Festival Theatre: Adelaide Festival Centre

Editorial

Built in 1973, the iconic stage is graced with a grand proscenium arch and faces out on seating for nearly 2,000 guests. As for the music on offer, you'd expect classy fare like chart crooner Michael Buble and animated singer-actress Bernadette Peters, but the stage has also hosted such rockers as Jimmy Barnes, Silverchair, and Dave Matthews Band.

There's something cool about pumping one's fist in a space that'll be used for a theatrical production or uni graduation the next day. Plus, it's hard to beat the theatre's famous acoustics and old-world beauty, right down to the soothing hue of the burgundy seats. Not that you'd know it, but the backstage area is among the largest of its kind in the hemisphere, making it ideal for the legions of crew members hard at work behind the scenes.

The theatre's other claim to fame is the Silver Jubilee Organ, built and donated to mark Elizabeth's 25th year on the throne. A pipe organ may not sound very rock and roll, but it looks downright psychedelic and can be “floated” off into storage when needed. And surely the right rocker could come in and wail on the thing.

Doug Wallen

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