Adelaide Festival Centre facts for kids
Adelaide Festival Centre at night with the River Torrens in the foreground
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| Address | King William Road Adelaide, South Australia |
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| Coordinates | 34°55′10″S 138°35′52″E / 34.91944°S 138.59778°E |
| Owner | Adelaide Festival Centre Trust |
| Type | Performing arts centre |
| Capacity | Festival Theatre: 2,000 Dunstan Playhouse: 590 Space Theatre: 350 Her Majesty's Theatre: 1,009 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2 June 1973 |
| Architect | Hassell |
The Adelaide Festival Centre is a special place in Adelaide, South Australia. It was the very first multi-purpose arts centre built in an Australian capital city. It opened in the 1970s and is where many amazing shows and performances happen.
You can find the Festival Centre near the River Torrens and Elder Park. It's easy to spot with its two white, dome-shaped roofs. The main part, the Festival Theatre, opened in June 1973. Soon after, other parts like the Dunstan Playhouse and Space Theatre also opened.
The Festival Centre is home to many big events, including the famous Adelaide Festival. It also hosts other fun festivals like the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, OzAsia Festival, and the DreamBIG Children's Festival. Many important arts groups, like the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Theatre Company South Australia, also have their home here.
A group called the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust looks after the centre. Their job is to make sure there are lots of artistic and cultural activities for everyone to enjoy. They also keep the buildings and facilities in great shape. Before the Festival Centre was built, an old swimming pool complex called the Adelaide City Baths stood on this spot for over 100 years.
Since 2016, the area around the Festival Centre has been getting a big makeover. The theatre spaces have stayed open, and the car park is now finished. The whole redevelopment was completed in February 2022.
Contents
Why Was the Festival Centre Built?
A Need for More Space
In the 1960s, the big Adelaide Festival was growing fast. The city's existing venues were not big enough to hold all the shows and people. So, there was a strong idea to build a new "Festival Hall."
In 1964, a law was passed to build the Festival Theatre. At first, they thought about building it at the Carclew building in North Adelaide. This building had been bought by the Adelaide City Council just for this purpose.
Leaders Who Helped Make it Happen
The state Premier at the time, Steele Hall, wanted to get money from the Australian Government. He visited the Royal Festival Hall in London, which is next to the River Thames. This gave him the idea that the banks of Adelaide's River Torrens would be perfect for the new arts centre.
Later, when Don Dunstan became Premier, he had an even bigger idea. He wanted to build a whole "Festival Centre" with many smaller venues, not just one hall.
Public Support and Design
The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Robert Porter, with Premier Dunstan's help, asked the public for money. People gave so much money that they quickly reached their goal! The extra money was used to buy artworks for the new building.
The building was designed by Hassell, McConnell and Partners. It was designed "from the inside out," meaning they thought about how the spaces would be used first. The architects even traveled to the United States and Europe to study other theatre designs. In 1969, the old Adelaide City Baths were taken down to make room for the new centre.
Building the Centre
Construction Stages
The Adelaide Festival Centre was built in three main parts. Construction started in April 1970.
The main building, the Festival Theatre, was finished in 1973. It cost about $10 million. On June 2, 1973, the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, officially opened the Festival Theatre. After that, the Playhouse (now Dunstan Playhouse), Space Theatre, and an outdoor Amphitheatre were built. The whole complex was finished for about $21 million.
Outdoor Art and Spaces
The outdoor areas of the Festival Centre also had special artworks. One famous sculpture was a shiny stainless steel piece called Tetrahedra by Bert Flugelman.
South of the main buildings, the Festival Plaza was completed in 1977. It featured a large artwork by a German artist named Otto Hajek. This artwork, sometimes called Adelaide Urban Iconography, was meant to be a social space. It had colorful, geometric shapes, and was planned to include fountains and plants.
When it opened, people had different opinions about the plaza. Some found it empty, but others saw it as a modern piece of environmental art. Over the years, the plaza's painted surfaces and fountains were not kept up well. In 1987, the fountain was removed as part of an upgrade.
Modern Changes and Upgrades
Redevelopment of the Plaza
In 2002–2003, the area around the Adelaide Festival Centre was changed a lot. The Festival Plaza was redesigned. However, this new design made the plaza feel a bit cut off from other areas.
In 2013, the government announced that the Plaza would be redeveloped again. Hajek's artwork was removed, which some people thought was a shame. However, not everyone was sad to see it go.
Since 2016, the Festival Plaza has been undergoing a big $90 million redevelopment. This is part of a larger project to improve the Riverbank Precinct. The new public plaza was expected to be finished by 2020. The original architects, Hassell, are still involved in the project.
New Tram Stop
A new tram line was built to the Festival Centre. This short tram branch opened in October 2018, making it easier for people to get to the centre.
How the Centre is Managed
The Adelaide Festival Centre Trust was created in 1971 to manage the centre. This group reports to the Minister for the Arts.
The Trust is in charge of encouraging and supporting artistic activities across the state. They also manage and maintain the theatres. In 2017, the Trust bought Her Majesty's Theatre and borrowed money to help redevelop it. Since late 2018, the government department for the Premier and Cabinet now directly oversees the Trust.
What You Can See Inside
The Adelaide Festival Centre has several theatres and galleries, plus spaces for events and offices.
- Festival Theatre is the biggest theatre in Adelaide. It can seat almost 2000 people! It's used for plays, concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other community events. Its huge backstage area is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It also has a special pipe organ called the Silver Jubilee Organ.
- Dunstan Playhouse is a smaller, more personal theatre. It seats 620 people on two levels. The State Theatre Company has been based here since 1974.
- Space Theatre is a very flexible theatre. It doesn't have a fixed stage or seats, so it can be set up in many different ways. It can hold between 200 and 350 people.
- Her Majesty's Theatre is a theatre on Grote Street that seats 1500 people. It first opened in 1913 and was rebuilt from 2018 to 2020 to become a world-class venue.
- Artspace Gallery is a space where art exhibitions are held.
- The Terrace is an outdoor area that looks out over Elder Park and the River Torrens.
Who Performs Here?
The Adelaide Festival Centre is home to many of South Australia's top performance groups. These include the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, State Opera South Australia, Australian Dance Theatre, and State Theatre Company of South Australia.
It also hosts many major festivals throughout the year, such as:
- Adelaide Cabaret Festival
- Adelaide Guitar Festival
- OzAsia Festival
- DreamBIG Children's Festival
- OUR MOB
See Also
- List of theatres in Adelaide
