Pavements tells the truth by telling a bunch of lies

  • Cinema

There’s no “story” to Pavement as a band, really, other than a very brief bit of tension with the Smashing Pumpkins. Nor is their music overly primed for analysis: a song like ‘Cut Your Hair’ isn’t about anything more than the textural pleasures of its scuzzed-out guitar riffs, and choruses that go off like car bombs. What does it all mean? Well, is it a cop-out to say both everything, and absolutely nothing at all?

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5 Donna Summer tracks that defined the disco era

  • Contemporary Music

You can’t talk about disco without talking about the late Donna Summer. She is disco. And her music defined much of the 1970s. A time of flared pants, sequins and infectious grooves. And though that era may be over, her music still has us moving our hips to this day. Marcia Sings Summer is a tribute concert to Donna Summer’s groovalicious legacy. Featuring Marcia Hines, a beloved national treasure and Australian music icon. And special guest Casey Donovan, the youngest winner of Australian Idol.

Article

Gender and Power

Concert Hall

28 Sep 2025

  • Talks and Ideas

With ‘gender wars’ spreading across the western world placing lives at risk, M Gessen, one of the most insightful thinkers of their generation, examines the dark forces behind gender panic and why it has fallen on such fertile ground.

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Taiwan Film Festival in Australia: Flowers of Shanghai

Playhouse

6 Sep 2025

  • Cinema

Tony Leung and Michiko Hada star in the 4K restoration of the Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 1998 Palme d’Or nominated masterpiece, presented as the Closing Night of the 2025 Taiwan Film Festival in Australia.

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A New Stage

  • Dance
  • First Nations

A bold change for our resident company Bangarra Dance Theatre begins in 2025. Australia’s beloved First Nations cultural and dance powerhouse is moving to the world-renowned Joan Sutherland Theatre at Sydney Opera House. After 20 years of captivating audiences in the Drama Theatre, Bangarra will now make fire in this grand space; an illuminating new chapter. To celebrate, we’ve collaborated with Bangarra to release a beautiful new film titled A New Stage.

Article

Ever wanted to watch a film and immediately grill the director?

  • Cinema

You’re probably used to watching films without the director in the room. Any praises, thoughts, or questions you have are left shared with whoever you’re with at the time. But imagine if you could question the actual director about their film right after watching it? Well, at Sydney Film Festival this year, you can. We’re screening a wide selection of films as part of the festival, and some come paired with a special director Q&A. Check out the directors you could meet below.

Article

Duck Pond

Concert Hall

9 – 12 Jan 2026

  • Circus
  • Dance
  • Acrobatics

When Swan Lake meets The Ugly Duckling, feathers will fly. Circa, Australia’s trailblazing contemporary circus company, takes ballet’s most beloved classic and flips it on its head. With soaring aerials, a sequinned duck army, burlesque black swans and a cheeky twist on the fairytale you thought you knew, Duck Pond is a high-octane fusion of beauty, comedy and jaw-dropping skill. Quirky, beautiful and delightfully irreverent. This is Swan Lake, but not as you know it.

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Evolving Traditions: Your Guide to Utzon Music 2025

  • Classical Music

Like humans, music takes many forms, shaped by different landscapes, languages, ways of living and listening. Through every age, music and musicians have been border-crossers: melodies, instruments, players and chord progressions migrating and morphing in constant search of new forms, new listeners. Beloved traditions become the inspiration for fresh compositions, as reinvention and rebirth give cultures ongoing vitality.

Guide

SPC Rehearsal Studio, Wharf 4/5

SFF: Once Upon A Time Michel Legrand (Il Était une Fois Michel Legrand)

Playhouse

8 Jun 2025

  • Cinema

The Oscar-winning composer and close collaborator of Jacques Demy is vividly evoked in never-before-seen archives and interviews with admirers and friends including Barbra Streisand.

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