Since it unfurled its sails in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has stood as a monument to the power of brave creativity: an architectural symbol of crazy, beautiful ideas.

On the House’s 50th anniversary, we wanted to awaken that spirit in all of us.

Collaborating with iconic Australian talents, songwriter and satirist Tim Minchin and director Kim Gehrig, as well as a host of the Opera House’s resident companies and performers, we created “Play it Safe” : a visual and musical love letter to doing the opposite. The entertaining song and music video have been viewed by 1.8bn people worldwide.

There are two Australias.

On the one hand, there’s the enduring myth of the larrikin. The one who’ll never let the rules get in the way of what’s right, and who’ll break rank with a cheeky smile on their face. Bold, brave, brash. This is how Australia likes to see itself.

On the other hand, though, there’s the real Australia. The nervous, conservative country defined by the phenomenon known as ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’. If anyone becomes too bold, too outspoken, too successful – if any poppy grows too tall – we are quick to cut them down to size. We’re suspicious, often resentful, of anyone who breaks rank or challenges convention. Though it was born of noble, egalitarian ambitions, Tall Poppy Syndrome has created a culture that encourages playing it safe and leaving conventions unchallenged.

Australia’s cultural identity is a contradiction – we’re defined by a love of boldness, until we actually see it.

We wanted to appeal to Australia’s best side by taking aim at its worst.

And our lead artist and songwriter was key to delivering our message.

Australian artist Tim Minchin is an internationally renowned Australian comedian, provocateur and songwriter. A passionate advocate of the arts and challenging the status quo, we knew Tim’s experience would give him a unique perspective on resisting conformity and creating provocative work that lives on in culture.

The 50th birthday moment presented the perfect opportunity to celebrate creative bravery and help the public reconnect with their own creative and curious spirit.

We needed to create a tribute worthy of the Sydney Opera House- one that like the house stands alone as piece of entertainment. A daunting task, it also required us to:

Nod to the past but celebrate the future.

- Our solution needed to acknowledge the rich legacy of the Sydney Opera House, while also shining a spotlight on the bright future of Australian creativity.

Incorporate each of the Sydney Opera House’s resident companies:

- The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, The Australian Ballet, Bangarra, The Sydney Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, The Sydney Philharmonia Choir, Opera Australia, The Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Make people feel like the House belongs to them.

- There’s a common misconception that the Sydney Opera House is elitist, or “not for people like me.” Though whatever we created needed to be artful, it also needed to speak to everybody – and urge them to visit.

Despite increasingly approachable programming, a misconception endures that the House is elitist and ‘not for people like me’. More than confusion about opera, this stems from a fundamental contradiction in Australia’s cultural identity:  

We’re defined by a love of boldness, until we actually see it. Though we’re quick to see it in ourselves, we’ll cut it down when it feels beyond us. To broaden attendance, we needed people to see themselves in the House, and see it’s multiple dimensions.  

Dispensing with the narrow demographic profile of past guests, we designed for a mindset: Anti-authoritarian, convention-challenging – aligned to the values of the House and its program. It was vital that this communication not just talk about entertainment on offer, but to genuinely entertain. As such, it was vital that the piece was discovered through news and social channels rather than traditional broadcast ‘advertising’ channels. 

Unveiled in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has stood as a monument to the power of brave creativity ever since. But as Australia drifts towards conservatism and conformity, the Opera House’s message is being forgotten.

On the House’s 50th anniversary, we wanted to remind Australia and the global public why it’s more important than ever to keep the Opera House’s bold spirit alive, with one clear message:

If we silence the little voice in our heads that tells us to ‘play it safe’ and do the opposite – there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

We then collaborated with two iconic and fearless Australian talents, songwriter and satirist Tim Minchin and director Kim Gehrig as well as a host of the House’s resident companies and performers to create “Play it Safe”: a visual and musical love letter to doing the opposite.

The film took a journey from nervous self-doubt to riotous self expression, incorporating all of the House’s resident companies and a cast of artists, performers, volunteers and even staff themselves.

We teased the launch of the film on Sydney Opera House social channels, before the final film premiered on YouTube to coincide with the House’s actual birthday. Tim Minchin released the song on Spotify and shared on his own channels, as did other artists who appeared in the film.

Pre-recorded interviews and segments aired once the embargo lifted, with the majority of media playing the song or embedding the film in their stories. 

The film travelled organically via social: (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Stories, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Twitter/X, LinkedIn) with the film also appearing on SOH website and artist’s own channels 

Paid media supported this spread in Cinema YouTube, Facebook, Instagram. 

Since its release, Play It Safe has made Australians laugh, cry, and burst with pride.

It was covered widely, locally and internationally, landing 662 stories in top-tier publications across TV, radio, digital and print media.

Play It Safe achieved a total campaign reach of 1.8 billion people globally.

It appealed to existing members and subscribers, with 40% surveyed participants were ‘certain to visit’ after seeing the film.

And more importantly, 73% of people not on their database said they “had a better opinion of Sydney Opera House” after watching the film, and 49% said they were “certain, or very likely to visit”

And Tim Minchin (who admits to being somewhat dubious of advertising), also now closes his shows with the song.

While Australians have plenty of live entertainment options, our steady diet of algorithm-curated content only drives us further and further into our comfort zones - and the safety of our couches.

The Sydney Opera House came into being due to the brave vision of architect Jorn Utzon and support of a determined few. While it’s unveiling hinted at a new era, the building still stands alone as our proudest cultural and artistic achievement.

Which got us thinking: do we still have that bold creative streak in us? Have we become more risk-adverse and conservative than our forebears?

The temptation to take the easy road, follow the rules and stick with what you know has never been greater.

We needed to awaken that spirit of defiant creativity in all of us, to inspire a new generation get out of their comfort zone and be open to new points of view.