We are thrilled to announce CRAM Collective and Yoz Mensch as the recipients of the 2025 Centre Stage Residencies.

The Centre Stage Residencies are presented in collaboration with Adelaide Fringe as part of their Arts Industry Collaborations program. This unique incubator program is for South Australian artists to progress a new performance work in its second or third stage of development to the next level, culminating in a season at The Mill as part of the 2025 Adelaide Fringe Festival.

About the artists:

Melissa Pullinger is an Australian/ English theatre and film actor and is a 2020 Honours graduate of Flinders University Drama Centre. Growing up in England, Melissa appeared in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Sound of Music (2008) at the London Palladium, where she played Brigitta Von Trapp for six months. Upon emigrating to Adelaide, Melissa performed in Border Project’s Disappearance (2008) and then Windmill Theatre and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Granpa (2008).
Along with specialising in devising and physical theatre, Melissa is a co-founder of independent theatre collective, The CRAM Collective.Since graduating, Melissa has toured with Perform! Education in their Book Week Tour, Bigger, Better, Brighter! (2021) and Story Quest (2022). Since co-founding CRAM, Melissa has produced and starred in the sold-out world premieres of New World Coming, Something Big, The Future is You and EDGE. In 2022, Melissa travelled to England after being selected to train at Frantic Assembly’s International Summer School.
Melissa began working as a puppeteer for Slingsby’s collaboration with A Blanck Canvas, for Illuminate Adelaide. She then joined the USA & Canada tour of Bluey’s Big Play puppeteering both Bluey and Bingo and touring through 2023 & 2024. She then joined the UK & Northern Ireland tour of Bluey’s Big Play, puppeteering Bingo. In April, Melissa toured across New Zealand with Bluey’s Big Play, puppeteering Bluey.
Connor Reidy is a South Australian director and theatre maker. He graduated with first class Honours in Directing at the Flinders University Drama Centre. His directing credits include pool (no water), BC, Control, Iphigenia in Orem, The Seagull, and Lungs (Flinders DC).
In 2021, Connor co-founded The CRAM Collective, a South Australian independent theatre company. His credits for CRAM include NEW WORLD COMING, Anna Barnes’ Something Big and THE FUTURE IS YOU. CRAM is the proud recipient of the 2022 Helpmann Academy Creative Innovator seed funding.
Connor’s professional assistant directing credits include Circle Mirror Transformation (Sydney Theatre Company), Lines and The Bleeding Tree (Theatre Republic), Oleanna (Flying Penguin Productions), and The Normal Heart and Hibernation (STCSA). Connor recently directed Emily Steel’s The Worst (Theatre Republic) AND Proud (Famous Last Words).
Ren Williams is an Australian film & theatre actor, having trained with Honours at the Flinders University Drama Centre. Also specialising in directing and writing, Ren is a co-founder of independent theatre company CRAM Collective. After graduating in 2020, Ren has performed in theatre shows such as Kinetik Collective's STCSA StateSide show Kill Climate Deniers (Dir. Clara Solly-Slade), the North American Tour of Bluey’s Big Play as Bluey (Dir. Rosemary Myers), the one-woman show at DreamBIG Guthrak (Dir. Matthew Briggs), Hits at the AFC (Dir. Rebecca Meston), CRAM Collective's world premiere Something Big (Dir. Connor Reidy) and Slingsby Theatre Company’s trilogy A Concise Compendium of Wonder (Dir. Andy Packer) premiering in the 2026 Adelaide Festival. With a screen-acting diploma from Actors Studio UK at the prestigious Pinewood Studios, Ren has appeared in a number of short films such as The Hitcher which premiered at the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival (Dir. Henry Reimer-Meaney, With Love, Lottie premiering at the 2025 Sydney Film Festival (Dir. Lily Drummond), and ABC’s Beep & Mort Season 2 as an additional puppeteer. Ren’s latest directorial short This is Fine. won Best Directing and Best Film at the 2024 Adelaide 48HFP, sending it to the Filmapalooza Seattle wining 3rd Best Film; where it will now go to the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner
Connor Pullinger graduated Flinders Drama Centre with a First Class Honours degree in Acting.
Key roles include the AACTA award winning SBS mini-series The Hunting as OLIVER. In 2024 he starred in SAPOL’s Stop Flirting With Death TVC State-Wide campaign. Connor led BULLDOG, which was officially selected at 5 Film Festivals across Australia. Connor plays the titular role in The Hitcher, which premiered at AFF2024. Connor has seven shorts and one indie feature awaiting release/festivals this year.
These projects collaborated with Closer Productions, Heesom Casting, Proetic Productions, Stepney Studios & Showpony Advertising.
Extending beyond screens, Connor starred in The CRAM Collective’s sold out 5-Star theatre production FAG/STAG, as well as the encore season - continuing the critical and commercial success. In 2024 he led Deus Ex Femina’s 5-Star award-winning Fringe show Dirty Energy and WHORE for Flinders University.
This year he was chosen to be an actor for the BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Sophie Hyde in her LAUNCH LAB Directors Workshop.
Yoz Mensch (they/she) is a multi-award-winning clown, comedian, writer, and performer living and working on Kaurna Yerta. Their primary arts focus is storytelling that engages through humour and offers thoughtful catharsis.
In 2024 they trained in Clowning, Le Jeu and Buffon at L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier 2024, toured No Babies In The Sauna to Perth, Adelaide, Prague, and Edinburgh Fringes, and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up the Best Comedy Award at Prague Fringe, and the House of Oz Purse Prize at Adelaide Fringe.
YOU’RE ALL INVITED TO MY SON SAMUELS FOURTH BIRTHDAY PARTY received the Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award at Adelaide Fringe 2022, and picked up the Spirit of The Fringe Award at Melbourne Fringe 2022. They co-wrote, directed and performed in the ambitious sketch-sci-fi ensemble The End is High-Concept - which garnered positive reviews and pioneered live motion-capture for animated on-stage characters. They also co-produced, co-wrote and co-presented HUGE NEWS for Radio Adelaide, a satirical news sketch programme turned live podcast for Edinburgh Fringe 2018.

