Accessible Performances
We want everyone to have the opportunity to experience the magic of live shows and special programs at the Sydney Opera House. Here you’ll find our program of inclusive performances for people of all ages and abilities.
Getting help with booking
If you have trouble booking your tickets please contact Box Office
Phone +61 2 9250 7777
Digital Season
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs – Handel: Messiah performed in Auslan
Handel’s greatest and most loved choral masterpiece sung by more than 500 voices at the Sydney Opera House. In a world first and in collaboration with Accessible Arts and Sydney Opera House, the concert is signed live by a choir of 18 to bring another element of meaning to this powerful piece of music.
Keep Cooking Simple with Yotam Ottolenghi
Spend your afternoon with the chef who has made tahini and pomegranate molasses pantry staples across the world. Yotam Ottolenghi joins Adam Liaw for a no holds barred conversation, sharing the stories behind his iconic recipes. Auslan Interpretation by Sweeney Interpreting.
Bell Shakespeare: John Bell, One Man In His Time (Audio Described)
Join John Bell AO as he shares his reflections on the timeless and poetic language of Shakespeare’s plays and his lifetime spent performing and directing them.
Presented in association with Bell Shakespeare.
Take an online tour of the Sydney Opera House
Follow our tour guide behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House where performers like Julie Andrews, Bob Dylan and Prince have all gone before, and discover spaces and places normally hidden from the public. Throughout your journey, learn from our tour guide as they uncover the history of this iconic building through untold anecdotes and fun facts.
Accessible theatre for children with disability
Accessible theatre for children with disability
In 2016, we presented Oddysea, an immersive sensory theatre experience designed specifically for young people with profound and complex disabilities. Sensorium Theatre’s hands-on story telling made use of all the senses – touch, taste, smell, as well as sound and vision - giving a life-changing experience to those young people who face the most challenges in coming to a regular Opera House show. Oddysea was enabled privately by an Opera House Idealist major donor.
Edward the Emu
Audio-Described Performance: Saturday 16 April, 10.30am;
Pre-show Tactile Tour: Saturday 16 April, 9.30am
Edward and Edwina both wonder if there is more to life than being an emu but after adventures beyond the enclosure, they discover that the best thing you can be is… you! Recommended for ages 4+
Talks & Ideas
All About Women 2022
12 - 13 March
All About Women (AAW) invites audiences to gather and reflect on burning questions about gender, equality, and justice. Experience the festival in person at Sydney Opera House, or join us online via our livestream program. To view the schedule click here. This year:
- All talks in the Drama Theatre are live captioned
- All talks in other venues (excluding workshops) are Auslan Interpreted
Liane Moriarty - Apples Never Fall
Auslan Interpreted, livestream 7pm Tuesday 14 September
Celebrate internationally bestselling Australian author, Liane Moriarty, and the launch of her long-awaited new book Apples Never Fall. Join us online for this exclusive in-conversation hosted by Annabel Crabb, livestreamed directly to your living room. Auslan Interpreted by Sweeney Interpreting.
Antidote festival
Live Captioned and Auslan Interpreted talks available to rent on demand
Antidote; a festival of ideas, action and change, returned (online) for its fifth year in September 2021. From environmental writer, Elizabeth Kolbert, to Korean American poet Cathy Park Hong - explore a line-up of thinkers, artists and change makers.
If you missed out on the 2021 festival, you can rent a selection of talks on demand.
All About Women 2020 Festival
Live Captioned and Auslan Interpreted talks available to rent on demand
All About Women returned for its ninth year in March 2021 with an incredible line up of thinkers including Caitlin Moran, Isabel Allende, Koa Beck, Laura Bates, and many more for a vibrant one-day festival celebrating feminism.
If you missed out on the 2021 festival, you can rent a selection of talks on demand.
SIX The Musical
Auslan Interpreted, Wednesday 30 March, 6pm
Re-introducing the six wives of Henry VIII — six rebellious heroines take to the mic to remix over 500 years of history and heartbreak in a celebration of girl power. The global pop musical phenomenon is coming, and set to take Sydney by storm.
Bigger & Blacker
Auslan Interpreted version available On Demand from 20 September 2021
Bigger & Blacker is a comedy cabaret guaranteed to get you laughing, thinking and shimmying in your chair. Oliver’s ability to entertain while bearing his soul is the mark of a true cabaret artist. In this candid nod and a no-holds-barred ode to his personal journey, he creatively and expertly combines humour and contemplation, leaving the audience smitten. Auslan Interpreted by Sweeney Interpreting.
