​ ​ ​ ​ 2018–23 ​

In the lead-up to the House’s At the same time, we will expand the 40th anniversary in 2013, we set out our spectrum of art and experiences we ambitions for a decade of renewal, to offer, fostering new and diverse art ensure the Opera House continues to forms and audiences, and encourage inspire generations of artists, audiences creativity more broadly. and visitors. In short, we aim to live up to the promise Five years on, approaching the halfway of the building in everything we do. point in that decade, we refreshed We are grateful to our Trustees and staff those ambitions, having reflected on the for their input and vision in preparing significant changes and opportunities this refreshed strategy and look forward in the world around us, and what we to working together to implement it, have done. This document is the result. for the benefit of the many people who It outlines what we hope to have achieved love the Opera House. by our 50th anniversary in 2023. A defining project will be renewing the Concert Hall, which will close for up to two years from early 2020 while we undertake significant artistic, acoustic and accessibility improvements in our largest internal venue. The challenge is to ensure we make the most of this Louise Herron AM once-in-a-generation opportunity, Chief Executive Officer drawing on our experience in October 2018 successfully upgrading the Theatre in 2017.

Homeground (2017) 2–3 Strategic goals 2018–23 Executive summary

​ ​ ​

Over the next five years, Living our values: Provide the leadership, Audiences and visitors: Broaden Capital works: Complete all environment and tools our diverse and the Opera House’s reach, across building renewal projects within we will continue to inclusive workforce needs to thrive and and globally, through: the available budget, including the plan for the long-term sustainability Concert Hall and entry upgrades, build on our successes, • Art: Aiming for excellence in of the Opera House and its operations. and the new function and creative with a keen eye on the everything we do – with artists, learning centres. Our aim is to Safety and security: Safeguard the colleagues and audiences – to anticipated challenges optimise artistic, audience and health, safety and wellbeing of our staff realise our mandate for creativity, visitor amenity, accessibility, safety and opportunities. and everyone on site through appropriate engagement and ; and security improvements, while risk management, infrastructure, systems This is a summary of • Visitor experience: Making it more minimising disruption. and resourcing. This includes injury- and appealing, on site and online, for our goals, which are incident-free delivery of our capital works. Conservation and maintenance: everyone to explore the full range set out in full on pages Take responsibility for conserving the Relationships: Further deepen of Opera House experiences – its Opera House for current and future 10–15, along with our and enrich our relationships with the history, performances, events, bars generations and delivering a best- community and our many stakeholders, and restaurants, tours and retail key achievements. practice asset maintenance program. including resident companies and artists, – and delivering a consistently government, donors, partners and the excellent customer experience; and Sustainability: Continue to be a architecture, design, heritage and leader in sustainability, including by • Digital engagement: Investing engineering professions. achieving and maintaining a six-star strategically in digital capability, Green Star rating and developing a technology and creative content to strategy to become carbon-positive. share and amplify what we offer, reaching new audiences and driving deeper engagement.

4–5 Our vision Our mission Our values

To treasure and Safety: ​ renew the Opera Our greatest House for future responsibility. ​ generations of Creativity: artists, audiences Be bold and ​ and visitors; and innovative. To inspire, and Excellence: ​ strengthen the Strive for the best. community, in Collaboration: everything we do. One team. Accountability: Focus and own it.

6–7 The Opera House is Australia’s Since embarking on a decade of premier cultural institution and renewal at our 40th anniversary, we tourism destination, and a celebrated have made tremendous progress on community meeting place. It is inscribed many of the goals in our 2013 Enterprise on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Strategy, as highlighted in the following a masterpiece of human creative genius pages. A December 2018 report by and a world-class performing arts centre. global professional services provider Deloitte estimated that over the same The local Gadigal people knew the land period the Opera House’s iconic value on which the Opera House stands as increased from $4.6 billion in 2013 to Tubowgule. For thousands of years it has $6.2 billion, and its annual economic been a gathering place for storytelling, contribution by 55%, from $775 million ceremony and celebration. We are in 2013 to $1.2 billion. committed to continuing that tradition and, in doing so, fostering a shared In developing this refreshed strategy, sense of belonging for everyone. we have taken into account significant changes in artistic taste, technology and One of the world’s busiest performing the demographics of the community we arts centres, the Opera House serve, as well as increases in security hosts about 2,000 performances a concerns and building costs. year across its six theatres and the Forecourt, including: the renowned This document sets out updated work of seven flagship resident strategic goals for the second half of companies; a diverse Opera our decade of renewal, divided into House Presents schedule that includes three streams: the many people, inside contemporary music and performance, and outside the organisation, involved First Nations artists, talks and ideas, in bringing the Opera House to life; the classical music and children, families experiences we offer; and the building. and creative learning programming; and Consistent with our practice to date, a broad range of shows and community this strategy will inform the development events presented by third parties. of portfolio-based strategies and annual key performance indicators. This will ensure we are all aligned behind clear and consistent goals.