This residency has support from

strut residency

STRUT Residency 2025: Motus Collective

chloe metcalfe · August 14, 2025

We’re thrilled to announce Motus Collective as the recipient of our STRUT Residency for 2025.

Felicity and Zoe will be travelling to Perth to develop and present their second-stage development TRIFLE at STRUT Dance.

This residency unites national dance sectors by providing development opportunities for dance-makers across Australia.

About the artists:

Motus Collective was formed in 2019 by Adelaide College of the Arts graduates, Zoe Gay and Felicity Boyd.
The collective was formed out of a desire to create a sense of community, to foster collaborations, expand performance opportunities, and to create a revenue of exploration and experimentation.
Motus Collective began their journey hosting Improvisation and ‘Jam Sessions’, before conducting residencies through Australian Dance Theatre, The Mill, VitalStatistix and more. With a heavy importance being placed on inter-disciplinary collaboration, Motus Collective have worked extensively within the visual arts world including performing with Tom Borgas and Amber Cronin in HyperObject, created in Arthur Art Bar’s SA LA LA LAND program, worked with Fine Print Magazine in their live response to If the future is to be worth anything, performed Hiromi Tango’s Brain Flower at Splendour in The Grass, and more recently collaborated with eDuard Helmbold in Elegy of The Pale Lion for VitalStatistix.
Motus Collective were selected to be Share House residents at Carclew in 2021, where they produced Open House, a platform for emerging artists to create and perform, and premiered White Rhino in the Adelaide Fringe, performing to sold out audiences and winning the ‘Best Emerging Artist’ award. 2022 saw Motus Collective premiere The Leftovers, a collaboration with sculptor Nicholas Hanisch, and were selected to be a part of the InSpace program through Adelaide Festival where they developed Trifle, a choreographic experiment melding clowning, cabaret and contemporary. In 2023, Motus Collective returned to the Adelaide Fringe with a remount of The Leftovers and collaborated with Dragon Mill on Unseen Fire Festival, a month long performance celebrating the Winter Solstice. 2024 saw Motus Collective present The Leftovers at the Space Theatre, produced in collaboration by Adelaide Festival Centre. In 2025, Motus Collective is focusing on building the independent sector within South Australia, by starting weekly free classes for professional dancers, and a monthly newsletter highlighting funding opportunities, classes, workshops and more happening within the state.
Felicity is currently working as a dancer, choreographer and physical theatre performer based on Kaurna Yerta, South Australia. Felicity is the co-director of project-based dance company Motus Collective, founded in 2019 after returning from touring Q&A with ilYoung dance company in Sweden. Her practice involves a multi-disciplinary approach to dance.
Felicity’s roles as a performer have most recently involved working for Lina Limosani on What Lurks on the Edge (2025), Requardt & Rosenberg (UK) on Future Cargo at the 2024 Adelaide Fringe, and as producer/performer in Motus Collective’s The Leftovers at the Space Theatre at Adelaide Festival Centre 2024. She has worked for Australian Dance Theatre as a replacement dancer on Garry Stewart’s South and toured and performed with Lewis Major Projects on Losers. She has worked with Tobiah Booth-Remmers, Eldad Ben-Sasson, Matan David and APHIDS. Felicity’s theatrical credits include Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s L’Hotel and Frank Theatre’s Chameleon, as well as Aaron Schuppan's short film Heavy Red.
Felicity’s choreographic commissions include works for Australian Dance Theatre’s The World’s Smallest Stage, Vitalstatistix’ Adhocracy, Tom Borgas’ HyperObject, Dragon Mill’s Unseen Fire Festival and Motus Collective’s co-choreographed White Rhino (winner of Best Emerging Artist award 2021), Old Body, New Management and Trifle.
Felicity holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Dance) from Flinders University, and a Certificate IV in Commercial Dance from Gravity Studios.
Zoe Gay is an independent contemporary dancer, choreographer, and producer based on Kaurna Land. A graduate of the Adelaide College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Dance), Zoe has collaborated with a range of acclaimed artists including Lee Brummer, Israel Aloni, Lina Limosani, Garry Stewart, Michelle Ryan, and Larissa McGowan. In 2019, she co-founded Motus Collective, through which she has developed and performed in projects such as Brain Flower by Hiromi Tango, eDuard Helmbold’s Elegy of The Pale Lion, and the Vitalstatistix Adhocracy program. Her co-choreographed work White Rhino won Best Emerging Artist at the 2021 Adelaide Fringe. She also directed The Leftovers, presented in both the 2022 and 2023 festivals.
Zoe moved to Bergen, Norway in 2023, where she completed a choreographic residency at Bergen Dansesenter for a new work, Narrated by Cillian Murphy, worked for Borealis Music Festival as Ticketing Manager, and premiered Once More With Feeling in collaboration with Norwegian artist June Lysjø at Festival Danserom in Bergen. In 2024, Zoe returned to Australia to create and premiere On Not Knowing with the Bachelor dancers at Adelaide College of the Arts, and was commissioned by Adelaide Festival Centre to present The Leftovers at the Space Theatre. Zoe’s choreographic work explores the space between realism and absurdism, often drawing from time paradoxes, thought experiments, and the complexities of the human condition—constantly returning to the universal stories that connect us all.

