The Australian Ballet will bring a new revival of Cinderella to Adelaide in September 2027, with the production set to have its world premiere at the Adelaide Festival Centre as part of the company’s 65th anniversary celebrations.
The production will run at the Festival Theatre from 1 to 11 September 2027, with The Australian Ballet’s full company performing Sir Frederick Ashton’s original choreography to Sergei Prokofiev’s score, accompanied live by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
The Adelaide season will form part of a wider programme of ballet-related events at and around the Festival Centre, giving audiences opportunities to engage with the art form beyond the main production.
Festival Plaza will become an open-air dance studio for Ballet en Masse, a free ballet class open to people of all ages and abilities. The Australian Ballet expects thousands of participants to take part.
The programme will also include the exhibition Cinderella: Origins of a Fairytale, featuring costumes and rare collection objects connected to the production’s history. Among the items on display will be the original coach from Sir Frederick Ashton’s 1972 production of Cinderella.
The Australian Ballet’s original Australian premiere of Cinderella in 1972 starred South Australian-born Sir Robert Helpmann, adding a local connection to the upcoming Adelaide season.
Adelaide Festival Centre will also present Talking Ballet, a series of conversations at Quartet Bar and Angry Penguin restaurant, alongside workshops and classes led by The Australian Ballet.
The season follows a $43 million refurbishment of the Adelaide Festival Centre funded by the South Australian Government.
South Australian Minister for the Arts Kyam Maher said the production would give local audiences the opportunity to see The Australian Ballet at the refurbished venue.
“The world premiere of The Australian Ballet’s revival of Cinderella is an incredible opportunity for South Australians to experience ballet at its very best at the newly refurbished Adelaide Festival Centre,” Maher said.
He said the Ballet en Masse event would provide another way for people to participate.
“Thousands of South Australians of all ages take part in ballet through classes, performances and a love of the art form. Ballet lovers now have a unique chance to take part in a mass ballet spectacle with The Australian Ballet on Festival Plaza,” he said.
South Australian Minister for Tourism Emily Bourke said the programme would add to the state’s events calendar in 2027 and could attract visitors interested in ballet and the arts.
“Our state has firmly cemented its position as an internationally renowned events destination because we turn events into immersive festivals that offer unique and accessible programming that everyone can get involved in, with a celebration of ballet an exciting example of this,” Bourke said.
The Australian Ballet Artistic Director David Hallberg said the company had a long connection with Adelaide audiences and was pleased to bring the production to the city during its anniversary year.
“To bring our revival of Cinderella to Adelaide in The Australian Ballet’s 65th anniversary year is incredibly special,” Hallberg said.
“We have a deep appreciation for our Adelaide audiences and donors, who have supported us here over many years so I’m delighted to be bringing this dazzling production to Adelaide and celebrate that connection.”
Hallberg also acknowledged the philanthropic support behind the production, naming South Australian philanthropists Dr Pamela Wall AO and the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation among those supporting the project.
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Kate Gould said hosting the premiere reflected the venue’s role in presenting major cultural productions.
The 2027 season is expected to attract both local audiences and visitors, with priority access for Cinderella and Ballet en Masse available through the Adelaide Festival Centre’s waitlist.
The production will give Adelaide audiences an opportunity to see a new staging of Ashton’s Cinderella alongside a programme that brings professional ballet, participation and the history of the work together across the Festival Centre precinct.
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