Sydney Festival Digital Archive

Sun & Sea by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė (2023)

Tonnes of sand transformed Sydney Town Hall into a dreamy – at times eerie – beach for the end of days. The award winning English-language opera-performance was in the midst of a worldwide tour to critical acclaim when it arrived in Sydney, and local audiences were just as enraptured. 

Viewed from the balcony above, sandy holidaymakers sunbaked and sang gentle elegies about their lives and the changes they observe in the natural world around them, addresing the climate emergency with humour and power. In addition to the official opera-singer cast members, beach-goers were comprised of Sydney Festival volunteers, donors and one very good doggo.