THE ILLUSIONISTS 2.0, ANGELINA BALLERINA THE MOUSICAL & More Set for Adelaide Festival Centre's 2014 Season

By: Oct. 25, 2013
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Adelaide Festival Centre cements its position as one of the nation's leading cultural precincts as it unveils its 2014 program. It is the largest season ever at the Festival Centre, featuring two large-scale musicals, an exciting array of family entertainment and several groundbreaking collaborations with local companies. The program features some big names both nationally and internationally with Lior, Ludovico Einaudi, Helen Reddy, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Tan Dun among the line-up with a total of 233 shows, 77 events, 13 world premieres and 10 Australian premieres.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier says, "With the Riverbank precinct redevelopment set for completion, Adelaide Festival Centre has guaranteed that the Festival Centre continues to be the one-stop shop for entertainment in Adelaide. Featuring South Australian, national and international works to suit all ages and tastes. Whether your passion is music, theatre, dance or exhibitions, make sure you have your arts fill under our big white shells."

Kicking off in December The Illusionists 2.0 is a stunning sequel to last year's smash hit, featuring seven masters of mental and optical illusion. The Lincoln Centre Theatre's critically acclaimed South Pacific opens on New Year's Eve and stars Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Lisa McCune, Mitchell Butel and Christine Anu. And the uber-talented Craig McLachlan pulls on his fishnets as Frank N Furter for the 40th anniversary production of Richard O'Brien's classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show which opens 20 March.

Angelina Ballerina The Mousical is the perfect school holiday treat, while Sessions live music hub will be the coolest place to be this summer. The series opens with The Basics (featuring Wally De Backer otherwise known as Gotye) and features a string of artists from the USA, UK, France. PilotFest is a mini festival featuring an all-local lineup celebrating the best music Adelaide has to offer.

Lovers of music will be spoilt with the plethora of choice on offer including Lior & Westlake's Songs with Orchestra. Lior, one of Australia's most successful singer/songwriters, and Nigel Westlake, one of Australia's finest composers, have together created a profoundly evocative music experience live on stage with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Following his sell-out In A Time Lapse UK Tour earlier this year along with an acclaimed performance at Sydney Opera House's Graphic Festival, Italy's Ludovico Einaudi will enthrall Adelaide audiences for the first time. Helen Reddy, 70s icon and queen of pop, is on tour after more than a decade and sings her classic anthem I Am Woman, among other hits in the Festival Theatre 15 April.

Enjoy an enchanted evening with world-renowned soprano Dame Tiri Te Kanawa as she celebrates her 70th Birthday Gala Tour on 18 May in the Festival Theatre. Accompanied by her pianist Terence Dennis, Dame Kiri will perform a diverse range from her classic and contemporary repertoires.

Arouse the senses with dance sensation Wunderkammer by Circa, where sexy circus meet outrageous cabaret. It's just one of the many exciting dance offerings of 2014 and it plays Her Majesty's Theatre from 1-4 October. Kicking off the season of dance on 18 January is Flamenco Areti, a spicy display of flamenco, guitar and songs, as part of the Sessions lineup.

Local talent is on show when highly acclaimed South Australian choreographer Lina Limosani brings together an international team in the chilling dance theatre piece A Delicate Situation, which turns the spotlight on our fears and thoughts about death, 22-24 May, Space Theatre.

The Australian Ballet comes to town with a modern twist on Cinderella from 4-9 July, while Australian Dance Theatre's Garry Stewart pushes new boundaries in Multiverse, where dancers actually meld with stunning 3D graphics on stage.

Local award-winning choreographer Daniel Jabber's Reassessment - a Double Bill, is cutting edge contemporary dance that explores gender roles and judgment, in a moving two-piece work. 6-9 August, at Space Theatre. While Meryl Tankard's The Oracle, 20-23 August, tackles the conflicting forces of nature and man, and features Australian dance sensation Paul White.

Bangarra Dance Theatre's Kinship features two outstanding works, from award-winning choreographer Stephen Page. Brolga is a creation story inspired by totems, while ID looks at what it means to be Aboriginal in the 21st Century. 22-25 October, Dunstan Playhouse.

In 2014 Festival Centre strengthens its world-class Festivals reputation with back to back Festivals. 2014 will be Cabaret Festival Artistic Director Kate Ceberano's final Festival. The Adelaide Cabaret Festival runs from 6 - 21 June with four shows already announced including Cabaret's night of nights Variety Gala performance and The Cowgirl and The Showgirl, starring Beccy Cole and Libby O'Donovan. Jump Leads and Jessica Wilson's Still Awake Still is based on much-loved songs from the bedtime book by Elizabeth Honey and Sue Johnson. Little Bird is a brand new show starring Australian stage legend Paul Capsis, presented in association with State Theatre Company. The one-man play by Nicki Bloom features songs and music by Aria award-winning musicIan Cameron Goodall and renowned theatre composer Quentin Grant.

Adelaide International Guitar Festival is a four day celebration (17 - 20 July) of the world's most popular instrument, curated by internationally renowned Australian guitarist Slava Grigoryan. In an Australian premiere, two giants of the guitar world, veteran Pepe Romero and young genius Yamandú Costa, join forces in a magnificent double bill. Other highlights include Indian slide guitar innovator Debashish Bhattarcharya and flamenco-infused jazz from Australia's hugely talenTed Christopher Hales. In an Australian exclusive outstanding guitarist Geoffrey Morris and leading soprano Siobhan Stagg perform together for a night of journey through guitar's early Spanish heritage. United Kingdom's electric guitar virtuoso Guthrie Govan will astound audiences in his Australian premiere performance.

