Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Lou Reed And Ralph Fiennes Ensure Sydney Sparkles This Summer

Summertime in Sydney is one of the most vibrant and exciting times to visit the city and once again, January sees the start of one of Australia's largest and best loved, annual cultural celebrations: Sydney Festival.

In years gone by, Sydney Festival has attracted audiences of over 1 million people from Australia and abroad, and 2007 promises to be the most extensive event ever undertaken in the event’s 31 year history. The Festival incorporates a broad range of events and performances, with a program spanning all art forms including dance, theatre, music, visual arts, film, forums and large scale free outdoor events.

For three weeks from 6 – 27 January 2007, the Festival hosts around 100 events involving over 780 artists from Australia and abroad. Every year, it makes use of most of the main theatres across the breadth of the city, as well as maintaining its commitment to the presentation of quality, large-scale outdoor events such as the iconic Domain Series.

In 2007, one of the headline acts will be Lou Reed’s Berlin – the bringing to life of an album which is at once deeply influential and chronically misunderstood. Although Berlin became a cult favourite, Reed never performed the album live. Sydney Festival and Arts at St. Ann’s (New York) have joined forces to present a theatrically realised concert version of Reed’s music. Lou Reed’s Berlin features the legendary Lou Reed on vocals, accompanied by a band of long-time collaborators.

Another highlight is a season celebrating the achievements of the dramatist, novelist and poet Samuel Beckett,. Sydney Festival and Gate Theatre Dublin will present a season of international significance - three fully realised stage works (including a world premiere), two evenings of poetry and prose readings, a series of master classes and selected screenings of some of the Beckett on Film project, bringing together three great stage actors of our time; Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes and Barry McGovern. Particularly exciting will be the world premiere of Beckett’s short prose work, First Love, brought to life by Ralph Fiennes.

Other thrilling Festival debuts include the opening of the remarkable CarriageWorks, a magnificent new venue that will be home to four shows, and the arrival in Hyde Park of The Famous Spiegeltent with the hysterically funny La Clique. From the thrilling beats of Lost & Found Orchestra at Sydney Opera House, to the heartbreaking melodies of Rosanne Cash at State and Riverside Theatres, the city's venues will be filled with some of the world's most exciting, important and influential singers, actors and dancers.

Originally conceived by the Sydney Committee, the NSW State Government and the City of Sydney, with a view to attracting people into the city centre during the holiday month of January, the Festival has become a celebration of summer in the city synonymous with energy, style, spectacle, sophistication, diversity and accessibility - values that aptly reflect the confidence and vigour of one of the world's most beautiful cities.

For further info on Sydney Festival, log on to www.sydneyfestival.org.au

For general enquiries on Sydney and New South Wales contact Vicky Hayes at Seal Communications on: (020) 7953 4030 or visit: www.sydneyaustralia.com/uk