Opera Australia
Please call Opera Australia on +61 2 9318 8200 or email ticket@opera.org.au to book an accessible performance.
Otello
Audio Described performance, Saturday 5 March at 12.30pm
Verdi takes the best bits of one of Shakespeare’s most famous works to create a taut, vivid romantic tragedy.
La Juive
Audio Described performance, Saturday 26 March at 12.30pm
Secrets, sex and bitter religious rivalries result in human tragedy on a grand scale.
Madama Butterfly
Audio Described performance, Saturday 30 July at 12.30pm
Fluttering beauty, caught and pinned for his pleasure, bound, yet beautiful still.
Blithe Spirit
Audio Described performances: Tuesday 19 April at 6.30pm, Saturday 23 April at 1.30pm;
Captioned performances: Tuesday 26 April at 6.30pm, Saturday 30 April at 1.30pm;
Auslan performance: Thursday 12 May at 7.30pm.
Ghostly, glamorous and more than a little mischievous, a spectacular cast of comedy legends is bringing this wicked and witty classic back to life.
Hamlet
Audio Described and Captioned performance, Saturday 26 March at 1pm.
A story of revenge, passion and deception, this is a Hamlet for our time.
Comedy of Errors
Audio Described and Captioned performance, Saturday 3 September at 7pm
A beautiful story about reunion, wrapped up in an evening of entertainment and laughter.
Terrain
Audio Described performance, Saturday 25 June at 1.30pm
Bangarra’s award-winning Terrain returns for a 10th Anniversary Tour in 2022.
SandSong
Audio Described performance, Saturday 23 July at 1.30pm
SandSong tells the unique story of the Kimberley and Great Sandy Desert regions and the survival of its People.
Additional Information
Captioned Performances
Captions are text descriptions that display a film's dialogue, identify speakers, and describe other relevant sounds that are otherwise inaccessible to people who are deaf or have hearing loss. The areas of the venue where the screens that will show the captions are visible can be booked by selecting the CAPTION seats.
Auslan Interpreted Performances
Experienced Auslan theatre interpreters stand to the side of the stage and translate what the actors are saying or singing into Auslan. A block of seats is reserved for users of this service to ensure a good view of the interpreter and the stage. The areas of the venue where the interpreters are visible can be booked by selecting the Auslan seats.
Accessible Performance and Sing & Play Sessions
Sydney Opera House in partnership with Lifestart organisation offer Accessible Sing & Play sessions. These dedicated performances are designed to ensure everyone is able to enjoy the theatre experience in a supportive, friendly and relaxed environment. The Sing & Play session is offered in the foyer area after the performance and includes a range of fun play activities supported by the Lifestart team. A supported music program based on the musical themes from the performance is also provided and facilitated by our very own Sing & Play music therapist.
Relaxed Performances
Relaxed performances are open to everyone, but with modifications to sound and lighting to be more suited for children on the autism spectrum, individuals with other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities and anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed environment.
Audio Described Performances
For selected performances at the Sydney Opera House, an audio description service is offered to enhance the experience of customers who are blind or have low vision. This is a live commentary of the visual elements of a performance delivered by experienced audio describers. The audio description is relayed via a free headset and receiver linked to the FM radio system.
Assisted Listening Devices (FM Radio System)
FM radio system provides improved listening clarity for people with hearing loss who experience difficulty and fatigue, when trying to understand speech, because of distance, reverberation, and distracting background noise. Can be used with or without hearing aids.
Audio input or any electronic sound source feeds into an FM transmitter and the FM radio frequency signal is picked up by the patrons FM receiver. FM receivers and headsets are provided free of charge and can be obtained from the nearest cloakroom prior to the performance.
The FM system is also compatible with hearing aids and cochlear implants with a "T" switch via an induction loop provided. When the hearing aid is switched to the 'T' position, the wearer will receive the program sound through the hearing aid. FM Radio Systems are available in all Kids at the House venues.
Tactile Tour
Tactile tours allow patrons who are blind or have low vision to have a hands-on experience. Depending on the production/installation, patrons are given access to costumes, props and stage set in order to capture the atmosphere of the work. Tactile tours occur before the performance.
Thank you
Please join us in thanking our donors to the Opera House’s Accessible Performances program, including the Sydney Opera House Ladies' Committee.
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