Sydney Opera House doubles the creative fun for kids this April

Sydney – Tuesday 2 March, 2021. The Sydney Opera House will inspire kids and families with two free artist-led Creative Play experiences alongside school holiday shows this April. Held in the Western Foyer and Utzon Room, the expanded programming is enabled by the NSW Government initiative’s Summer in the City initiative. The immersive experiences include Awakening Evenfall, with children repurposing old Opera House uniforms to weave personal stories, and Utzon’s Universe, a kid-friendly exploration of the design principles of Opera House architect Jørn Utzon.

NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, Sarah Mitchell says: “I am delighted that the NSW Government’s Summer in the City initiative is enabling Creative Play. These workshops are a fantastic way to bring children and families together in a building known across the world for creativity.”

NSW Minister for the Arts, Don Harwin says: “The Summer in the City initiative provides a welcome boost to our vibrant arts industry. I’m very pleased to see local Sydney artistic talent fostering creativity in our young people through a playful blend of heritage, architecture and design.”

Created by Western Sydney multidisciplinary artist Liam Benson, Awakening Evenfall invites kids to embellish old Opera House uniforms using various craft techniques including embroidery and weaving, telling their unique stories by mirroring movement patterns in societies and nature. Benson will be joined by craftspeople from The Adorned Collective, a community group of artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who share a love of making.

Utzon’s Universe will playfully encourage the inner architect with a series of workshops exploring the design principles of architect Jørn Utzon, led by the Opera House’s Creative Play team of interdisciplinary artists. Based on the book Utzon's Universe by Denmark’s finest architectural educators Malene Abildgaard and Julie Dufour, families will create miniature models and daring constructions, from chairs inspired by the gentle forms of nature, to building the perfect house in a tree.

Sydney Opera House Head of Children, Families and Creative Learning, Tamara Harrison says: “We’re excited to offer families imaginative, immersive and free Creative Play workshops, thanks to the NSW Government. Utzon’s Universe encourages children to engage with the inspiring architecture of the House itself. Awakening Evenfall champions both creativity and sustainability by giving new life to old Opera House uniforms. We hope these activities will inspire young minds to playfully create art that sparks their imagination.”

The Creative Play experiences run alongside the April school holiday program, which includes the world premiere of rampaging new Australian musical comedy Charlie and the War Against the Grannies, written by and starring Alan Brough (ABC TV’s Spicks and Specks), and new dinosaur adventure Prehistoric World by internationally-renowned puppeteers Erth. For explorers big and small, the Junior Adventure Tour takes the whole family behind-the-scenes to discover how the magic of theatre, music and arts comes to life.

This initiative is part of the Summer in the City program, proudly funded by the NSW Government.

Full details of the COVID-safe measures in place at the Sydney Opera House can be found here.