Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

's performing arts, was built in the early 1970s and designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the centre and the Festival Plaza following soon after. Located approximately north of the corner of North Terrace and

King William Road King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the central business district, CBD and Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, continuing as King William Road to the north of North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace and ...

, it is distinguished by its two white geometric dome roofs, and lies on a 45-degree angle to the city's grid. The complex includes Festival Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse (formerly The Playhouse and Optima Playhouse), Space Theatre (formerly The Space) and several gallery and function spaces. The Festival Centre is managed by a

statutory corporation A statutory corporation is a corporation, government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, but they are corporations owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government ...

, the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, which is responsible for encouraging and facilitating artistic, cultural and performing arts activities, as well as maintaining and improving the building and facilities of the complex and

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

. The centre hosts

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

and presents numerous major festivals across the year. The centre was erected on land between

Elder Park Elder Park is a public open space in the city of Adelaide, South Australia on the southern bank of the River Torrens and that is bordered by the Adelaide Festival Centre and North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace. It is part of Park 26 of t ...

and

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Meeting places of parliament Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * P ...

, and several historic buildings were demolished to make way for the new project. Recently, the external plaza site is undergoing major redevelopment, started in 2016, but the theatre spaces have remained open. The car park and plaza area have since been completed as has Festival Tower, and the overall redevelopment is expected to be completed in 2028.

Development

Planning

In the 1960s, the Adelaide Festival of the Arts started to outgrow the city's existing venues, and there was a push to build a "Festival Hall". The ''Adelaide Festival Theatre Act 1964'' provided for the erection of the Festival Theatre building. The originally proposed site was the Carclew building in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

, which had been purchased from the

Bonython family Bonython may refer to: People with the surname * Blanche Ada Bonython, née Bray (18??–1908), first wife of Lavington Bonython * Charles Bonython (c.1653–1705), Member of Parliament for Westminster (UK Parliament constituency), Westminster * Ch ...

by the

Adelaide City Council The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council, is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia. It is legally defined as the capital city of Sout ...

for the purposes of building a Festival Hall. Liberal state Premier

Steele Hall Raymond Steele Hall (30 November 1928 – 10 June 2024) was an Australian politician who served as the 36th Premier of South Australia from 1968 to 1970. He also served in the federal Parliament as a senator for South Australia from 1974 to 1 ...

lobbied the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

for tax concessions for a public appeal for the Festival Hall, which was initially unsuccessful, until Prime Minister

John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician, farmer and airman who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971. He held office as the leader of the leade ...

offered Hall either tax concessions or . Hall accepted the money. While on a trip to London, Steele Hall visited the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

on the banks of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

and decided that the banks of the River Torrens was the ideal choice for the site of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts and the cultural heart of the city. During this time, the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

changed hands, but the drive for a new centre continued with fervour. When

Don Dunstan Donald Allan Dunstan (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for th ...

became Premier he expanded the idea into a "Festival Centre", incorporating multiple smaller venues. The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Robert Porter, supported by Dunstan, launched a public appeal to raise funds to build the Festival Centre and establish Adelaide as a significant city in the art world. The appeal raised its target within a week, and was soon over-subscribed; the surplus was set aside to create a collection of artworks to grace the new building. The building was designed by Hassell, McConnell and Partners for the

and the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, and has been "hailed as a major step forward in modern architecture in South Australia". It was designed "from the inside out" and is particularly associated with the architect

John Morphett Sir John Morphett (4 May 1809 – 7 November 1892) was a South Australian pioneer, landowner and politician. His younger brother George Morphett was also an early settler in South Australia. Early life Morphett was born in London, t ...

and

Colin Hassell Hassell is a multidisciplinary architecture, design and urban planning practice with offices in Australia, China, Singapore, USA and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1937/8 in Adelaide, South Australia, the firm's former names include Claridge, Ha ...

. Prior to designing the buildings, Hassell led a team which included Morphett to the United States and Europe to undertake a study of theatre designs.