This residency has support from

scotch college residency

Scotch College Residency 2025: Steph Daughtry

Adele Sliuzas · August 12, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Steph Daughtry as the recipient of the 2025 Scotch College Residency.

In partnership with Scotch College, Steph will receive a five-week paid residency within the English Faculty. Aiming to help further develop students’ writing and communication skills responding to creative themes.

During this residency, Steph will be introducing students to personification and embodiment writing, challenging and inspiring students with daily writing focuses.

About the writer:

Steph is an award winning cross-disciplinary artist, producer, director, and writer working predominantly in live performance and installation.
Specialising in collaborative and devised forms of theatre that explore social and environmental impacts, her credits include Brag Drunch (Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2023), The Fish Bowl (Best Theatre and Physical Theatre Award at the Adelaide Fringe in 2022), and Eating Tomorrow (Sustainability Award Adelaide Fringe 2021).
Steph works as an independent freelance artist, as well as in her role as the co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of production company Post Dining, producing award-winning, innovative forms of entertainment and education designed to engage all the senses.
Steph is currently completing her PhD as part of Uni SA Creative exploring the impact of cultural policy on the capacity for artists to engage in professional practice. As part of this research Steph has published in the Journal of Sociology exploring the impact of arts funding, and has previously written for Felt Space as part of their writers program, and published pieces in Fine Print magazine and The Skinny (Edinburgh). Steph looks forward to using her residency to translate her research into smaller digestible pieces that engage with the artistic community at The Mill and wider Adelaide.

Exhibition: In Reflection: In Response, curated by Stella Martino

Adele Sliuzas · July 29, 2025

Image: *Filling in the Blank(et) - Stitching Stories* by Elina Priha, Eline Gaudé, Stella Martino, Anna Kozonina, Martta Nieminen, Onerva Heikka

July 18 - September 5, 2025

Finissage tickets

curator essay

Finissage: Friday, September 5, 4:30-6:30pm

List of Works

Gallery I, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta

Free entry, all welcome

You can find In Reflection: In Response in The Mill’s Gallery I, located at 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide).
Gallery I is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm.
Accessibility
The Mill has two entrances, the main entrance on the corner of Angas and Gunson Street and an accessible entrance further down Angas Street.
Both doors are locked from the outside, there is a doorbell on the main door that will alert The Mill team. They will meet you at the accessible entrance to welcome you into the building.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

For SALA Festival 2025, we are excited to present In Reflection: In Response, a new group exhibition curated by Stella Martino, featuring the work of five South Australian artists; Shani Engelbrecht (textiles), Tash Evele (textiles), Carman Skeehan (glass), Lotte Schwerdtfeger (ceramics) and Yana Lehey (sculpture). In Reflection: In Response has been developed through a collaborative, community-driven component led by Stella, who sites Ursula Le Guin’s essay The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction in the conceptual underpinning of the exhibition.

For each of the artists, this exhibition has been an opportunity to come together, share ideas, collaborate, form communal bonds and develop their work. We’re excited to see the artists’ process, both in their individual practices and in creating collaborative work, showcased together in the gallery.

