In 2013, the Adelaide Festival Centre celebrates 40 years of hosting arts, culture and entertainment from every corner of the world. Since its opening in 1973, the Festival Theatre remains Adelaide’s preeminent venue for the world’s finest artists, while also providing a venue of international standard for countless performances, community events, and local companies.
The iconic building is much more than a performance venue: it is impossible to imagine the city without the Festival Centre, which has come to symbolise the cultural heart of South Australia. Officially opened on 2 June, 1973, it was Australia’s first performing arts centre built in a capital city, beating the Sydney Opera House to completion at about one tenth of the cost.
The Festival Theatre also holds many memories for those who have performed on the stage, including Douglas Gautier, CEO and Artistic Director at the Festival Centre who performed on opening night 40 years ago:
“At the time I was a student at Flinders University and my first paid job was at the opening night of the Festival Theatre on 2 June as an extra in Beethoven’s Fidelio. The great spirit and possibilities of this place, and the people who are attracted to it have always been a source of pride and inspiration.
This year we are presenting a full calendar of events for South Australians to enjoy and take pride in. During the year we will be acknowledging the achievements of the past and looking forward to the future as the premier performing arts venue in the Festival State, for the next 40 years.”
A number of events have been planned throughout the 40th anniversary year including:
Beethoven’s 9th and Fanfare Festiva: A Fanfare for the Next 40 Years, presented in conjunction with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for two nights only 31 May – 1 June, the concert will reprise the Festival Theatre’s grand opening night with a performance of Beethoven’s magnificent Choral Symphony in D Minor.
The concert will also include the World Premiere of Fanfare Festiva – a fanfare for the next 40 years, commissioned by Adelaide Festival Centre by renowned Adelaide composer, Graeme Koehne.
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival will toast the 40th Anniversary with a special performance of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival Variety Gala on Thursday 6 June, dedicated to the Festival Theatre.
Every night in June, Adelaide Festival Centre will be radiant with projections from internationally acclaimed The Electric Canvas. House Lights will illuminate the distinctive white roof of Adelaide’s iconic building with a constantly changing palette of images that embody the spirit of the Festival Centre’s 40 fabulous years.
The anniversary wouldn’t be complete without a return of the Fezbah. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s it was one of Adelaide’s most popular late night clubs, where artists and audiences kicked up their heels on the dance floor to the vibrant sounds of South Australia’s best live bands.
The late night Fezbah will be revised and reinvigorated for one big celebratory weekend from 31 May – 1 June in the Piano Bar!
Throughout the year, Adelaide Festival Centre’s Visual Arts team and the Performing Arts Collection will curate exhibitions celebrating the anniversary year including:
1973: Signifying Change (10 April – 2 June, Festival Theatre foyer) celebrating the adventurous artists, who not only changed the face of contemporary art in the 1970s, but also whose works were commissioned or acquired for the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Works of Art Collection. These artists include Bert Flugelman, Stanislaw Ostoja Kotkowski, Rod Dudley, Indigenous artist Trevor Nickolls, and social observer Robert Boynes.
1973: the Dunstan Decade (April – June, Festival Theatre foyer) a tribute to Don Dunstan, the man credited with revitalising South Australia’s artistic and cultural life. During his time as Premier, Dunstan moved swiftly to put Adelaide on the arts map.
The celebrations will continue in September with Her Majesty’s Theatre turning 100. To mark this significant milestone and to celebrate the truly historic occasion, the Her Majesty’s Centennial Gala Concert will take place on Friday 6 September and will feature artists and companies for whom the theatre is an icon of history and performance.
Two books have been commissioned and feature the history and stories of the theatres, as well as of the performers and companies who have graced the stage, plus interviews with prominent people who have had an association with the Festival Centre and Her Majesty’s.
40 Years of Adelaide Festival Centre written by Lance Campbell and 100 Years of Her Majesty’s Theatre written by Frank van Straten will be launched on the Festival Centre Plaza on Thursday 30 May.
The anniversary celebrations will continue across the year round with more 40th anniversary events and performances announced throughout the year. For more information, visit: www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au for details.
