Emergence of an idea: an opera house, Sydney, and post-war Australia

Dr Penny Stannard, Head of Curatorial & Research, Museum of History NSW
On 13 September 1955 the NSW Government announced an international competition for the design of a national opera house at Bennelong Point, Sydney. In the years leading up to the announcement post-war reconstruction efforts, cultural policy directions and influential voices from Australia’s political, artistic, and academic elite coalesced to form a shared ambition for an opera house that would be comparable – even unrivalled – with any in the world. This paper discusses the Sydney Opera House story in the decade prior to the awarding of the commission to Jørn Utzon. Lesser known than accounts of the design, construction and opening of ‘The House’ in 1973, the cultural, social, and political forces that combined to progress the idea of an opera house from the imagination of a few to the public at large, was truly remarkable.
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Penelope Stannard is the A/Director, Collections at Museums of History NSW. In this executive role, she has oversight of the care, management, discoverability and accessibility of the State Archives Collection, 11 museum collections and the Caroline Simpson Library Collection.

Penny has over 25 years’ experience in the cultural and associated sectors, incorporating senior roles in government with responsibility for arts/culture portfolios. She has gained wide and diverse experiences across the history, heritage, museums, education, curatorial, research and arts policy spheres delivering knowledge, engagement and cultural planning outcomes for communities across NSW. Her notable achievements include serving on Australian arts funding and advisory committees advising on policy and funding directions concerning Western Sydney, music, dance, women and health.

She has held non-executive director roles with public-funded Australian arts companies including Sydney Chamber Opera, Ausdance and Ensemble Offspring. Penny holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney in cultural policy studies and history.