Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre
597 High Street,
Penrith NSW 2750
(02) 4723 7600
newsfromthejoan@penrith.city
The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (The Joan) is the heart of the creative west. Where arts and culture meets community, where we make art, love art and share art. Fine music, contemporary music; all kinds of drama, dance, installation, mixed media, ideas, circus and song. It’s all part of our story at The Joan.
Built in 1990, The Joan is part of Penrith Performing & Visual Arts, which also includes Penrith Conservatorium, Q Theatre and Penrith Regional Gallery, and represents a diverse and dynamic blend of creative practice in the Western Sydney region. Q Theatre has been making work for more than 50 years and offers audiences a chance to see theatre that has been provoked, inspired or exploded out of our local context. Q Theatre builds pathways for established and early career artists to train, experiment and create.
The Joan welcomes musicians and performers of the highest international standard and has developed a deserved reputation as a performance venue and teaching centre of excellence.
Photography by: Lyndal Irons 2020, Dexter Cornelius 2016
COVIDSAFE PROCEDURES
To see how we are working to keep you safe please visit their website.
The Joan is located at 597 High Street, close to the Penrith City Council building and Westfield. The venue is a short walk through Westfield from Penrith train station, and if you’re coming by car, it’s just off Mulgoa Road, past the roundabout on High Street. There are several parking options nearby. The Box Office is on the ground floor, at the Westfield end, near the bar and the lift.
BY TRAIN
City Rail trains and Blue Mountains services arrive at and depart from Penrith Station. Timetables are available from the Transport NSW website. The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre is a short walk from Penrith Station via Penrith Plaza.
BY CAR
Traveling from Sydney and the Blue Mountains, take the Mulgoa Road exit from the M4. Continue along Mulgoa Road and turn into High Street. Travel time from Sydney CBD can vary. The M4 can become quite congested with commuter traffic on Friday evenings so it is a good idea to allow extra travel time.
Generally, the trip by car takes an hour from the CBD. Travelling from the Blue Mountains is fairly straight forward (though extra time should be given for Sunday afternoon travel).
The following off-street parking is available:
• Penrith Civic Centre car park (at Penrith City Council)
• Westfield Penrith Plaza car park
• Union Road car park
The Joan is committed to ensuring access for all people. We prefer to engage directly with our patrons with a disability to fully understand your needs and provide you with the best possible service.
Accessible seating and Companion Card bookings can be made online, in person or by phoning Box Office. Our Box office is equipped with a counter that allows us to appropriately serve our patrons in a wheelchair.
To provide excellent service, we prefer our patrons with a need of one of our wheelchair spaces to call our Box Office to book tickets.
For our patrons with a disability our theatres are equipped with:
• Space for wheelchairs with strong sight lines and easy access. The Concert Hall has two companion seats available per wheelchair space, and the Q Theatre has one companion seat available per wheelchair space.
• Hearing loop for patrons with impaired hearing in our Q Theatre (click here for a floor plan showing best seats for the hearing loop)
• Audio Described Performances (selected performances) for our visually impaired patrons.
• Accessible bathrooms are located on the ground floor and level two.
• Accessible parking (nearby Council car park and Westfield car park) and accessible pathways to venue.
• A lift to all levels of the building and flat, accessible pathways to seating.