Aaah, SA the Festival State.
Recently Paul Grabowski the Artistic Director of the 2010 Adelaide Festival of Arts (arguably the second biggest Festival of its kind in the world and the biggest in the southern Hemisphere) pointed out that our theatre spaces are getting smaller and out of date. The bigger spaces are closing, the University of Adelaide have decided to bulldoze Union Hall to build a new lab complex (science earns Uni's more than Arts) and also to convert the Scott Theatre into a Lecture theatre and remove it from regular use as a performance space. The Festival Centre(originally built in 1974/5) has recently been upgraded to a degree, the Dunstan Playhouse has had a real facelift, the asbestos problem in the Space Theatre has been sorted and some cosmetic work has been done in the main hall. Her Majesty's is getting old and clunky, the Arts Theatre needs a huge injection of cash to be renovated and the Royalty belongs to the Callisthenics Association and is only available for theatre during the Fringe and the Festival. There's a nice theatre in the Adelaide College of the Arts but it's used all year round (quite correctly) by the college.
Smaller theatres are going too. We lost the old Mayfair Theatre (Goodwood Institute) when it was leased to Tabor College, it is now only available during school holidays. The Promethean Theatre, a little 100 seater, is now a nightclub, The Q Theatre closed years ago and is now offices, Adelaide's La Mama similarly closed some years ago and is now a suite of upmarket offices. There are some suburban theatres. The Shedley is in Elizabeth about 35 kilometres from the CBD and in an area that has a reputation as being dangerous to go at night (I said that was it's reputation but I am happy to go there and to work there) The Star Theatre Complex is closing in a couple of years and will be redeveloped, what used to be the Junction Theatre has been used for storage for some years and is earmarked for redevelopment, the Golden Grove Theatre is a multi use space with all the drawbacks of multi use spaces, the Parks Theatre complex will probably be redeveloped (I am assured the council has not decided yet but the rumours have been pretty solid for a year or so now) the new theatre at Marion is horrendously expensive to hire ... anyway the list goes on and on.
Holden Street theatres soldiers on as a small affordable space that is close enough to the city to work but even they are going to have problems when their current lease expires.
As a small independant producer I am very aware of how difficult it is to find affordable spaces in Adelaide and it is almost impossible during Festival time.
Mike Rann has said he will hold an audit and quotes first the upgrades to the Entertainment Centre which includes a new 2500 seat theatre and the new Film Corporation space which will have two spaces of 100 and 200 square metres which will be usuable as black box spaces as showing the Governments commitment to the Arts.
We don't have these venues that the West seems to have where local groups have permanent full time use of spaces. (Sorry except for Tea Tree Gully Players). Local councils do not seem to feel any responsibility to the arts.
Are we that much of a minority interest?
Is it because we charge for tickets, are we looked upon as being a failing commercial enterprise?
What is our way forward?

Does the general community no longer see the live performing arts as necessary to society?

Any thoughts Australia?

Would you be happy to see Adelaide lose it's Festival reputation?

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