​ 8–9 ​ What we have done What we will do Clarity, consistency, commitment, Living our values: Provide the leadership, capability: Established our mission, environment and tools our diverse and vision and values, set clear and inclusive workforce needs to thrive and consistent goals, strengthened the plan for the long-term sustainability of leadership and capability of our the Opera House and its operations. teams and, as a result, increased our Safety and security: Safeguard the employee engagement score to 78%. health, safety and wellbeing of our staff Strategic plans: Prepared and and everyone on site through a strong implemented plans that encapsulate safety culture, using appropriate risk our commitment to work health and management, infrastructure, systems and safety, conservation management, resourcing. This includes the injury- and artistic excellence and diversity, visitor incident-free delivery of our capital works. experience, reconciliation action, Strategic plans: Implement and evolve accessibility, sustainability and risk. our key strategies, including work health Relationships: Deepened and enriched and safety, Conservation Management our relationships with the community Plan Fourth Edition, artistic and visitor and many stakeholders, including experience, as well as our reconciliation resident companies and artists, action, access and environmental government, donors, partners and sustainability plans. the architecture, design, heritage and Risk culture: Strengthen the Opera engineering professions. This has been House’s culture of effective risk critical to our success. ownership and mitigation, combined Next generation: Encouraged the with robust reporting, so that risks development of next-generation talent and opportunities are appropriately through a range of initiatives, including identified and managed. MADE (Multidisciplinary Australian One voice: Present a unique and unified Danish Exchange), the Lloyd Martin brand and narrative that communicates Travelling Scholarship for emerging the multifaceted nature of the Opera arts leaders and Crescendo for emerging House, what it stands for and everything classical artists, as well as an artist and it has to offer. sector development program that supports and engages the local Partners and supporters: Build on the arts community. significant contribution made by donors and corporate partners, recognising the key role they play through their advocacy and financial support, including sustaining the excellence and ambition of our artistic offering and fostering the next generation of talent.

Mardi Gras (2018) Credit: Daniel Boud 10–11 What we have done What we will do

​ Invited people in: The Opera House is Artistic ambition: Aim for excellence increasingly recognised as a place for in everything we do – with artists, everyone, with improved accessibility colleagues and audiences – to realise and more non-traditional, complex and our mandate for creativity, engagement challenging programming, including: and entertainment through: and other contemporary music • Balancing challenging artistic and performance; First Nations artists, experiences with financial success; including for Badu Gili (daily lighting • Deepening our engagement with more of the sails) and the Dance diverse audiences and programming Rites competition; talks and ideas; and for the next generation; and children’s programming. • Valuing and respecting our partners’ contributions – including resident Artistic strategy: Launched the 2018–21 companies, commercial hirers, Artistic Strategy, which has as its artistic co-presenters, artists and staff – purpose ‘to be unmissable’ and sets out and upholding our role as a leader in detail what that means and how we in the broader arts community. will deliver it. Visitor experience: Make it more Presenters: Balanced our roles as a appealing, on site and online, for performance venue for our resident everyone to explore the full range companies and commercial hirers and a of Opera House experiences – its presenting organisation through Sydney history, performances, events, bars Opera House Presents. and restaurants, tours and retail – Visitors: Expanded and improved the and deliver a consistently excellent range of our facilities and offering, customer experience. including tours and food and beverage, Digital engagement: Invest strategically which now provide a very significant in digital capability, technology and contribution to our business operations creative content to share and amplify and sustainability. what we offer, reaching new audiences Brand renewal: Created an award- and driving deeper engagement, across winning new brand identity and Australia and globally. campaigns to better communicate the full scope and diversity of the Opera House’s activities. Digital transformation: Implemented a new website, improving reliability and our customers’ online experience.