Construction

The

Adelaide City Baths Robert Charles Bastard (4 February 1863 – 6 November 1941) was an Australian swimming teacher who succeeded his father Thomas Barnabas Bastard as lessee of Adelaide's "City Baths". When the council upgraded the facility to include the city's ...

, which had stood on the site since their creation in 1861 were demolished in 1969 to make way for the new centre and plaza. Similarly, the Government Printing Office building, which was built circa 1880 between the baths and Parliament House, and later expanded, was also vacated and demolished. The site also housed the Elder Park Hostel, which consisted of numerous repurposed buildings near the river. It was in use from circa 1949 to circa 1969 with the site being cleared in 1970. More recently, acknowledgement has also been made that the site is located on historical

Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kau ...

lands. Adelaide Festival Centre was built in three parts, from April 1970 to 1980. The main building, the Festival Theatre, was completed in 1973, within its budget of . On 2 June 1973, Festival Theatre was officially opened by Prime Minister

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...

at a gala performance of Act Two, Scene 1 of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's opera ''Fidelio'' and ''Choral Symphony''. The construction of the Playhouse (now Dunstan Playhouse), Space Theatre, and Amphitheatre followed. The whole complex was completed for (By comparison, the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

, completed in 1973, cost .). The Festival Plaza, initially known as the Southern Plaza, was completed on 22 March 1977.

Outdoor areas

South of complex, in the Festival Plaza, sits an

environmental sculpture Environmental sculpture is sculpture that creates or alters the environment for the viewer, as opposed to presenting itself figurally or monumentally before the viewer. A frequent trait of larger environmental sculptures is that one can actually en ...

by highly regarded West German artist Otto Hajek, which he called ''Adelaide Urban Iconography'' (In the Festival Centre archives it is variously named ''Shorthand Adelaide'', ''City Iconograph'', and ''City Iconography'', and government records give the title ''City Sign Sculpture Garden)''. It has also been referred to as "Hajek's Plaza", and was believed to be the largest artwork in Australia. Given the brief of camouflaging the new air-conditioning vent from the carpark below that would rise from the concrete surface of the plaza, Hajek, arguing that the "real job" of sculpture was social, created a plan that integrated sculpture with architecture, creating a social space encompassing the whole Southern Plaza. His plan consisted of "colourful, geometric painted surfaces and cement forms", and it was intended to include a fountain and other water features, extensive planting of vegetation, lighting and provision for sound, which would encourage people to interact with the "concrete garden". Other sculptures graced the outdoor spaces, including the prominent stainless steel ''Tetrahedra'', also known as ''Environmental Sculpture'' and ''Tetrahedrons'', by

Bert Flugelman Herbert Flugelman (28 January 1923 – 26 February 2013), usually known as Bert, was a prominent Australian visual artist, primarily a sculptor, who had many of his works publicly displayed. He is known for his stainless steel geometric public s ...

(whose

Mall's Balls Rundle Mall is a pedestrian street mall located in Adelaide, South Australia. It was opened as a pedestrian mall in September 1976 after the closing of the western section of Rundle Street between King William Street and Pulteney Street, to ...

is perhaps his better known work). After its opening in 1977, the plaza stirred debate and opinions were mixed, but its designs were seen to "consciously exemplify the new practices and relations embodied in the concept of environmental art". Designed in a

brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

style, it was labelled as empty and ugly by some, but was nonetheless an artwork of its times. In 1977, it was awarded a "

brickbat Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...

" by the Civic Trust, but

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation and also known as AusPost, is an Australian Government-State-owned enterprise, owned corporation that provides postal services throughout Australia. Australia Post's head office is loca ...

honoured the sculpture in 1986 by issuing a commemorative stamp for South Australia’s

sesquicentenary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption o ...