In Reflection: In Response is a group exhibition with collaboration at its core. This exhibition explores how we collect memories, experiences, time and stories and how we share them with our community. The idea of the exhibition is an extension of previous research and projects I (the curator) have been part of; a shared hand-sewn quilt, a collective recipe book and creative non-fiction short stories exploring the same themes. There are lots of little things that connect every project I undertake, but the single connecting thread is Ursula Le Guin’s essay The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. Le Guin’s essay challenges the idea of stories that centre one individual and instead offers the viewpoint that stories are a collection of moments and experiences gathered over time. Le Guin uses the term ‘carrier bag’ as a figurative and literal image of how we collect things and put them in a vessel to save for a time when those things are shared amongst others. In this exhibition, you’ll find various forms of ‘carrier bags’ or vessels that have been created by each artist using their chosen medium. In each of the artists’ pieces are motifs and acknowledgements of one another. At the centre of this collaborative exhibition is a shared patchwork sampler created over three residency workshops hosted at The Mill. In these workshops, the artists were invited to use various fabrics and materials to hand-stitch, sew or embroider stories, memories and pieces of themselves that are important to them, their community and their practice. Each workshop was a chance for the artists and myself to spend time together, tell stories, ask questions, share skills, share food, share thoughts to create our collective ‘carrier bag’.
Stella Martino is an emerging curator and writer originally from Dharug/Sydney, now based in Tarndanya/Adelaide. Stella completed her Master of Arts (in Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art) from Aalto University in Finland in 2023. Since then, Stella has undertaken a curatorial internship at The Mill under the mentorship of visual arts curator Adele Sliuzas. While studying in Finland, Stella co-curated and was a participating artist in the group exhibition Ghost Elephant Stitches in the Snow and co-created and developed the community arts and recipe book Recipes for Resilience and Care in the Climate Emergency. Stella is interested in queer ecologies and how the more-than-human interacts with their environments and in art. Her master's thesis aimed to understand how various forms of memory inform storytelling and their impact on our well-being. Through her research and previous projects, Stella also explores the benefits of community care practices within and beyond art spaces.
Dear diary, is a homage to the diary I received from my cousins during my first trip to Fiji in 2013. I was homesick and used it to comfort myself, writing that I would be okay and that I’d be home soon. Since then, I’ve returned to the diary at the end of each year to write a letter to my future self. While some years were missed, the ritual has continued for almost a decade. I reflect on the year, set goals, and often end with, “Good luck, future me!” The diary has become a vessel carrying my past selves and hopes for the future.
For this work, I recreated the diary cover using fabrics, sewing techniques and drawing to introduce softness and texture. I wove raffia along the edge to reference the handmade detailing of my original diary. I invited each artist in our group to write a letter to their future self and included my own past letters. I interpreted these letters into small fabric pieces, drawing from handwriting styles to create visual textures. A single thread connects all elements, symbolising a shared stream of consciousness linking our thoughts, hopes, and futures.
Shani Engelbrecht (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist of Indo-Fijian and Scottish-Irish heritage, creating and living on Kaurna Land, South Australia. She holds an Honours degree in Visual Arts (2022) and a Bachelor of Creative Arts (2021) from Flinders University. Her work predominantly explores her identity and sense of belonging in the space she grew up in. Race and identity are at the core of Engelbrecht’s practice as she interrogates the incidences of racism experienced by people of colour daily. By using performance, photography, video, drawing and painting, her work blends traditional and contemporary techniques to convey the duality of her upbringing and to reflect on the feelings of otherness. Engelbrecht has shown works in multiple exhibitions including Art That Walks OFF the Walls (Goodwood Theatre & Studios 2024), Hatched: National Graduate Show Exhibition (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts 2023), not white/not brown (FELTspace 2023).
The Pools explore connection between artists, family, community, and the wider world. I have always felt a profound safety and sense of calm when standing in the sea. Wherever I am in the world, wherever my loved ones may be, we have the ocean between us.
Each rockpool in the installation acts as a miniature world, a reflection of the individual artists featured in the exhibition. Crafted with care and intention, these rockpools are filled with ocean treasures I collected alongside my family. When holidaying together recently, we collected shells, sponges, sea glass and more, embedding the work with personal memory, gratitude and the quiet power of shared experience.
I asked each artist in our collective to do their own reflection on special memories at the beach. The photos provided are stitched together and mixed media is used to add elements of interest.
By recreating these small tidal worlds, I wanted to honour both the individuality of each artist and the collective beauty of community.This installation is a reminder that, even in our own tiny ecosystems, we are part of something vast, unexplored and deeply interconnected.
Broken mirror fragments embedded within the pools invite literal and figurative reflection from the viewer. Finally, a single, continuous rope, weaves through the work, tethering us together as one. The rope itself was made by attaching discarded, found fragments together to create one connecting string.
Calamity Tash, local queer Craft Wizard, believes art is for everyone and is most passionate about inclusivity and accessibility to the creative arts. Over the last decade Tash has been skill sharing with communities across the globe. The spreading of craft joy will continue as Tash becomes an enthusiastic resident at The Mill. Tash’s signature sparkle and use of whimsical dolls have been her wearable art trademark. Calamity Tash joins us on a journey of self expression and discovery. Her private studio will see the creation of many a weird and wonderful thing.
I put it here so I wouldn’t forget
I’ve always kept small things—gifts, fragments, found objects—on a little rack at home. It’s where I put pieces of the world that feel like mine: tiny markers of memory, small gestures of joy. For this exhibition, I’ve made a version of that rack in glass. Each object is a response—to the time shared, the conversations, the stitching, the slowness of sitting beside others and making something by hand. A clover. A safety pin. A necklace. Teeth. A bag. Candles, pencils, thread.
These are replicas of real things, made in glass, they feel a little removed from the world, but still intimate—fragile, exact, sometimes strange. They hold the trace of someone’s story, or a moment passed between us.
Ursula Le Guin reminds us that stories aren’t always linear or heroic—they can be soft vessels, carriers of collective experience. That idea stayed with me as we stitched and talked and shared time.
This shelf is both archive and offering. A way of holding memory that isn’t fixed, but refracted—through glass, through time, through others. In the making, I’ve come to know, understand, and appreciate the group I’ve worked alongside—through their stories, their hands, their quiet generosity. It’s a collection of small things that don’t belong to just me, gathered with care and left open to interpretation.
Carman Skeehan is a glass artist and maker, living in Adelaide, South Australia. Having completed the Jam Factory associate program in 2023, Carman has hit a milestone in her work, elevating her artistic practice. Guided by the meticulous creative process, Carman centres her work on the art of storytelling through glass, exploring the intersection of narrative and materials. Skeehan draws inspiration from early oil paintings and still lifes, creating a unique likeness in glass materials. Her work is an exploration of these elements, seamlessly blending them to create unique and compelling pieces of art.
A human thing: useful, edible, or beautiful
A leaf, a gourd, a shell, a net, a bag, a sling a sack a bottle a pot a box a container, a Sea Sponge Vessel
My practice has often included collaborations with artists, working in tandem and responding to each other's work, presence and life; creating and complicating narratives and expanding our boundaries together. The residencies sessions to create a textile work were both daunting and exuberant, in facilitating connecting between a group of relative strangers. I followed this formula, inviting the participating artists to visit my studio and work one on one alongside me on a large scale ceramic vessel.
After hand-building a very large vase shape with thick walls; I guided each artist in technique, and together we cut away pieces from the vessel, creating a delicate lattice structure.
This ‘porous vessel’ references a net, basketry or fish trap, objects often traditionally crafted in group settings. It is a vessel to capture our experiences and time spent getting to know each other.
Whilst our hands were busy and eyes averted, conversation through joint work facilitated deeper connection.
To further this metaphor we created beads from offcuts of clay, stringing together our work and experience into a continuous thread of coral fragments.
My ceramic works repeatedly reference motifs of sea creatures such as corals and sponges. These colonial animals have become symbols of the fragility of nature, as the first flag of the environmental system collapses. However these foundation species, the architects of ecosystems have long endured climate fluctuations across deep geological time. Just as algae and animal cells cooperate to build a reef and it is only by collaborating that humanity can create the narrative of our future.
Lotte Schwerdtfeger is an artist and is currently a studio tenant at the JamFactory Ceramics Studio, Tarndanya/Adelaide. She is materially led across many mediums, being consistently drawn to ceramic processes. Lotte hand builds ceramics, coiling and pinching both functional, sculptural and installation works; combining tendrils of research which span anthropology, biology, symbolism and revelry in the small psychedelic moments of existence. Lotte is delighted by the alchemical and elemental processes of ceramics. She is always intrigued by the role of objects, quotidian and ritual, in defining and connecting human and nonhuman experiences. Lotte is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts; regularly working on commission, collaborative projects and gallery exhibitions. Where possible all materials are salvaged, reused and recycled, working towards a zero waste practice.
As Above, So Below
Chews Wisely
Throughout my varied practice, the project has dictated the medium. Thus I have picked up a middling aptitude for various techniques, collecting skills like baubles. The ones I handled and polished the longest are those I have wanted or enjoyed since childhood.
This trend continues into my contribution to In Reflection: In Response. In the techniques employed and the stories shared, there is an odd tension between nostalgia and hope. The nostalgic anecdotes swapped within the group prompted me to choose floral motifs in my embroidery: common European plants which carpeted the meadows of my childhood, but struggle in the cracks here.
I explored Irish lace in an attempt to connect with a heritage of which I retain only a bastardised surname. The scale of my work lent itself to constructing wisdom teeth in response to the surprisingly common conversations about teeth in our midst. As we were encouraged to read Ursula LeGuin’s The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, I came to think of the mouth as a carrier bag of stories. Five teeth, five stories; wisdom optional.
Yana Lehey is an environmentally motivated visual artist based on Kaurna land. Her practice spans various mediums, covering drawing, painting, and sculpture, depending on what a project calls for. Most recently, she has applied a textile approach to petroleum-based waste materials like plastic and rubber on a large scale, creating oversized crocheted sculptural works. She developed the necessary techniques as an accessible means for every person to tackle the waste problem without the need for expensive technology and infrastructure. Yana’s interest in environmental art first started to gain traction in 2020, with her first solo exhibition Face Up, featuring monumentally scaled watercolour portraits of nine young climate activists from diverse cultural backgrounds with diverse approaches. The research behind this project formed the basis for Yana’s current practice.

