In South Australia, home is where the art is...
String quartets, pub comedy, theatrical extravaganzas, street busking, public statuary, international rock concerts, regional galleries, city-stopping arts festivals… South Australians have a long and enduring love of the arts.
Theatre, opera and dance
The State Theatre Company is SA’s flagship professional theatre group, performing an annual season of classic and contemporary Australian and international works at its main performance home, the Adelaide Festival Centre. The company has played a pivotal role in the careers of many of Australia's leading actors, like Judy Davis, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush and Hugo Weaving.
The Adelaide Festival Centre was the first multi-purpose arts centre built in Australia and is still an arts icon today, hosting some of the best shows in the world and the hugely popular Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
South Australia's State Opera is an innovative performing arts company which regularly stages popular Italian operas, operettas, contemporary works and concerts.
South Australia's dance companies include the Australian Dance Theatre, which performs around the world and is one of the most influential dance companies in the country. The state is also home to Leigh Warren & Dancers and young dance company Restless.
Art Galleries
South Australia has hundreds of galleries. They’re located in Adelaide’s busiest precincts and in the remotest corners of the State – showcasing the work of artists famous, infamous and hitherto undiscovered. Anyone interested in art will begin their SA adventure at the Art Gallery of SA, one of the country’s finest collections housed in a superb example of Victorian triumphal architecture.
Music
Where to start? Classical lovers should check out the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra which enjoys an international reputation for world class performances and the Australian String Quartet which plays to audiences all over the world. Lovers of rock, pop, jazz and folk will find a thriving live music scene across the state; headline international acts stop in at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre the Thebarton Theatre. Country and Western music flourishes in the SA regions.
Some of South Australia’s most famous musos/bands include AC/DC, Jimmy Barnes and the Hilltop Hoods.
Comedy
Alive and kicking all year, but most prominent during yearly The Adelaide Fringe Festival, second in size only to Edinburgh.
For more on comedy venues, visit: www.sacentral.sa.gov.au
Cinema
Everything from blockbuster to arthouse. SA also hosts a growing film and TV industry (it’s home, for instance, to major special effects studio, Rising Sun Pictures) and hosts the yearly Adelaide Film Festival . South Australia is also home to directors Scott Hicks and Rolf de Heer.
Festivals
South Australians have always enthusiastically embraced the arts, and more than 400 festivals and events are now held across the State each year. Here are some of the events and venues helping to shape Adelaide’s reputation as the festival capital of Australia.
The Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts
The Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts is one of the most prestigious arts festivals in the world, attracting audiences from across Australia and the globe. The biennial event captivates and transforms the city centre. The March 2008 Festival was a record-breaker; with all associated events (Fringe and WOMADelaide), some 900,000 people were estimated to attend.
WOMADelaide
Staged since 1992 in Adelaide’s beautiful Botanic Park, WOMADelaide is an annual world music festival run over three days and features hundreds of performers from countries around the globe.
Adelaide Fringe
The Adelaide Fringe is the world's second-biggest fringe festival, held annually in February and March. The 2009 Fringe broke all records with over 187,000 tickets sold.
Other events
Other festivals and major events include:
SALA Arts Festival
Barossa Under the Stars
Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Adelaide Writer's Week
For more details and a full list of events visit www.southaustralia.com and www.sacentral.sa.gov.au.
