The Adelaide Festival has finally unveiled its program for 2021. Over 17 days and nights beginning on 26 February, the South Australian capital will play host to 10 world premieres, 14 Australian premieres, and 18 events exclusive to the festival.

Adelaide Festival Artistic Directors Neil Armfield and Rachel Healy. Photo © Shane Reid

In making the announcement, joint Festival Artistic Directors Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield acknowledged the unprecedented circumstances under which they had to plan next year’s program. “It’s been a journey,” Healy admits, “but we’re really proud of everything in there.”

With the lockdowns beginning just hours after the last festival concluded in March, they could have been forgiven for thinking 2021 might never happen. However, Healy says the thought never really crossed her mind. “I don’t know if I ever seriously thought that, but I did imagine getting the phone call that there’d been an outbreak.”

That’s exactly what did happen in November, resulting in the postponement of...