This exhibition has support from

galleries, public program

Exhibition: Erin Renfrey, Once Upon a Lemon Drop

Adele Sliuzas · July 28, 2025

Image: Erin Renfrey, *Past, Present and Future (Elspeth, Harold and Doris)*

July 18 - September 5, 2025

Finissage tickets

Finissage: Friday, September 5, 4:30-6:30pm

list of works

Gallery II, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta

Free entry, all welcome

You can find Erin’s exhibition in The Mill’s Gallery II, located at 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide).
Gallery II is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm.
Accessibility
The Mill has two entrances, the main entrance on the corner of Angas and Gunson Street and an accessible entrance further down Angas Street.
Both doors are locked from the outside, there is a doorbell on the main door that will alert The Mill team. They will meet you at the accessible entrance to welcome you into the building.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

For SALA Festival 2025, we are excited to present Once Upon a Lemon Drop, a new solo exhibition by watercolour artist Erin Renfrey. Invoking a sense of childlike curiosity, Erin’s compositions encourage us to see the world through new eyes.

Familiar and friendly faces co-exist with unexpected, sinister and uncanny characters, and just like a Grimm fairytale, we are drawn into a conversation about social mores and societal expectations.

In Once Upon a Lemon Drop, I am presenting a collection of new, intriguing watercolour paintings. My work reveals an otherworldly journey through the lives of fantastical creatures as they search for communion with each other and the universe. Hieronymus Bosch, theatre, and vintage illustrations are just some of my sources of inspiration.
My process involves meticulously layering watercolour on paper and panel to create colourful and eye-catching imagery. Each work begins with daydreaming and doodling, which becomes conceptually realised through thrifted toys and handmade miniatures, functioning as a guide for form, light and shadow, and composition.
Erin is an emerging artist based on Kaurna Land. She commenced her Bachelor of Creative Arts at Flinders University and Adelaide College of the Arts in 2020 and graduated in 2023. In the same year she was selected for the Helpmann Graduate Exhibition, receiving the Hill Smith Art Advisory Award and Square Holes Award. She has since been a finalist in the Adelaide Parklands Art Prize and exhibited at BMGArt, Collective Haunt and St. Peters Town Hall.
Erin is currently a studio resident at The Mill.

