Serenity’s Opera House experience

Serenity’s very first time experiencing the Sydney Opera House in person was when Lethbridge Park Public School visited the Opera House as part of our Arts Assist program.

Wide-eyed, she marvelled at the size of the iconic sails set against the glistening harbour, her excitement of seeing the Opera House evident in her huge smile.

Her classmates filled the Playhouse, ready to watch Billionaire Boy, the text they had spent the term studying, come alive on stage.

For most of these students, it was their first time experiencing a live theatre performance and for many, it was their first time visiting Sydney Opera House.

Each year, over 2,000 young disadvantaged students visit the Opera House through our Arts Assist program, made possible only by our generous donors. Through our Arts Assist program, our donors provide the full cost of a Creative Learning performance ticket and a portion of travel costs for select schools. Schools are assessed according to socioeconomic disadvantage, schools with special needs and individual responses, ensuring the program targets schools and students who otherwise wouldn’t have such an invaluable experience available to them.

The Creative Learning program is linked to the school curriculum and connected to in-class activities before and after each students’ Opera House visit, so the experience has lasting impact. Students at these schools, like Serenity and her classmates, are young members of our community living with social and financial disadvantage and come from wonderfully diverse backgrounds including from Aboriginal, non-English speaking, migrant, and refugee families.

Thanks to our donors, 23,000 students like Serenity from 125 disadvantaged schools across greater Sydney and regional NSW like Lethbridge Park Public School have had an Opera House experience that they couldn’t otherwise afford. Students are able to visit the iconic Opera House, experience the transformative power of the performing arts and deepen the impact of lessons learnt back in the classroom. For these students, a visit to the Opera House means a world of possibilities beyond the classroom and daily life is uncovered, launching them into the exciting unknown.

You can transform a disadvantaged child's life, opening up a world of possibilities, through helping them to experience the performing arts.

Every gift, of any amount, makes a difference.

Telephone
+61 2 9250 7077 

Email
give@sydneyoperahouse.com

Mail
Sydney Opera House Philanthropy
Reply Paid 4274, Sydney NSW 2001 Australia