Submitted by Lindsey Cohen on the 2018 winter session program in Australia and New Zealand sponsored by the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics…
I recently toured the Sydney Opera House. Prior to the tour, I had thought that only operas were performed there. I learned, however, that the Opera House offers a variety of shows, including operas, talks, children’s shows, pop star performances, ballets and cabarets. The Opera House has six venues and each venue typically has between two to three shows a day. The wide array of show options means that there is something for everyone to enjoy.
I learned that Australia dramatically changed in the years after the Sydney Opera House was proposed and then built. Joe Cahill and Eugene Goossens saw a need for Sydney to have an opera center to stage major cultural events. Cahill, the New South Wales Premier, said that the Sydney Opera House was built to “help mold a better and more enlightened community.” Today, the Sydney Opera House is home to many of the world’s greatest artists and performers. It has been a meeting place for local and international visitors since its opening in 1973.
To better understand a culture, I learned, one must understand its arts. The Sydney Opera House reshaped Sydney’s arts, government and community. After touring the Sydney Opera House, I increased my cultural intelligence by better understanding Sydney’s art culture and its role in shaping interactions and work politically, socially and economically. The city’s culture does not only value performing arts, but also creativity, innovation and architecture. I now have a better understanding of Sydney’s cultural norms and its values for the performing arts.