An Exclusive Tour of the World Famous Sydney Opera House
I may never get a chance to perform to a cheering crowd at the Sydney Opera House, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t performed there.
In fact, I recently sang on the main stage, took up the baton at the front of the orchestra pit, danced in the rehearsal room and enjoyed spending time in the same dressing room used by Prince, even playing a tune on the piano Prince himself would have played there while he waited to perform. Of course, I’ve also sat in the best seat in the house.
See the video of this exclusive tour below
This experience was courtesy of a private tour of Sydney’s iconic performance venue, a truly exclusive experience that enabled me to walk in the footsteps of the stars. The Opera House receives many visitors each year, with millions attending performances and hundreds of thousands participating in group tours, not to mention the fact that the building’s façade is well known around the world as a symbol not only of Sydney but of Australia itself. It was a great privilege to visit this special place during a quiet time at the beginning of the day when my guide and I were able to make ourselves at home in areas not normally open to the public.
The Opera House is a very large place and so much more than just the main stage and auditorium area in which the largest concerts, operas and plays are staged. Over 300 corridors connect the thousand or so rooms that make up the Opera House complex, including audio and video recording studios as well as smaller performance and rehearsal spaces. The scale of the place is astounding. I was struck by it as I tentatively sung a few bars of “Old Man River” on the main stage, as I followed my guide down the corridors to the rehearsal and dressing rooms and while I stood backstage marveling at the engineering involved in moving the large sets onto and off of the stage.
It takes 800 staff to keep the Sydney Opera House running, all coming together together to give life to the many performances that take place throughout the year. After my tour, I was able to attend one and naturally it was tremendously impressive. The performance was “My Fair Lady” and as the famous song from musical says, “I could have danced all night”, although I don’t know if I would have been able to surpass my efforts in the rehearsal room on my private tour.
For more information on the Sydney Opera House, visit here
Video produced by Richard Crawford
