Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is Sydney's most lavish annual event. With spectacular live performances, an unbeatable view and al fresco dining, this is everything Sydney does best.
In 2022, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical masterpiece, The Phantom of the Opera, takes centre stage.
Here are just some of the extraordinary facts behind this once-in-a-lifetime production.
1. The pop-up site is built in about 25 days.
The bulk of the construction happens in the first 15 days. During this time surf lifesavers keep an eye over the water activities of the workers and staff. On day 15, the cast and creatives begin on-stage rehearsals while the finishing touches are added. That's pretty fast for a site that includes 5 restaurants, 3,000 seats, and a huge stage more than twice the size of any indoor stage in Australia.
2. There's over 10km of gold foil used on the set, and more than 100 workshop staff involved in construction
While the details of designer Gabriela Tylesova's stage are a closely guarded secret, we can reveal that the set is so large it's been constructed across four separate workshops. It will also glitter magnificently, with almost all of the stage surfaces covered in gold foil.
3. 27 musicians in the Opera Australia Orchestra perform from a custom built studio directly beneath the stage lovingly named the “underworld”.
The orchestra pit in the "underworld" is 120m2and there are 2 air conditioning units running at all times to keep it at a suitable temperature for care of the instruments. The conductor maintains contact with the singers via in-ear monitors and video screens.
4. There are 600 lights used throughout the pop-up site including 1km of festooning.
This includes 140 moving lights and 6 follow-spots. The stage and venue are powered by 65 kilometres of power, data and audio cable.
5. 45 people perform in the cast, including 9 principals and 36 ensemble members.
This is a larger cast than the original West End and Broadway productions of The Phantom of the Opera. This is necessary to fill the harbour stage, which is two-and-a-half times larger than any indoor stage in Australia.
6. The cast members wear a combined 101 wigs.
This is on top of the 220 costumes, which use thousands and thousands of metres of trim. More than 50 members of our wardrobe team have helped construct these fabulous clothes.
7. Approximately 330 people work on the site at each performance.
From cast to musicians, dressers, makeup artists, stagehands, bar staff, chefs: there's a huge team of people required to make each night truly magical.
8. The rubber floor tiles used across the venue are composed of up-cycled rubber tyres which would have otherwise been burned or sent to landfill.
Other sustainable practices include using 75 metres of recycled signage from previous events as waterproofing for walk ways, producing printed materials on recycled paper, choosing biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging, and hiring bio-diesel generators to support the power requirements for the event.
9. Over 26 performances, audience members enjoy almost 21,000 glasses of sparkling wine. Cheers to that!
You can grab a glass at one of our 5 different pop-up bars and restaurants on site, including the Platinum Club which has gourmet menus and spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour.
1. The pop-up site is built in about 25 days.
The bulk of the construction happens in the first 15 days. During this time surf lifesavers keep an eye over the water activities of the workers and staff. On day 15, the cast and creatives begin on-stage rehearsals while the finishing touches are added. That's pretty fast for a site that includes 5 restaurants, 3,000 seats, and a huge stage more than twice the size of any indoor stage in Australia.
2. There's over 10km of gold foil used on the set, and more than 100 workshop staff involved in construction
While the details of designer Gabriela Tylesova's stage are a closely guarded secret, we can reveal that the set is so large it's been constructed across four separate workshops. It will also glitter magnificently, with almost all of the stage surfaces covered in gold foil.
3. 27 musicians in the Opera Australia Orchestra perform from a custom built studio directly beneath the stage lovingly named the “underworld”.
The orchestra pit in the "underworld" is 120m2and there are 2 air conditioning units running at all times to keep it at a suitable temperature for care of the instruments. The conductor maintains contact with the singers via in-ear monitors and video screens.
4. There are 600 lights used throughout the pop-up site including 1km of festooning.
This includes 140 moving lights and 6 follow-spots. The stage and venue are powered by 65 kilometres of power, data and audio cable.
5. 45 people perform in the cast, including 9 principals and 36 ensemble members.
This is a larger cast than the original West End and Broadway productions of The Phantom of the Opera. This is necessary to fill the harbour stage, which is two-and-a-half times larger than any indoor stage in Australia.
6. The cast members wear a combined 101 wigs.
This is on top of the 220 costumes, which use thousands and thousands of metres of trim. More than 50 members of our wardrobe team have helped construct these fabulous clothes.
7. Approximately 330 people work on the site at each performance.
From cast to musicians, dressers, makeup artists, stagehands, bar staff, chefs: there's a huge team of people required to make each night truly magical.
8. The rubber floor tiles used across the venue are composed of up-cycled rubber tyres which would have otherwise been burned or sent to landfill.
Other sustainable practices include using 75 metres of recycled signage from previous events as waterproofing for walk ways, producing printed materials on recycled paper, choosing biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging, and hiring bio-diesel generators to support the power requirements for the event.
9. Over 26 performances, audience members enjoy almost 21,000 glasses of sparkling wine. Cheers to that!
You can grab a glass at one of our 5 different pop-up bars and restaurants on site, including the Platinum Club which has gourmet menus and spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour.
Opera Australia
PO Box 291, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012, Australia
Website: https://opera.org.au/
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