OzAsia Festival returns in 2014, with a strong focus on the Shandong Province of China. As always the popular Moon Lantern Festival on 8 September will be a crowd pleaser with its warm family atmosphere, the event brings together a diverse range of cultures across Adelaide's community groups. World-renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun, last here in 2012, is back with his latest offering Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women, performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Created for harp solo, this moving piece brings to life the ancient secret language of women.

Discover the newest talent coming out of Australia with inSPACE: Development. The program across the year features new performances in development by some of the country's most innovative up-and-coming performing artists. A highlight is Rabbits, 23 May, from writer Emily Steel and director Daisy Brown, which explores the relationship between land, power and pests.

There's plenty on offer for lovers of all things classical in 2014. Nick Parnell, master of the vibraphone, reworks a selection of all-time favourites in Nick Parnell: Vibes Virtuoso from 2-3 May Space Theatre. The International Piano Series 2014 includes performances by Alexander Gavrylyuk (Ukraine/ Australia), Piers Lane (Australia) and Germany's Bernd Glemser.

Some of Britain's most famous voices, the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, come to the Festival Theatre 2 August with 16 boys and 15 men performing a collection of classic and new songs.

And stand out local talent Niki Vasilakis has curated a series of intimate classical performances aimed at the after-work crowd. Enjoy river views and a drink at sunset for Cocktail Concerts with Niki Vasilakis, in Lyrics. The informal sessions, over August, October and November, allow audiences to chat with artists after the performances.

Ground-breaking theatre comes to town when Roman Tragedies from visionary director Ivo van Hove hits the stage from 28 February - 2 March. For the first time in Australia a co-presentation/in association with, this Adelaide Festival event incorporates Shakespeare's power trilogy Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra as a multimedia spectacular where audience members can wander the auditorium, step amongst the actors or grab a drink as this six-hour production unfolds.

Patricia Routledge, best known to audiences as Hyacinth in Keeping Up Appearances, and internationally acclaimed pianist Piers Lane team up for the entertaining Admission: One Shilling. Featuring the music of Chopin, Beethoven and more, it tells the story of pianist Dame Myra Hess, who put her own musical career on hold when the Second World War broke out, to produce almost 1700 lunchtime concerts at the National Gallery in London. The humorous account is on in the Festival Theatre 23-24 May.

Revenge is the order of the day when The Suit has its world premiere in Adelaide 1-12 October in the Dunstan Playhouse. It's the latest offering from directing great Peter Brook in collaboration with Marie-Hélène Estienne and Franck Krawcyk. The music-filled adaptation is based on the story by Can Themba and centres on themes of trust, betrayal, revenge and pain.

The Long Way Home is a Sydney Theatre Company and Australian Department of Defence production and gives first-hand accounts from Aussie soldiers deployed to war in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor. Award-winning playwright Daniel Keene and acclaimed British director Stephen Rayne have devised a moving and unforgettable show where real-life, injured soldiers stand alongside professional actors to tell stories of war and its devastating impact. It plays the Dunstan Playhouse 1-5 April.

From babies to grandparents, there is something for all generations in 2014. This (Baby) Life, in the JB Room 28-31 January, is a show that's been especially created for babies aged 4-18 months. The production from Sally Chance Dance explores the fascination of being a baby, and babies and performers actually create the show together on stage.

It's slapstick meets magic, mime and music in The Magic Chicken from 22-27 April in the Dunstan Playhouse, while the iconic books of Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton come to life in The 13_Storey Treehouse by playwright Richard Tulloch. It's for children aged 6-12 and it plays the Dunstan Playhouse 5-7 July.

Those adorable characters from Toy Story, The Incredibles, Up! and more will be centre stage when Pixar in Concert arrives in Adelaide. It features highlights from these much-loved movies, including the 2013 release Monsters University, all set to music by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Festival Theatre 15 November. While our favourite little Aussie character Grug, dubbed the "Elmo of Down Under", is back and on an adventure to find a rainbow in Grug and the Rainbow. The Windmill Theatre production hits the Space Theatre 19-30 November.

The hugely successful Something on Saturdays program continues in 2014, offering children aged 3-10 their first steps into the magical world of theatre. The fun runs from 26 April - 30 August.

There will be a wide range of thoughtfully curated exhibitions throughout the year including the annual Our Mob 2014, more information and Artspace Gallery opening hours can be found on our website. Plus a range of enriching community events features in Adelaide's World of Cultures. The year-long program features performances by community ethnic groups, celebrating the state's multicultural diversity.

The perennially popular Christmas Proms completes the year round program and will once again bring the festive spirit to the Festival Centre with plenty of carols, special guests and led by Mr Christmas himself Timothy Sexton and his 24-piece Adelaide Art Orchestra, Festival Theatre 12 & 13 December.

Bring your friends, both old and new to a performance as part of our Morning Melodies program, great daytime entertainment at an affordable price.

The Festival Centre's GreenRoom program (18-30 year olds) and centrED program (primary and secondary students) will continue to give young people the opportunity to participate in a number of workshops, events and forums. The Student Tix program offers discounted tickets, enabling younger audiences to access the arts. This is supported through the generous donations of the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation.

All of these amazing artistic offerings will be wrapped up and presented in the bold new-look Adelaide Festival Centre branding. The modernised rebranding marries the well-known Adelaide Festival Centre kaleidoscope of colours with the distinctive outline of the iconic building. It's a fresh, bold logo that celebrates the evolving face of the Centre and its continued role as the home of the arts in South Australia today and into the future. Just like a kaleidoscope, every time you take a look you will discover something new.



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