Fringe hub the RCC parts ways with Adelaide University
Popular Adelaide Fringe hub the RCC, previously known as the Royal Croquet Club, has parted ways with its home at the University of Adelaide’s campus on North Terrace.
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Fringe hub the RCC will not be held at the University of Adelaide next year, leaving its future uncertain.
The university’s chief external relations officer, Leah Grantham, said it had concluded its arrangement with the arts event after two years of it being held at the North Terrace campus.
“With the impact of COVID-19 still ongoing, the university is unable to commit to RCC in 2021 and beyond,” Mrs Grantham said.
“We must ensure our primary focus remains on providing world-class education and research.”
RCC managing director Roberto Cardone said he would discuss plans for the hub’s future at a later time.
“We’re grateful to the University of Adelaide for hosting RCC over the past two years,” Mr Cardone said.
“While the community is still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, we believe South Australia will need events more than ever.”
The RCC drew hundreds of thousands of visitors to the University of Adelaide’s grounds in 2019 and 2020 with a program curated by former Adelaide Festival artistic director David Sefton.
It was previously held as the Royal Croquet Club in Victoria Square and at Pinky Flat.
Despite its popularity with the Fringe community, more than a third of university students surveyed in 2019 did not want the venue to return this year.
It also drew complaints about limiting space for student club activities, sound check noise and vibrations interrupting study and interfering with scientific experiments, assault, trespass, property damage, theft, smoking, and public urination and defecation. Some students also felt unsafe at night.
While consistently achieving some of the biggest ticket sales and artistic acclaim at the Fringe, the hub has had a checkered history since it was founded by Stuart Duckworth and Tom Skipper as the Royal Croquet Club at Victoria Square in 2014.
Its parent company, The Social Creative, was placed into voluntary administration after the founders suffered severe financial losses from other ventures, including $1 million lost creating a pavilion at a 2016 beer festival in China.
Cibo Espresso co-founder Roberto Cardone and fellow businessman Jason Di Iulio took ownership of the RCC in 2018, when it was held at Pinky Flat, and relocated it to Adelaide Uni the next year. Mr Di Iulio left the RCC in 2019 and sold his interests in it to a consortium led by Mr Cardone.
Mrs Grantham thanked the RCC for bringing the event to the university.
“Most of all we thank the incredible artists and events industry that have made this possible. Their work over the past two Fringe seasons has enriched the social fabric of our community, and the lives of our students, staff and alumni,” she said.
“While we are parting ways with RCC, the University of Adelaide remains committed to our partnerships with South Australia’s arts community and supporting creativity and culture in our State.”
Fringe director Heather Croall has previously indicated that the RCC would be part of next year’s event, along with other hubs including the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Gluttony, but with reduced capacities and fewer venues at each site.