outfit hit town for a Vivid gig. The multi-talented Zauner also found massive success with her bestselling 2021 memoir, Crying In H Mart, but is back focusing on music with the band’s most recent album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), receiving rave reviews for a more mature sound when it dropped this year. sydneyoperahouse.com
Sydney Film Festival
Various locations, June 4-15
Cinephiles will be out in full force guzzling popcorn and bathing in the big-screen glow as the film festival takes over Sydney’s movie theatres. The buzziest titles on this year’s program include the Australian premieres for Ari Aster’s straight-from-Cannes flick Eddington, with Joaquin Phoenix starring opposite Pedro Pascal, and Kelly Reichardt’s art heist drama The Mastermind. But with more than 200 films from 70 countries on the timetable, there is plenty to choose from whatever one’s taste. sff.org.au
Illume
Sydney Opera House, June 4-14
Bangarra Dance Theatre reveals the world premiere of its first visual arts collaboration as Mirning choreographer and Bangarra artistic director Frances Rings and Goolarrgon Bard visual artist Darrell Sibosado merge their creative forces for what should prove an enlightening alliance. The new work Illume explores how the life-sustaining phenomena of light has been woven into Indigenous cultural existence and how light pollution has disrupted that connection. bangarra.com.au
Cerith Wyn Evans ... in light of the visible
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, June 6-October 19
The MCA’s major winter exhibition presents a comprehensive look at the Welsh artist’s work, with the show set up as if attendees were strolling through a garden. Several major pieces, including his giant light sculptures, are on show alongside site-specific works intended to engage with the environment of Sydney Harbour. Those wanting a deeper insight can purchase tickets to hear Wyn Evans in conversation on June 7, when he will be taking questions from the audience. mca.com.au
Bubble Planet
Paddington Pavilion, Sydney Olympic Park, from June 6
Instagram addicts will probably want to make sure they’ve got camera memory left for selfies when they hit up this very photogenic immersive experience seen globally by two million people. Attendees can get in touch with their inner child or take along their children as they traverse glowing neon rooms including ball pits, a virtual reality space, an infinity room, an underwater LED world and a giant bubble dome. bubble-planet.com/sydney
The Fairy Queen
Roslyn Packer Theatre, June 7-14
Pinchgut Opera performers Kanen Breen and Cathy-Di Zhang in The Fairy Queen.Credit: Steven Siewert
Pinchgut Opera are taking things up a notch, moving from their usual residence of City Recital Hall to make their debut at Roslyn Packer Theatre. The company will be staging an ambitious new production of Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, helmed by British director Netia Jones, who is known for her signature use of video projection. The singing talent includes Cathy-Di Zhang, Morgan Balfour and Kanen Breen, with Erin Helyard conducting the Baroque melodies. pinchgutopera.com.au
The Spare Room
Belvoir St Theatre, June 7-July 13
Acting icon Judy Davis, who has a mantelpiece full of Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA and AACTA awards, is returning to the stage after a 14-year absence. The lure was Eamon Flack’s stage adaptation of Helen Garner’s acclaimed novel, The Spare Room, which follows two old friends as one stays with the other while visiting to receive a dodgy cancer treatment. Davis stars opposite Elizabeth Alexander in what promises to be a tour de force. belvoir.com.au
Spacey Jane
Hordern Pavilion, June 13
Fremantle psych-rock outfit Spacey Jane.Credit: Cole Barash
The ARIA award-winning Perth band and Triple J favourites have already sold out the Hordern Pavilion twice, but tickets remain for the extra show added to meet fan demand. The indie rockers are playing tracks from new album If That Makes Sense, and music lovers should catch them while they can as they’re touring Australia before heading off to North America and Europe. ticketek.com.au
Unscripted and Unfiltered with Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally
ICC Sydney Theatre, June 14
Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally.Credit: Vivid Sydney
TV aficionados might be aware that Parks and Recreation‘s Ron Swanson is married to Will & Grace’s Karen Walker in real life – actors Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally have racked up 21 years of marriage. The couple are appearing together onstage in conversation for the first time for Vivid Sydney. Presenter Zan Rowe hosts what should be a very funny discussion about their careers, relationship and activism.
Cats
Theatre Royal Sydney, June 17-September 6
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running and somewhat divisive musical celebrates its 40th Australian anniversary with a new local tour starting at its original theatrical home of Theatre Royal Sydney. Join the Jellicle cat tribe and hum along to the megahit Memory, with Gabriyel Thomas starring as Grizabella, Mark Vincent as Old Deuteronomy, Lucy Maunder as Jellylorum and Todd McKenney in dual roles. catsthemusical.com.au
Aphrodite
Carriageworks, June 20-28
See the world premiere of Sydney Chamber Opera’s exciting new opera from Nico Muhly, a re-examination of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and her impact on the ideas of beauty and love. Australian playwright Laura Lethlean has written the libretto and the musicians of Omega Ensemble perform alongside the voices of Jessica O’Donoghue and Puerto Rican soprano Meechot Marrero, who is making her Australian debut. carriageworks.com.au
Coriolanus
The Neilson Nutshell, June 20-July 19
Actor Hazem Shammas stars in Coriolanus in Bell Shakespeare’s 2025 season.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Bell Shakespeare put on for the first time in nearly three decades Shakespeare’s political tragedy, a still-relevant tale of power which for this production is set in a scene reminiscent of ’90s eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Logie winner Hazem Shammas, a familiar face to television viewers from his appearances in Safe Harbour and The Twelve, stars in the title role with acting veteran Peter Carroll performing alongside him. bellshakespeare.com.au
Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala
Art Gallery of New South Wales, June 21-October 6
AGNSW’s winter blockbuster exhibition pulls together more than 300 works from 70 Aboriginal artists connected to the small community of Yirrkala in the East Arnhem region of the Northern Territory. View bark paintings, drawings, sculpture and video works, a highlight being an almost three-metre-tall termite mound made from fibreglass brought to life with projections of animals and plants. artgallery.nsw.gov.au
Supanova Comic Con and Gaming
Sydney Showground, June 21-22
Let that geek flag fly at this popular fan convention where dressing-up is most certainly encouraged. The starry guests turning up for the weekend’s Q&A panels and other events include Lost’s Evangeline Lilly, The Phantom’s Billy Zane, Outlander’s Sam Heughan and Wayne’s World’s Tia Carrere. Apart from celeb-spotting, attendees can get involved in cosplay competitions, shop at a massive marketplace of memorabilia and collectables or check out esports activities. supanova.com.au