Past, Present and Future (Elspeth, Harold and Doris) watercolour, 27 x 41., Erin Renfrey.jpg

The Garden of Unearthly Delights, (close up) watercolour, 90 x 60 cm, Erin Renfrey .jpg

This exhibition has support from

public program, first nations dance

First Nations Dance Program: Dance Classes

Adele Sliuzas · July 25, 2025

July 30 - September 17, 2025

contact us

Every Wednesday between July 30 to September 17, 6:30-7:30pm

AC Arts, Level 3, Rehearsal Studio, Kaurna Yarta

Free (no need to register tickets!)

Accessibility
The Mill has two entrances, the main entrance on the corner of Angas and Gunson Street and an accessible entrance further down Angas Street.
Both doors are locked from the outside, there is a doorbell on the main door that will alert The Mill team. They will meet you at the accessible entrance to welcome you into the building.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

We are partnering with AC Arts to present contemporary dance technique classes for First Nations dancers.

These classes are open to First Nations dancers only, interested in contemporary dance and for those who wish to maintain their dance technique.

Classes will be held at AC Arts every Wednesday between July 30 to September 17.

What to expect:

A mixture of South Australian-based facilitators will give a variety and mixture of different contemporary styles, including Indigenous infused movements depending on the dance facilitator.

If you have any questions, please contact The Mill’s Program Coordinator Caleena Sansbury, her working days are Mondays and Tuesdays.

This program has support from

first nations residency, public program

First Nations Dance Residency: Kaine Sultan-Babij, Sovereign Sequins

chloe metcalfe · July 16, 2025

Showing and Q&A

book tickets

When: Friday, September 5, 6-7pm

Cost: $10 (+ booking fee)

Note: Please arrive 15 minutes early to grab a drink. These events will be 1 hour (including a Q&A for the 6pm showing).

This showing and Q&A will be held in The Mill Breakout. Please come to the Exhibition Space at 154 Angas Street, the bar will be open to grab a drink before we take you through to The Breakout.
Please arrive at 5:45pm arrival for a 6pm sharp start.
This event will be 1 hour (including the Q&A).
Accessibility
Disability access is available via our Angas St entrance, access the pedestrian ramp on the corner of Gunson St to get to our front door, which will be open.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.
If you have questions or would like to talk to one of The Mill team contact info@themilladelaide.com

Kaine Sultan-Babij weaves contemporary Indigenous dance with the bold artistry of drag, creating a performance that is full of life, movement, and storytelling.

The show journeys through themes of identity, culture, and self-expression, exploring how character and movement can speak as powerfully as words.

With playful twists, striking visuals, and moments of heartfelt emotion, it’s a performance that celebrates creativity, connection, and the joy of embracing who we are.

This is a second-stage development, as part of our First Nations Dance Residency program 2024-2025.

About the artist:

Kaine Sultan-Babij is an Arrernte and Gurindji Contemporary Dance Artist, renowned for their work in dance, choreography, and drag performance. Based in Kaurna Country, Kaine stands as an Independent Dancer and Choreographer, contributing to the vibrant Australian performing arts scene.
Alongside their achievements in dance, the emergence of Estelle, a captivating Drag Performer and Persona, has added another layer to Kaine's artistic repertoire. Through electrifying performances, Estelle has earned a respected place in the Adelaide drag scene, embodying a powerful fusion of Tradition, creativity, and contemporary expression.
With a background that includes performing with Leigh Warren and Dancers, Bangarra Dance Theatre, and the Australian Dance Theatre, Kaine has skilfully blended Contemporary Dance and Contemporary Indigenous Dance. Based in Kaurna Country, Kaine stands as an Independent Dancer and Choreographer, contributing to the vibrant Australian performing arts scene.
Together, Kaine and Estelle embody a powerful fusion of Tradition, creativity, and contemporary expression, making a lasting impression on the dance and drag communities in Australia.

This residency has support from

ozasia residency

OzAsia Festival Residency: Sulochana Dissanayake

chloe metcalfe · April 7, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Sulochana Dissanayake as the recipient of the OzAsia Festival Residency for 2025.

Sulochana will be collaborating with Dinuka Liyanawatte for this residency.

This is a creative development and presentation platform available to South Australian performing artists working with contemporary culture. The aim of the residency is to offer place and space as part of a vibrant arts community for artists to develop and show new or existing work.

About the artist:

Sulochana Dissanayake, founder and artistic director of Power of Play (PVT) LTD, is dedicated to creating works that reflect identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion while advocating for social change.
With a cum laude degree in Economics and Theater from Bates College (2009), she combines her expertise in theater, directing, puppetry and writing to craft experiences that engage and challenge audiences on critical societal issues.
Dissanayake’s experience with leading theatres in the U.S. (Guthrie Theater and Williamstown Theater Festival) has shaped her approach to performance as a powerful tool for social advocacy. She uses creative and interactive methods to spark conversations around cultural and social divides. A Watson Fellowship recipient (2009/10), she traveled to South Africa and Indonesia to explore how performance can foster community engagement and cross-cultural understanding. Her work in Sri Lanka focuses on empowering marginalized voices and promoting social justice through the arts.
In 2024, Dissanayake migrated to Adelaide with the hope of expanding Power of Play to Australia for intercontinental collaborations. Dissanayake remains active in both countries & capitalises her experience in USA, Europe, Africa and Asia to customise unique communication solutions for communities of South Australia & Sri Lanka. For more information visit www.linkedin.com/in/sulochana-d

This residency has support from

dance residency

Dance Residency 2025: Erin Fowler

chloe metcalfe · April 7, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Erin Fowler as the recipient of the Dance Residency for 2025.

