ByPuja Gupta

June 17, 2020 (IANSlife) The Sydney Opera House brings its popular backstage tour to homes around the world, releasing its first ever online guided version, to experience for free.

It explores stories of the iconic building through history, architecture and anecdotes.

The Digital Backstage Tour is part of the Opera House’s digital offering ‘From Our House to Yours’ -- a new programme to connect with, inspire, educate and entertain local and global communities while the venue is temporarily closed to the public.

Each week, the Opera House releases a curated program of full-length performances, talks, playlists, podcasts and written content, as well as new and live-streamed performances from the Joan Sutherland Theatre stage.

Last year, more than 560,000 people took a guided tour of the Opera House, but while its doors are temporarily closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, would-be travellers from Australia and abroad can now explore the exclusive backstage world of the internationally-renowned performing arts centre online.

In the free, ten-minute virtual experience, charismatic tour guide Declan takes online audiences beneath the famous sails – from the cavernous scenery dock where up to 20 tonnes of sets and props are loaded onto an industrial theatre lift to the fly tower where up to 80 bars of scenery, lights and even performers are suspended over the stage. There’s even a sneak peek inside the dressing rooms where prima ballerinas, lead sopranos and famous names from the world of contemporary music get ready before the show.

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Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in