Whale of a time on Glenelg beach for Adelaide Festival 2024 opening
Thousands are expected to flock to the popular seaside suburb as a whale-inspired event opens the 2024 Adelaide Festival.
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Giant whale bones will emerge from the sands of Glenelg beach for the 2024 Adelaide Festival’s opening event, which will run for four nights.
Baleen Moondjan, which celebrates First Nations cultural relationships with the Southern Humpback Whale, is the first major commission from choreographer Stephen Page since he left Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Other highlights of the 2024 program include the return of international music star Angelique Kidjo, UK choreographer Akram Khan’s “reimagined” version of the Jungle Book, director Barrie Kosky’s new version of The Threepenny Opera and US extreme circus show Time Machine.
Artistic director Ruth Mackenzie said her debut program contained 64 events, 16 world premieres, 12 Australian premieres and 23 exclusives.
“It is an honour to play my part in creating an Adelaide Festival program which give artists and all of us in South Australia an important voice to the world,” she said.
About 3000 people are expected to attend each of the four twilight performances of Baleen Moondjan at Glenelg from February 28 to March 2.
Page said Baleen Moondjan was “a celebration of the eternal human life cycle and the profound spiritual bond Indigenous peoples have with their totems”.
“Amid these grand themes, a touching family narrative unfolds,” he said.
“The production draws inspiration from the ocean’s beauty and its inhabitants, complemented by South Australia’s exquisite beaches.”
The show will feature a whale-inspired set by designer Jacob Nash, and live music composed by Steve Francis.
Another world premiere First Nations work, Guuranda, will explore creation stories from the Yorke Peninsula through a mixture of dance, puppetry, animation and music at Her Majesty’s Theatre from February 29 to March 3.
Major international theatre presentations include Goodbye, Lindita by Greek-Albanian director Mario Banushi, and the French/German production Who Killed My Father.
Other works already announced for next year’s Festival include opera The Nightingale and Other Fables, Icelandic pianist Víkingur Olafsson, climate change exhibition Create4Adelaide and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s community project Floods of Fire.
Tickets for all shows are on sale from 9am on October 24 at adelaidefestival.com.au
SA Weekend on Saturday: Adelaide Festival edition
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Originally published as Whale of a time on Glenelg beach for Adelaide Festival 2024 opening
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