. Hajek's wife, artist and poet Katja Hajek, wrote in 2001 that the plaza "is well-known in the world of art and became acknowledged as an artistically outstanding creation of the last quarter of the 20th century". Adelaide

Redevelopment

In the decades following the plaza’s opening, its painted surfaces, fountains and vegetation were not well-maintained, there were some problems with its concrete decking, it was not used for events, and, crucially, it did not attract incidental foot traffic to interact with its forms. In 1987, the fountain, unused for the prior three years owing to a leak, was demolished as part of a upgrade of the plaza. In 2002–2003, the area around the centre was redeveloped substantially. The Festival Plaza was redesigned, including opening the underground roadway to the sky. Although a pedestrian suspension bridge was built on its west side, the Plaza was essentially isolated as a result of this redevelopment. In 2013, the government announced that the Plaza would be further redeveloped, with Hajek's work decommissioned and replaced. The removal of such a significant public work of art was seen as vandalism by some commentators, including Hajek's wife. However, not everyone in the world of art and architecture or the general public mourned its passing. From 2016, the Plaza began undergoing a redevelopment, as part of the major redevelopment of the Riverbank Precinct. The new public plaza, known as the Public Realm, was expected to be completed by 2020, while the office buildings and retail spaces are scheduled to be finished by 2022. The architects of the original complex,

Hassell Hassell is a multidisciplinary architecture, design and urban planning practice with offices in Australia, China, Singapore, USA and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1937/8 in Adelaide, South Australia, the firm's former names include Claridge, Ha ...

, remain as architectural consultants for the project, in collaboration with ARM Architecture and landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean for the outdoor spaces. Changes to the design of the Public Realm submitted for approval in April 2020 were expected to push back the completion date to 2023, and there is limited access to the venues and no access to the plaza area. In 2024, Festival Tower, cited on land that was previously a corner of the Festival Plaza adjacent to the station, was also completed.

Governance

In 1971, the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust was established as a

statutory authority A statutory body or statutory authority is a body set up by law (statute) that is authorised to implement certain legislation on behalf of the relevant country or state, sometimes by being empowered or delegated to set rules (for example reg ...

by the ''Adelaide Festival Centre Trust Act 1971'', reporting to the Minister for the Arts. From about 1996 until late 2018, Arts SA (later

Arts South Australia Arts South Australia (previously Arts SA) was responsible for managing the South Australian Government's funding for the arts and cultural heritage from about 1996 until late 2018, when it was progressively dismantled, a process complete by early ...

) had responsibility for this and several other statutory bodies such as the

South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultur ...

and the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

. Arts SA leased

and the Festival Centre to the Trust, which was responsible for "encouraging and facilitating artistic, cultural and performing arts activities throughout the State" and managing and maintaining the theatres. In 2006,

Douglas Gautier Douglas Gautier is an Australian arts administrator. He lived in Hong Kong for around 25 years, where he worked in various roles in the arts and entertainment world, before being appointed CEO and artistic director of the Adelaide Festival Centr ...

was appointed CEO and

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

of the organisation. In July 2017, the Trust bought

from Arts South Australia for . It also borrowed from the South Australian Government Financing Authority for a maximum term of 10 years to fund Her Majesty’s Theatre redevelopment. From late 2018, the functions previously held by Arts SA were transferred to direct oversight by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Arts and Culture section. , the chair of the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust is Karlene Maywald. In October 2024, CEO and artistic director Douglas Gautier announced his retirement, effective in the second half of 2025.

Venues

Adelaide Festival Centre houses several theatres and galleries, as well as function spaces and the administrative hub of the Festival Centre. * Festival Theatre is the largest proscenium arch theatre in Adelaide, seating close to 2,000 people. It was designed as both a lyric theatre and concert hall, and is used not only for theatrical productions and large concerts, but also for graduation ceremonies, seminars and many other community functions. Its huge backstage area makes the stage area one of the largest in the southern hemisphere. It also houses the Silver Jubilee Organ, a "hovering" pipe organ built and donated to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II. * Dunstan Playhouse, initially known as The Playhouse, and in 1999–2000 the Optima Playhouse, and then renamed after Don Dunstan. It is located in the Drama Centre behind the main building, is a more intimate venue, seating 620 people on two levels. The State Theatre Company has been based here since 1974, and uses the theatre, the rehearsal rooms and the extensive production workshop also housed in this second building. * Space Theatre is a versatile studio theatre, sharing the Drama Centre building with the Dunstan. It has no traditional stage or fixed seating, meaning its configuration is completely flexible. It can be turned into a

theatre in the round Theatre-in-the-round, also known as arena theatre or central staging, is a theatrical stage configuration in which the audience surrounds the performance area on all sides. Historically rooted in ancient Greece and Rome performance practices, ...

