Sunday night – during the second weekend of South Australia’s favourite winter event – two of this year’s nine co-Artistic Directors, David Campbell and Julia Zemiro, passed on the baton to Virginia at Mark Nadler’s Hootenanny late-night show in the Banquet Room.
A popular face on televisions across the country through her roles in Channel 7’s All Saints and Winners and Losers, ABC’s Savage River and SBS A Safe Home, incoming Artistic Director Virginia Gay has won accolades and hearts alike for her stage roles including in Calamity Jane and most recently in Cyrano which she also wrote. Virginia has also performed at Adelaide Cabaret Festival several times over the years in shows including Dirty Pretty Songs, Songs to Self-Destruct To and Gentlemen Prefer Blokes.
On opening night of Adelaide Cabaret Festival on June 9, Virginia was met with rave reviews and applause for her role as the charismatic host of the sold-out opening night of The 2023 Variety Gala at Festival Theatre. She also directed the development of Gillian Cosgriff’s new musical last week, The Fig Tree, and is taking some time to explore South Australia while in town.
This year will also see Virginia take to the ballroom stage on the brand-new dazzling season of Channel 7s Dancing with the Stars, starting tonight.
Virginia Gay says, “Adelaide Cabaret Festival is a place where I have had some of the most extraordinary performance experiences of my life and where I have witnessed, and performed alongside, world class Australian acts and international stars. I love Adelaide audiences – their openness and willingness to see new work, their warm embracing presence and their response to this beloved festival means there’s an electricity in the foyers, backstage and amongst the performers.”
“I’m so excited for 2024 – for the game-changing iconic acts, for the up and comers who I know you’re going to love. I’m proud, I’m honoured and I’m so looking forward to delivering a 2024 program that will blow your socks off.”
Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2024 Artistic Director Virginia Gay
Adelaide Cabaret Festival Executive Producer Alex Sinclair says, “we welcome the wonderfully talented Virginia Gay with open arms and tip our cabaret hats to this year’s incredible lineup of Artistic Directors. With just one more week to go of this year’s festival and many sold out shows, we couldn’t keep this news from our loyal cabaret audiences any longer.”
“We know Virginia is a much-loved Australian performer and can’t wait to see what she brings to the 2024 program – watch this space.”
Adelaide Cabaret Festival Executive Producer Alex Sinclair
This year’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival has been exceptionally well received by audiences with almost 20 sold-out performances in the first two weeks and countless standing ovations. With just one more week to go for the 2023 festival program, audiences can delight in more standout performances by glittering artists including cabaret favourite chanteuse, Rizo in Prizmatism, Geraldine Quinn in BROAD, Nancy Denis in the Adelaide premiere of M’ap Boulè, trumpeter and singer Roscoe James Irwin in Lost In A Dream and the incredible vocal powerhouse Thndo in her new show The Reintroduction.
Produced and presented by Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide Cabaret Festival has grown from modest beginnings in 2001 to become Australia’s major winter festival and the largest cabaret festival of its kind in the world. The festival has been a platform for shows and performers who have achieved critical acclaim and has featured world-renowned artists including Ms Lisa Fischer, Kristin Chenoweth, Tim Minchin, Eddie Perfect, Idina Menzel, Dita Von Teese and Patti LuPone to name a few.
Photo credit: Naomi Jellicoe
Tickets available at adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au
Adelaide Cabaret Festival
9 – 24 June 2023
adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au
