Strengthening SA arts industry with Adelaide University and State Theatre Company partnership

Adelaide University has established a new partnership with State Theatre Company South Australia (STCSA), reinforcing the University’s commitment to supporting artistic excellence and career pathways.

Professor Jessica Gallagher, Deputy Vice Chancellor International and External Engagement at Adelaide University:

The partnership will strengthen relationships between higher education and South Australia’s creative and cultural industries.

Professor Gallagher:

Adelaide University’s new partnership with State Theatre Company South Australia builds on a long history of collaboration between our creative communities.

Our joint activities open the door for our students and staff to engage directly with the artists shaping theatre in South Australia, from workshops and internships through to involvement in the development of new creative work.

It strengthens the connection with industry, ensuring the next generation of creative talent can learn, experiment, and contribute to the cultural life of our state.

The three-year partnership will provide creative arts, music and performing arts students with unique hands-on learning opportunities, including guidance on musical theatre production development, access to STCSA props, furniture and costumes, and guest lectures delivered by creative directors.

The University will also be the Presenting Partner of a commissioned work scheduled to open in 2028, where students and staff will have opportunities to engage in the creative development and production process for the theatre work, including behind the scenes insights through activities such as participating in workshops and script readings.

STCSA Artistic Director Petra Kalive:

Theatre training cultivates unique resilience. When an organisation needs someone who can pivot instantly under pressure, lead on zero budget, and deliver excellence from day one, you hire a theatre kid.

The partnership between State Theatre Company and Adelaide University ensures future leaders’ voices are heard and their creative risks valued. Together, we are moving beyond theory to build a landscape where the messy, beautiful work of human connection thrives, advancing not just the arts industry, but society as a whole.

In collaboration with Adelaide University’s College of Health, the partnership also creates professional development opportunities for actors involved in the University’s Adelaide Health Simulation ‘Simulated Patient Program’, which employs more than 80 local actors.

Adelaide Health Simulation, a specialty learning and teaching unit, delivers simulation-based education for health professions students. The partnership upskills actors as simulated patients to train the next generation of nurses, allied health professionals, doctors and other healthcare practitioners.

Image (L-R): Katherine Fyffe, STCSA Executive Director; Professor Jessica Gallagher, Deputy Vice Chancellor International and External Engagement at Adelaide University; STCSA Artistic Director, Petra Kalive; Professor Craig Batty, Pro Vice Chancellor of the College of Creative Arts, Design & Humanities at Adelaide University.

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