, a corner stage setting, or a cabaret venue. The Space seats anywhere from 200 to 350 people, depending on the configuration. *

is 1,500-seat theatre located on

Grote Street Grote Street is a major street running east to west in the western half of Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It is on the northern border of Chinatown and the Adelaide Central Market, and is a lively centre for shopping and restaurants. Th ...

. First opened in 1913, the theatre underwent extensive rebuilding from 2018 to 2020 to become a world-class venue. * Artspace Gallery is a gallery exhibition space situated in the second building above the Dunstan Playhouse. * The Terrace, formerly called the Amphitheatre, is an outdoor space overlooking

and the

River Torrens The River Torrens (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the Ad ...

. *Artspace Gallery and QBE Galleries are further exhibition spaces.

Associated companies and events

Adelaide Festival Centre is home to South Australia's leading professional performance companies, including:

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian orchestra based in Adelaide, established in 1936. The orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Hall, but the ASO also performs in other venues. It provides the orchest ...

State Opera South Australia State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976. History State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the ''State Opera of South Aus ...

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

, State Theatre Company South Australia,

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet (TAB) is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur a ...

, Brink and

Windmill Theatre Co Windmill Theatre Co (previously known as Windmill Performing Arts), established in 2002 as a South Australian Government initiative, is Australia's flagship professional theatre company for child and young adult audiences. artistic director is ...

. The centre is the host of

and presents major festivals across the year, including:

Adelaide Cabaret Festival The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia ...

OzAsia Festival OzAsia Festival, or simply OzAsia, is a major arts festival in Adelaide, South Australia. It is an Asia-focused festival presented by the Adelaide Festival Centre for two weeks in late October to early November each year. Founded in 2007, the f ...

DreamBIG Children's Festival DreamBIG Children's Festival, formerly Come Out Festival or Come Out Children's Festival, is a large biennial arts festival for schools and families held in South Australia. History The festival began as the Come Out Festival in 1974 as part of ...

Adelaide Guitar Festival The Adelaide Guitar Festival (AGF), formerly the Adelaide International Guitar Festival (AGIF) is Australia's largest guitar festival, held biennially in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The AGF is the sister event to the New York Guitar ...

, and the First Nations annual art exhibition

Our Mob Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" Places * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France Other uses * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a governm ...

, which also awards a series of prizes. Our Mob was established around 2008, and has expanded with Our Words and Our Stories. Celia Coulthard is First Nations curator.

Transport

Besides numerous nearby bus stops and the adjacent

Adelaide railway station Adelaide railway station is the central Terminal station, terminus of the Adelaide Metro railway system. All lines approach the station from the west, and it is a terminal station with no through lines, with most of the traffic on the metropol ...

, a short branch from the

Glenelg tram line The Glenelg tram line is a tram/light rail line in Adelaide. Apart from a short street-running section in Glenelg, the line has its own reservation, with minimal interference from road traffic. The service is free in the city centre and al ...

to the Festival Centre was opened in October 2018.Glenelg Tram Timetable (2018)
,

Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of the Adelaide area, around the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal system offering an integrated network of Buses in Adelaide, bus, Glenelg tram, ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Performing arts in Adelaide Theatres in Adelaide Tourist attractions in Adelaide Concert halls in Australia Culture of South Australia Event venues established in 1973 Performing arts centres in Australia Entertainment venues in South Australia Adelaide Park Lands Modernist architecture in Australia