The timeless Swan Lake is reinvented by Artistic Director David Hallberg as the centrepiece of The Australian Ballet’s 60th anniversary celebrations. This work will reinterpret the time-honoured masterpiece as never witnessed before, redefining ballet history for generations to come.
Date
Time
Friday 1 December 2023
7.30pm
Saturday 2 December 2023
1.30pm, 7.30pm
Monday 4 December 2023 *Post performance Q&A session
6.30pm
Tuesday 5 December 2023
7.30pm
Wednesday 6 December 2023
1.30pm, 7.30pm
Thursday 7 December 2023
7.30pm
Friday 8 December 2023
7.30pm
Saturday 9 December 2023
1.30pm, 7.30pm
Monday 11 December 2023
7.30pm
Tuesday 12 December 2023
7.30pm
Wednesday 13 December 2023
1.30pm, 7.30pm
Thursday 14 December 2023
7.30pm
Friday 15 December 2023
7.30pm
Saturday 16 December 2023
1.30pm, 7.30pm
Monday 18 December 2023
7.30pm
Tuesday 19 December 2023
7.30pm
Wednesday 20 December 2023
1.30pm
Ticket
Price
Description
Standard
$66 - $378
Adults 18 years and over
Australian Pensioner
$52 - $312
Australian Pension Card holders*
Australian Student
$52 - $312
Australian Full-time Student Card holders*
Under 30 years
$52 - $312
Under 30 at time of performance*
Child
$38 - $214
Under 18 at time of performance*
*Must provide valid ID
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Young people under the age of 15 must be accompanied at all times. Children aged 0 - 23 months at the time of a performance may be seated on a parent’s lap free of charge. All children occupying a seat or aged two years and older must hold a valid ticket.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House and The Australian Ballet. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale Monday 28 November 2022
An enduring love story that has played a recurring role in the history of The Australian Ballet, the timeless Swan Lake is reinvented by Artistic Director David Hallberg in 2023. Inspired by Anne Woolliams’ 1977 production, this creation marks David Hallberg’s first major commission for the company as the centrepiece of their 60th anniversary celebrations.
Exploring the ballet’s themes of yearning, betrayal and love through a refreshing new lens, this adaptation will embody the beauty and power of the art form and honour our company’s commitment to classical repertoire. Through David’s vision, audiences will be enraptured with ballet’s iconic characters: Prince Siegfried, the Swan Queen Odette and her evil counterpart Odile, in a story of doomed love that continues to move audiences all over the world.
Set to Tchaikovsky’s poignant score, Swan Lake presents ballet's most famous scenes, including the resplendent Act II pas de deux for Siegfried and Odette. This Swan Lake reinterprets the time-honoured masterpiece as never witnessed before, a work that will redefine ballet history for generations to come.
Presented by The Australian Ballet, with Opera Australia Orchestra
Trailer
Our 60th year is a fitting moment to create a classical version of Swan Lake. One that will stand proud as a choreographically modern representation of The Australian Ballet, further elevate our artistic and technical excellence, and stand the test of time for decades to come. With lavish new sets and costumes, this is a Swan Lake that audiences will come to again and again.
David Hallberg, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet
Artist information
Originally produced by Anne Woolliams after Petipa
Additional choreography Ray Powell
Director David Hallberg
Guest Repetiteur Mark Kay
Dramaturgy and additional choreography Lucas Jervies
Music Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Costume design Mara Blumenfeld
Set design Daniel Ostling
Lighting design T.J. Gerckens
Gallery
1
of
6
Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1983
Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1983 Image: Branco Gaica
Michaela Kirkaldie, Ross Stretton and Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1978
Michaela Kirkaldie, Ross Stretton and Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1978 Image: Branco Gaica
Michaela Kirkaldia and John Meehan, 1982
Michaela Kirkaldia and John Meehan, 1982 Image: Branco Gaica
Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1987
Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1987 Image: Loreli Simmonds
Christine Walsh and Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1987
Christine Walsh and Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1987 Image: Unknown
Lynette Wills and Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1991
Lynette Wills and Artists of The Australian Ballet, 1991 Image: Branco Gaica
Season 2023
The Australian Ballet
Season 2023 marks 60 years of The Australian Ballet. Six decades of ambition, imagination and excellence that have shaped the company's identity, establishing their place as a jewel in this nation's artistic landscape.
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We remind our audiences and visitors to please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We have a number of safety measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. While face masks are no longer required, we ask all our patrons and visitors to practise good hygiene.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
Take an adrenaline-pumping ride through lust, jealousy and spectacle in this bold new production of an opera classic. When Carmen meets Don José, sparks fly. She won’t give up her freedom, and Don José won’t give up his girl. Their smouldering passion sets the stage for tragedy. This visceral opera is thrilling from the moment the curtain rises and the orchestra races away with the overture. It features the famous Toreador song, the Habanera and moving Flower song.
A water nymph longs to live and love as a human and will sacrifice everything to get there. Superstar Australian soprano Nicole Car plays Rusalka. Rusalka longs for light, love and life on the surface. She’ll sacrifice anything to get it. But the water nymph can’t imagine what she’s giving up … or if the man she loves is worth it. Nicole Car is one of the most successful Australian sopranos in decades. Don’t miss her return home in her role debut as Rusalka.
Ten years after its spectacular premiere, David McAllister’s opulent production of The Sleeping Beauty returns to whisk you away into a magical realm of fairies and spells, good versus evil and a royal romance. Accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score, The Sleeping Beauty is a dreamlike vision, evoking ballet’s golden era with traditional choreography and extravagant designs. The gilded set stands alongside over 300 bespoke costumes, wigs and fairy wings, designed by the award-winning Gabriela Tylesova.