Erin will be collaborating with South Australian performing artists including Will Spartalis, Hew Parham, Sam McMahon, Jazzy Williamson-Grey and Zoe Dunwoodie.

This is a creative development and presentation platform available to South Australian performing artists working with contemporary culture. The aim of the residency is to offer place and space as part of a vibrant arts community for artists to develop and show new or existing work.

About the artist:

Erin Fowler is an award-winning dance and physical theatre maker, performer, musician, and educator based on Kaurna Yerta. She creates and presents deeply feminine, audience driven, socially minded work and blends together an eclectic mix of contemporary dance, feminine movement, clowning, cabaret and martial arts.
Erin’s choreographic highlights include her two award winning solo works, EGG and FEMME, which toured to festivals globally; Gen-y commissioned for the Adelaide Dance Festival; and Epoch created on Australian Dance Theatre for their Ignition season.
As a performer she has collaborated on The Sight by on Victoria Falconer (Dark Mofo Festival), and The Vali Myers Project: And Then We Go (Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2022) and with companies and artists including BalletLab, Patch Theatre Company and independent artists Lina Limosani, Monte Massi, Ben Brooker & Teddy Dunn (Act Now Theatre) and Larissa McGowan.
She was the movement director for Rebecca Meston’s HITS (Adelaide Festival Centre, 2024) and is currently directing and choreographing Joanne Hartstone's upcoming Adelaide Cabaret Festival show, The Smart Girl's Guide to Breaking Up.

This residency has support from

theatre residency

Theatre Residency 2025: Katherine Sortini

chloe metcalfe · April 7, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Katherine Sortini as the recipient of the Theatre Residency for 2025.

Katherine will be collaborating with Nate Troisi, Elizabeth Hay, Caroline Reid and Steven Durrey for this residency.

This is a creative development and presentation platform available to South Australian performing artists working with contemporary culture. The aim of the residency is to offer place and space as part of a vibrant arts community for artists to develop and show new or existing work.

About the artist:

Katherine is founder of award-winning independent theatre company Deus Ex Femina. She currently works as a freelance creative working as an actor, playwright, spoken-word poet, director, producer and dramaturg.
She is the current 2023 South Australian Spoken Word Champion. She has written, produced, acted and directed original award-winning shows All the Things I Couldn’t Say and Dirty Energy. In 2023, Katherine was nominated for the 7 News Young Achiever Award and was selected to be a finalist. Her piece, Heroes, was chosen for The Intersection Festival in Sydney in 2021 and was published by Currency Press in Intersection;Unleashed.

This residency has support from

first nations residency

First Nations Dance Residency 2025: Kaine Sultan-Babij

chloe metcalfe · April 7, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Kaine Sultan-Babij as the recipient of the First Nations Dance Residency for 2025.

Kaine will be collaborating with Liam Somerville and Sascha Budimski for this residency.

This is a creative development and presentation platform available to South Australian performing artists working with contemporary culture. The aim of the residency is to offer place and space as part of a vibrant arts community for artists to develop and show new or existing work.

About the artist:

Arrernte and Gurindji Contemporary Dance Artist, Kaine Sultan-Babij, is making a lasting impact on the world of dance and drag.
With a background that includes performing with Leigh Warren and Dancers, Bangarra Dance Theatre, and the Australian Dance Theatre, Kaine has skilfully blended Contemporary Dance and Contemporary Indigenous Dance. Based in Kaurna Country, Kaine stands as an Independent Dancer and Choreographer, contributing to the vibrant Australian performing arts scene.
Beyond Kaine's achievements in the dance world, the emergence of Estelle, a captivating Drag Performer and Persona, has added another layer to their artistic repertoire. Estelle quickly gained recognition, establishing herself as a standout performer in the Adelaide Drag Scene. Through electrifying performances, Estelle has earned a respected place in the realm of drag.
Together, Kaine and Estelle embody a powerful fusion of Tradition, creativity, and contemporary expression, making a lasting impression on the dance and drag communities in Australia.

This project has support from

photog in res

Photographer in Residence 2025: Carmen Alcedo

Adele Sliuzas · March 24, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Carmen Alcedo as the recipient of the Photographer in Residence program for 2025. Presented in partnership with the Ana and Christopher Koch Foundation Fund, Carmen will receive a 12-month studio space in 2025 and an exhibition outcome as part of our Visual Arts Program in 2026.

About the artist:

Carmen Alcedo is a Spanish-born freelance photographer based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a background as a lawyer.
With over seven years of experience in professional photography, her work focuses on storytelling, capturing personal narratives and intimate moments through both portrait and documentary photography.
Carmen's artistic practice explores themes of identity, transformation, and human connection, often delving into how we relate to our environment and the people around us. She combines technical proficiency with emotional depth to create visual narratives that resonate with the viewer.

Carmen's exhibitions include Imaginary Journeys (SALA 2024), currently on display at Cherrybomb Cafe in Adelaide, and participation in the group exhibition TEACHERS, LEAVE THE KIDS ALONE at 229LAB in Paris (2024). She has also exhibited in the Hybrid Art Fair (2016-2018) and the Affordable Art Fair in Sydney (2022).
Currently, Carmen is involved in community-driven art projects in the Brompton Community Garden, where she collaborates with others to create work that fosters connection and environmental awareness.

