It’s time to vote! South Australians are encouraged to help select the next artists to have their name set in lights on Adelaide Festival Centre’s star-studded Walk of Fame with online public voting open today.
The public vote is now open for the 2020 and 2021 stars on Adelaide Festival Centre’s illuminated walkway with a shortlist of the finest performers, musicians, writers and directors who performed at Adelaide Festival Centre in 2020 as well as 2021.
Nominees for 2020 include musical theatre actor Lisa Sontag for her performance as Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot: The Musical, award-winning English actor David Suchet, Juliet Stevenson for her performance in The Doctor at Adelaide Festival, Italian theatre director Romeo Castellucci, South Australian choreographer and performer Larissa McGowan and ARIA award-winning musician Clare Bowditch for her performance at Adelaide Festival’s The Workshop.
Also nominated is Artistic Director Dave Brown for his Helpmann Award winning show Me and My Shadow, award-winning designer Jonothan Oxlade, singer/songwriter Didirri and actor John Howard for his performance in Senior Moments 2 ‘Remember, Remember’.
Nominees for 2021 include Robyn Nevin for her performance in Adelaide Festival’s A German Life, actor and singer Ben Mingay, RocKwiz host and former Adelaide Cabaret Festival Artistic Director Julia Zemiro, Jianna Georgiou an emerging independent dancer for her work in DreamBIG Children’s Festival’s Ecoute Pour Voir – Listen to See, award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, Australian Dance Theatre dancer Kimball Wong, acclaimed flamenco guitarist from Spain Paco Lara and rock band royalty Sarah McLeod.
Other nominees include Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2021 Artistic Director Alan Cumming, Helpmann Award nominated director Rosemary Myers, OzAsia Festival 2021 artist Jumaadi, Adelaide-based Ngaanyatjarra singer songwriter Vonda Last and conductor Nigel Westlake for his work in Nigel Westlake and Grigoryan Brothers in Concert.
The winners will join more than 130 names of the great artists who have graced the stages of Adelaide Festival Centre since it opened in 1973 and whose names shine bright on the walkway overlooking the River Torrens.
Each year three stars are added to the walkway – in addition to the public choice, two more stars are selected by Adelaide Festival Centre Trust and a panel of arts critics. Past recipients include William Barton, Annette Shun Wah, Billy Crystal, Cold Chisel, Olivia Newton-John, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Dami Im, Tim Minchin, Paul Kelly, Guy Sebastian, Archie Roach, Beccy Cole, Kate Ceberano and Tina Arena.
This year’s Walk of Fame nominees represent the calibre and diversity of artists and creatives who performed here during 2020 and 2021. It has been a challenging couple of years for the arts sector, but we are proud to have presented some truly noteworthy works, featuring brilliant talent and mostly from Australia. We’re really looking forward to seeing who the public selects from this impressive shortlist.
The Walk of Fame connects our venues along the northern promenade and celebrates Adelaide Festival Centre’s almost 50-year history and the artists who have helped make this place such a creative powerhouse.