Ice Cube at Vivid Live (2018) 12–13 What we have done What we will do

​ Forecourt: Completed the Vehicle Stage 1 Renewal projects: Complete Access and Pedestrian Safety (VAPS) all building renewal projects within the project, removing thousands of vehicles available budget, including the Concert from the Forecourt, which is now an Hall and entry upgrades, new function open, inviting, pedestrian-friendly and creative learning centres. Our aim space for 10.9 million visitors each year. is to optimise artistic, audience and visitor amenity, accessibility, safety NSW Government Renewal funding: and security improvements, following Secured funding to develop a capital extensive consultation. works masterplan and deliver the Stage 1 Renewal projects. Minimise disruption: Carry out all capital works in the most efficient, Joan Sutherland Theatre (JST): least disruptive way, being as Completed the JST project to considerate as possible of everyone renew equipment and systems, affected and drawing on the lessons as well as creating a new rehearsal of completed projects. room and improving the orchestra pit, safety, accessibility and the experience Conservation: As custodians, take for artists, audiences and visitors. responsibility for conserving the Together with our resident companies, Opera House’s heritage for current we have enjoyed exploring the resulting and future generations. In doing so, creative possibilities and identified we will appropriately engage all key strengths and lessons for current and stakeholders, including staff, resident future capital projects, including the companies, government and the Concert Hall upgrade. architecture and heritage communities. Sustainability: Achieved a Green Building Maintenance: Deliver a best-practice Council of Australia four-star Green Star program of asset maintenance and performance rating and the Opera House upgrade ageing infrastructure to was certified as being carbon neutral. manage evolving risks and benefit from new technologies. Conservation: Completed and rolled out the Conservation Management Future major project: Scope at least Plan Fourth Edition, which was one bold, future-facing project. awarded the 2018 National Trust Award Sustainability: Continue to be a leader for best heritage resource publication. in sustainability, including by achieving and maintaining a six-star Green Star rating and developing a strategy to become carbon-positive.

Joan Sutherland Theatre stage 14–15 Key achievements 2013 – 18

2013 2016

40th anniversary celebrations Forecourt becomes with Danish Crown Couple pedestrian-friendly plaza with Idealist donor program established removal of non-essential vehicles Multidisciplinary Australian New brand launched and Danish Exchange launched wins Cannes Lion Awards Inaugural All About Women festival Bennelong wins Good Food Guide 2015 new restaurant of the year award 2018 The Lounge opens in the Box Office foyer

NSW Government reserves $202 Opera House’s first Mardi Gras float million for Stage 1 Renewal projects New three-year Artistic Vehicle Access and Pedestrian Strategy commences Safety project completed Vivid Live record 10th year Opera House achieves Biannual Unwrapped series launched four-star Green Star rating 2014 2017 Opera House certified as carbon-neutral Dance Rites competition launched 45th anniversary celebrations New Welcome Centre opens New staff uniforms designed by Dion Lee Utzon – Secured $13.7m in NSW Government tapestry purchased Stage 1 Renewal begins funding for Renewal planning Joan Sutherland Theatre closed New stage management system and for renewal (May-December) Recording and Broadcast Studio Theatre Machinery Project for Joan Getty Foundation grant to develop Sutherland Theatre completed concrete conservation strategy Conservation Management Resident companies and Sydney Plan Fourth Edition published Opera House Presents presentations New website launched win nine Badu Gili daily sails lighting launched

16–17 Key targets 2019 – 23

2019 2022

Yallamundi Rooms open New Creative Learning Centre opens Under the Steps refurbishment complete Security systems and site entry infrastructure upgrade complete

2023

2020 50th anniversary celebrations attract significant and positive local and global attention

Concert Hall closes Opera House is a recognised for Renewal works leader in everything it does New digital tours Staff engagement score reaches 80% experience launches Performance and tours patrons total 2.25 million Unique website visits reach 7 million Annual precinct revenue reaches $400 million 2021 $100 million in private funding raised since 2013 Opera House remains Australia’s premier attraction for international visitors Concert Hall reopens Annual economic contribution reaches $1.5 billion Opera House achieves six-star Green Star rating

Badu Gili: Djambawa Marawili AM (2018) 18–19 The Sydney Opera House exists because a few brave people dared to think differently They made the impossible possible, and inspired a nation

And so we stand as a proud testament to the power of dreaming in public To the transformative potential of art and ideas

We expand horizons, shift perspectives and stir emotions If you’re ready for the extraordinary, we’re ready for you

sydneyoperahouse.com