Forced into an unnaturally long hibernation, theatre companies, live music venues, and performance spaces around Sydney have spent the last few months sitting quietly in the dark, taking stock and preparing for a time when they can spread their wings and emerge, brighter and more crucial than ever. In this month’s SPOTLIGHT, we shine a torch on the companies and venues around Sydney that are reopening their doors, ready to welcome back audiences equally eager to engage with live performances.
A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN – BELVOIR ST THEATRE
Having closed its doors in March, a week before A Room of One’s Own was due to open in the upstairs theatre, Belvoir is back, ready to finally reveal the work to Sydney audiences. Directed and co-adapted by Carissa Licciardello, A Room Of One’s Own brings Virginia Woolf’s seminal lecture alive, under the expert precision of actor Anita Hegh. Sitting, socially distanced, in the theatre, audience members are asked to wear masks at all times. It might not be the theatre experience we remember however Woolf’s meditative, thoughtful text lends itself well to a small, intimate audience.
LIVEWORKS FESTIVAL – PERFORMANCE SPACE
Based at Sydney’s (recently back from the brink) Carriageworks, Performance Space is one of Australia’s premiere spaces for experimental, risk-taking artists. Now in its fifth year, Liveworks 2020 Festival of Experimental Art returns with a program running from the 21st – 25th of October. Featuring an all new line-up of live works, a platform for works-in-progress, and a series of public conversation, Liveworks is sure to be a thrilling antidote for anyone seeking a slightly more surreal experience than your Netflix recommendations.
VENUE 505
Located in the upstairs ballroom of the historic 100-year-old Newtown School Of Arts, Venue 505 has been presenting live music in Sydney for more than 15 years. ‘Acoustic Ritual’ is a new music program that runs from Tuesday to Saturday in the first week of every month. Showcasing new work by local composers as well as old favourites, the 505 combines great music in a unique space for a great night out in Sydney’s inner-west.
WONNANGATTA – SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY
Playwright Angus Cerini’s multi-award winning play, The Bleeding Tree, was a sensation when it premiered at Sydney’s Griffin Theatre Co back in 2015. Cerini’s words return to Sydney stages with STC’s latest show, Wonnangatta, in the accomplished hands of director Jessica Arthur and actors Hugo Weaving and Wayne Blair. Described as an Australian gothic fable, Wonnangatta is a poetic celebration of language and story.
