Fran Lebowitz sitting in a chair with her hand, while speaking to a panel of three women at raised at All About Women in 2018 — Fran Lebowitz at All About Women in 2018. Image: Prudence Upton

Talks & Ideas

Ideas to challenge, inform and inspire

Sydney Opera House's year-round Talks & Ideas program has featured appearances by some of the biggest names in current affairs and contemporary culture.

Speakers range from canonical novelist and essayist Zadie Smith to New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan, artist Ai Weiwei, Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud, celebrity food writers Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi, philosopher Alain de Botton and scientist Stephen Hawking, among many others.

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all about women

All About Women is a vibrant annual festival that asks questions about gender, justice and equality. Past guests include prolific writer Isabel Allende, authors Caitlin Moran and Chanel Miller, former Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama, Tina Tchen and humorist Fran Lebowitz.

Photograph of a cloud hovering above a large foot ramp which a cyclist is riding down. A large green park and the Sydney city skyline are in the background.

Antidote

Antidote is a festival of ideas, action and change with a lineup of talks, workshops, visual arts. Past guests include journalist Ronan Farrow, activist Chelsea Manning, The New Yorker writers Jill Lepore and Elizabeth Kolbert, author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, novelist Kiley Reid, singer/activist Denise Ho, poet and author Cathy Park Hong, broadcaster and author Afua Hirsch and economist and politician Yanis Varoufakis.

Keeping cooking simple with Yotam Ottolenghi

It’s hard to remember what we used to cook before Yotam Ottolenghi burst into our culinary consciousness. From his introduction of bold new flavours and ingredients, to his consistent foregrounding of vegetables in his meals, Ottolenghi’s books continue to excite and inspire food-lovers everywhere.

Nigella Lawson in conversation with Maeve O'Meara on stage at the Opera House. They are both seated and wearing black, Nigella faces the camera with both hands raised and Maeve has her back turned to the camera

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Nigella Lawson: A Celebration of Home Cooking

Nigella Lawson knows that food brings people together. The much-loved home cook returned to the Opera House in January 2018 after a sold out event in 2016, with recipes and stories as entertaining as they are nourishing.

A man with dark skin gives a keynote talk. His arms are raised and he is wearing a singlet

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Queerstories Comes Back Out

Confessions, obsessions, love, loss and fierce resistance – you never know what will happen next at Sydney's legendary LGBTQI+ storytelling event. Hosted by Maeve Marsden. There is more to being queer than coming out and getting married. Come on in, grab a seat, and listen to an unexpected tale or two from some of Sydney’s finest storytellers. Vulnerable and powerful, hilarious and heartbreaking, Queerstories celebrates the culture and creativity of the LGBTQI+ community, one true story at a time. A national storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, Queerstories has sold out at festivals and independent venues around the country, with a book and an award-winning podcast boasting nearly 250 stories. After a long and lonely 2020, don’t miss this triumphant return to the stage.

Edwina Throsby and Flex Mami sitting side by side in conversation in a dimly lit room in the Opera House

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Ideas at the House

Our long-running podcast Ideas at the House comes to life in this filmed series of original, one-on-one interviews with some of the most inspiring women of the moment. Join the Sydney Opera House’s former Head of Talks & Ideas, Edwina Throsby, as she gets up close and personal with actress, artist and Gen-X icon Ione Skye, best-selling author, podcaster and businesswoman FlexMami, Sydney-based sex-worker and feminist activist Tilly Lawless, and popular Australian presenter and author Yumi Stynes. Each interview is a fascinating glimpse into a singular figure, and the work it takes to succeed on their own terms. Show more

Sydney Opera House

Talks & Ideas

Ideas to challenge, inform and inspire

See what's on

rent

all about women

Antidote

Keeping cooking simple with Yotam Ottolenghi

Nigella Lawson: A Celebration of Home Cooking

Queerstories Comes Back Out

Ideas at the House

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Talks & Ideas

Ideas to challenge, inform and inspire

See what's on

rent

You may also like...

all about women

Antidote – A festival of ideas, art and change

All About Women of Colour Mentorship