Image: Goodwood Institute
The Goodwood Institute is entering a new chapter, with the historic venue set to remain firmly in the hands of South Australia’s creative community.
The much-loved Goodwood venue will continue operating as a home for artists, performers, producers, creatives and audiences under new stewardship from an artist-led Association.
With a carefully curated Board alongside a creative and operations team, the new structure will be led by people with deep experience across Adelaide’s arts and cultural scene, and a genuine connection to the venue itself.
Among the team are local industry veterans including Chrissie Brown, also known as Lyra la Belle and Director of Hot Sauce Burlesque, who has worked with the Australian Shakespeare Company and Athenaeum Theatre, as well as Laugh Factory USA.
She is joined by Sophie Williams, who has experience across arts administration, operations and performance; author, comedian and cabaret performer Libby Trainor Parker; international law and humanitarian practitioner and experienced arts board member Victoria Bannon; and Goodwood local and occasional accidental comedian Rusty Russell.
The handover marks a significant moment for one of Adelaide’s much-loved performance spaces, with the new Association determined to keep the venue as a creative hub rather than seeing it fall into the hands of developers.
“The Association is committed to ensuring The Goodwood Institute stays out of the hands of developers and remains a beloved and vital part of our arts community,” said Board member, Libby Trainor Parker. “It is business as usual at the venue, and we are looking forward to building on the invaluable work former owners Chris Iley and Simone Avramidis have put into the space for more than a decade.”
The venue has long been a fixture of Adelaide’s arts scene, hosting everything from theatre, live music and comedy to cabaret, dance, community events and a diverse range of independent creative work. Now, its new leadership wants to put artists at the centre of the venue’s future.
“The Goodwood Institute belongs to the creative community,” said Artistic Director Chrissie Brown. “We want to make sure it stays that way. We are looking forward to nurturing a theatre run by artists, for artists, where the needs and ambitions of South Australia’s creative community are at the heart of every decision.”
Chair of the Board Rusty Russell added, “Goodwood Institute has long played an important role in South Australia’s cultural landscape, providing a space for theatre, live music, comedy, cabaret, dance, community events and a diverse range of creative work. Our future will be shaped by the creative community itself. Under its new structure, the theatre will continue that incredible legacy left by the previous owners, while looking towards a collaborative, creative future between the venue, artists and audiences. Plus it’s going to be heaps of fun!”
The new management and governance team is also focused on strengthening the relationship between the theatre and the wider community, while maintaining its important place within Adelaide’s arts landscape.
A key priority will be supporting independent artists and small-to-medium creative companies, giving them access to a venue where the team understands the realities of creating and presenting work because they have experienced it themselves.
With its future now firmly centred on the people who make up South Australia’s creative community, the Goodwood Institute is set to continue its legacy as a place where artists and audiences can come together, with plenty more chapters still to come.
