Watershed The Death of Dr Duncan
14 – 16 June 2024
In the Joan Sutherland Theatre
Opera
A smash-hit, five-star new Australian oratorio. Physically thrilling and steeped in recent history.
| Date | Time |
| Friday 14 June | 7:30pm |
| Saturday 15 June | 12:30pm |
| Saturday 15 June | 7:30pm |
| Sunday 16 June | 2:00pm |
Please note there will be the following pre-show talks taking place in the Joan Sutherland Theatre Northern Foyer before performances on Saturday 15 June and Sunday 16 June. Available for ticketholders, no additional booking required.
- Saturday 15 June, 11:45am & 6:45pm
Join us for a special Q&A in conversation with Co-Librettist Alana Valentine and Historical Consultant Tim Reeves
- Sunday 16 June, 1.15pm
Join us for a special Q&A in conversation with Paul Paech
| Standard Adults aged 18+ | Price |
| Premium | $229 |
| A Reserve | $179 |
| B Reserve | $149 |
| C Reserve | $119 |
| D Reserve | $89 |
| E Reserve | $69 |
| F Reserve | $49 |
| Concession Full-time Aust Student / Pensioner card holders (Aust. only) | Price |
| Premium | $205 |
| A Reserve | $161 |
| B Reserve | $134 |
| C Reserve | $107 |
| D Reserve | $80 |
| E Reserve | $62 |
| F Reserve | $49 |
| Children Aged 17 and under | Price |
| Premium | $205 |
| A Reserve | $89 |
| B Reserve | $74 |
| C Reserve | $59 |
| D Reserve | $44 |
| E Reserve | $34 |
| F Reserve | $49 |
| Groups 8+ To make a group purchase please call +61 2 9250 7700 | Price |
| Premium | $194 |
| A Reserve | $152 |
| B Reserve | $126 |
| C Reserve | $101 |
| D Reserve | $75 |
| E Reserve | $58 |
| F Reserve | $49 |
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
Tuesday 28 November
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
Wednesday 29 November
General Public tickets on-sale
Tuesday 5 December
In English
Audio loop available
No language barrier
Wheelchair accessible
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations available.
To book accessible seating contact Box Office via email or telephone on:
+61 2 9250 7777 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Please Note
This production contains strong sexual references and explicit language.
Language
Performed in English.
Run time
This performance will run for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
LimelightIf I could, I would give it six stars.
Useful information:
The moment and the movement that changed Australia.
As his body hit the water, few heard the impact. But the ripple effect of the murderous act defied natural law and swelled to seismic scale.
It’s half a century since the infamous drowning of Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan; a moment in time that triggered an alleged police cover-up, a city-wide scandal, national outrage, a Scotland Yard investigation… and a glaring absence of convictions.
Most importantly, Dr Duncan’s death led South Australia to decriminalise homosexuality, ahead of the rest of the country.
Watershed, a ravishing new operatic work and the hit of the 2022 Adelaide Festival, is a collaboration between some of Australia’s most acclaimed creative talents.
Helpmann Award-winning playwright Alana Valentine and author Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap) have created a searing, no-punches-pulled libretto. Brisbane composer Joe Twist’s score is luscious and ultimately transcendent. And Australian theatre and opera legend Neil Armfield’s production is as deeply felt as it is thrillingly physical.
Written as an oratorio, Watershed turns the illicit into the sacred, through powerful choral music, solo voices and dance. It fuses inquest transcripts, press clippings, private correspondence and monologues spanning five decades of anti-gay violence, and pays tribute to the unassuming academic whose untimely death lit a fuse.
See for yourself why Watershed was met with five-star reviews, a sold-out premiere season, and rapturous, teary standing ovations at every performance.
Presented by Opera Australia and Sydney Opera House by arrangement with Adelaide Festival
Enabled by Sydney Opera House donor Professor Ross Steele AM, The Skrzynski Foundation and New Work Now donors.
Co-commissioned by Feast Festival, Adelaide Festival and State Opera South Australia, supported by Arts South Australia and by the Adelaide Festival’s Commissioning Circle, Sidney Myer Fund and Nunn Dimos Foundation.
Artist information
CREATIVES
Composer & Orchestrator Joseph Twist
Libretto Alana Valentine & Christos Tsiolkas
Conductor Brett Weymark
Director Neil Armfield
Associate Director Cheryl Pickering
Set & Costume Designer Ailsa Paterson
Lighting Designer Nigel Levings
Sound Designer Jane Rossetto
Video Designer Sean Bacon
Choreographer Lewis Major
Historical Consultant Tim Reeves
CAST
Duncan/Dunstan Mark Oates
Mick O’Shea/Cop/Lawyer Pelham Andrews
Lost Boy Tomáš Kantor
Dancer Macon Esobal Riley
Opera Australia Orchestra
Opera Australia Chorus
Season 2024
Opera Australia
More stories. More sensational music. More of what makes opera magical. The excitement begins long before the first note. The date in your calendar. The glitter of the harbour. The magnificent sails. And then, the singing: unamplified, unfiltered, unbelievable.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
You may also like
The Barber of Seville
18 Jan – 28 Feb 2025
A rollicking, laugh-out-loud comedy about everyone’s favourite friendly neighbourhood barber: Fi-ga-ro! Figaro! Figaro!
Dance Clan
3 – 14 Dec 2024
For over 25 years, Dance Clan has fostered the talents of a new generation of Bangarra storytellers, designers, dancers and choreographers. This year, three of our artists will tell their own stories, developing two original dance works and one dance film.
Cinderella
2 Jan – 28 Mar 2025
Feel all the magic of the fairy tale with enchanting music, playful choreography and extravagant costumes in this whimsical production of the classic opera.
