Brainstorm with Richard Scolyer
17 November 2024
In the Joan Sutherland Theatre
Talks and Ideas
Join us for a conversation between co-Australian of the Year Richard Scolyer and Jamila Rizvi. They will discuss Richard's remarkable journey from being a world-leading melanoma doctor, who has saved thousands of lives, to becoming a brain cancer patient fighting for his own recovery through groundbreaking experimental treatment.
| Date | Time |
| Sunday 17 November 2024 | 4pm |
| Ticket | Price |
| Standard | $39 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 3 September 2024
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 4 September 2024
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Thursday 5 September 2024
Captioned Talk
Captions are text that display the spoken word and other relevant sounds from the talk that are otherwise inaccessible to people who are Deaf or have hearing loss. Scan the QR Code on signs at entry to venue to see the captions on your personal device (mobile phone).
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Run time
This event runs for approximately 75 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for all ages.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Leigh SalesA testament to the power of living with boldness, hope and a sense of possibility.
Useful information:
The journey from doctor to patient in the fight against cancer
Co-Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute Australia, Professor Richard Scolyer AO is a world-leading clinician and researcher who has spent years alongside his colleagues transforming melanoma treatment. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with melanoma being the deadliest form.
In 2023, at the peak of his career, Richard was diagnosed with an incurable Grade 4 glioblastoma. One of the world’s leading pathologists, whose work on melanoma helped save thousands of lives, suddenly found himself a brain cancer patient with less than a year to live. Refusing to accept the status quo—where treatment options had remained unchanged for nearly two decades—he chose to become “patient zero” in a world-first experimental immunotherapy, borrowing techniques from treatment his team co-developed for melanoma. Richard’s courageous decision not only showcases his remarkable bravery but also has the potential to advance brain cancer science significantly.
This fascinating conversation in the Joan Sutherland Theatre marks the publication of Richard's new book, Brainstorm, co-written with Garry Maddox, and explores the quiet heroism of an Australian changing the landscape of cancer treatment as both doctor and patient.
Sydney Opera House presents
Richard Scolyer
Professor Richard Scolyer AO is a Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia, shared with his colleague, Professor Georgina Long AO. Together, they were named 2024 Australians of Year for their pioneering work in melanoma and for their work in applying that science to brain cancer. Richard is also a Senior Staff Specialist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, and Conjoint Professor at The University of Sydney. He is widely regarded as the world's leading melanoma pathologist and one of the world's top melanoma researchers.
In June 2021, Richard was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to medicine, particularly in the field of melanoma and skin cancer, and for his service to national and international professional organisations. He has also received multiple awards from many prestigious medical, research and pathology organisations worldwide, and represented Australia as an age-group triathlete.
Jamila Rizvi
Jamila Rizvi is a diversity, equity and inclusion expert, sought after public speaker, as well as a best-selling author and broadcaster. Jamila is Deputy Managing Director at FW, a company that champions gender equity in Australian workplaces through professional development, community and advocacy. A published author for adults and children, she is also a columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald and host of several podcasts. Jamila is a brain tumour survivor and ambassador for the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation. She lives and works on Wurundjeri country in Naarm.
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
James Nguyen and Guadalupe Maravilla
27 Jan 2025
Focusing on art, ritual and activism, Australian-Vietnamese artist James Nguyen and American-El Salvadorian Guadalupe Maravilla delve into how ancestral knowledge can be channelled to heal the body, mind and spirit of trauma.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
17 Feb – 5 Apr 2025
One of the most famous Australian mysteries in a heartstopping, inventive and dreamlike theatre experience like no other.
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen
5 – 23 Feb 2025
After years of swiping, a permanently single, professionally neurotic stand-up finally meets Mr Right – and then does everything wrong. But is Mr Right quite what he seems? And how far will the comedian go to get a laugh?