Writer in Residence 2025: Steph Daughtry

Adele Sliuzas · March 24, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Steph Daughtry as the recipient of the 2025 Writer in Residence.

The Writer in Residence program, in partnership with CityMag, supports emerging writers from a variety of disciplines. The program creates a broader audience for writing through leadership, mentorship and publication.

About the writer:

Steph is an award winning cross-disciplinary artist, producer, director, and writer working predominantly in live performance and installation.
Specialising in collaborative and devised forms of theatre that explore social and environmental impacts, her credits include Brag Drunch (Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2023), The Fish Bowl (Best Theatre and Physical Theatre Award at the Adelaide Fringe in 2022), and Eating Tomorrow (Sustainability Award Adelaide Fringe 2021).
Steph works as an independent freelance artist, as well as in her role as the co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of production company Post Dining, producing award-winning, innovative forms of entertainment and education designed to engage all the senses.
Steph is currently completing her PhD as part of Uni SA Creative exploring the impact of cultural policy on the capacity for artists to engage in professional practice. As part of this research Steph has published in the Journal of Sociology exploring the impact of arts funding, and has previously written for Felt Space as part of their writers program, and published pieces in Fine Print magazine and The Skinny (Edinburgh). Steph looks forward to using her residency to translate her research into smaller digestible pieces that engage with the artistic community at The Mill and wider Adelaide.

Read the articles

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The Writer in Residence program is presented in partnership with CityMag.

Kayangan Visual Arts Studio Residency 2025: Dai Trang Nguyen

Adele Sliuzas · February 6, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Dai Trang Nguyen as the recipient of the Kayangan Visual Arts Studio Residency in 2025. The Mill’s Kayangan Visual Arts Studio Residency is supported by donors Geoff Martin and Sorayya Mahmood Martin, Arts SA and OzAsia Festival.

Dai Trang will receive 6-months of studio space and an exhibition outcome in The Mill’s Gallery II as part of OzAsia Festival 2025.

Kayangan is a Malay word meaning ‘heaven’ or ‘from the sky’.

Visual Arts Studio Residency 2025: Nadera Rasulova

Adele Sliuzas · February 6, 2025

We are thrilled to announce Nadera Rasulova as the recipient of the Visual Arts Studio Residency in the second half of 2025. Nadera Rasulova will receive 6-months of studio space and an exhibition outcome in Gallery II, as part of our 2026 Visual Arts Program.

Our Visual Arts Studio Residency is supported by donors Geoff Martin and Sorayya Mahmood Martin.

Dancehouse Residency 2024: Alix Kuijpers

chloe metcalfe · May 27, 2024

The Mill is thrilled to announce Alix Kuijpers as the recipient of the 2024 Dancehouse Residency.

This residency is presented in partnership with Dancehouse (VIC), providing development and performance pathways for South Australian dance-makers. The residency aims to foster national conversations in dance, through participation and exposure and is a way to unite national dance sectors.

Alix was the 2023 recipient of the Centre Stage Residency, presented in partnership with ARTS Unlimited, the Adelaide Fringe Foundation. During this residency he developed his new work Grim Grinning Ghosts, which he presented as part of the 2024 Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Alix will further develop and present Grim Grinning Ghosts at Dancehouse in Melbourne, October 10 - 19, 2024, as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

About the artist:

Alix Kuijpers is an emerging freelance choreographer, performer and sound designer. Kuijpers’ notable achievements include being the first dance honours student at a South Australian institution, and receiving first-class honours from Flinders University for his solo work IMMATERIAL.
Since graduating from Adelaide College of the Arts, Alix has participated in dance festivals throughout the USA and Europe, performing for Jacob Jonas Company and Thar Be Dragons while overseas. Kuijpers was awarded Best Dance weekly award for his Adelaide Fringe debut ‘i know the end’ and the Emerging Artist Award for Fringe 2023 and toured the work to Melbourne Fringe.
Alix is passionate about representing as a South Australian artist and champions emerging artist voices through his roles and initiatives as Dance Hub SA's 2023 Associate Artist and as one of Carclew’s 2023 Sharehouse Residents.

view the performing arts residency archive

This residency has support from

the move

The Move: Announcing the 2021 choreographers

chloe metcalfe · October 13, 2020

The Move is a choreographic commission – a curated initiative of Dance Hub SA, The Mill & Ausdance SA, presented by Adelaide Festival Centre.

This unique project is the opportunity for choreographers to create works that engage artists and audiences through choreographic process, and to pursue the delivery of choreographic development, seek artistic collaboration, test ambitious ideas in the studio and boldly commit to delivering brave performance works for public presentation.

Two professional South Australian Choreographers and their artistic teams have been selected to present a double bill of works to be staged at Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre in April 2021. Artist commissions and additional funding for design elements has been funded by ArtsSA.

Congratulations to commissioned artists:

Gabrielle Nankivell selected by The Mill

Lewis Major selected by Dance Hub SA

About the artists:

A woman looks at the camera, she has long red hair and wears a necklace and an orange top. — Gabrielle Nankivell

**Wonder Grit**
Choreography and Direction: Gabrielle Nankivell in collaboration with Jo Stone
Dramaturgical Support: Katrina Lazaroff
*Wonder Grit* throws contemporary dance at competitive cycling to investigate the nature of loss, injury and motivation in times of uncertainty. The show is an energetic two-hander packed with killer dancing, survival tips and Adelaide’s most strenuous monologue. Featuring crowd sourced data, a deadly treadly and two women with a tonne of experience, *Wonder Grit* might just be a ride you won’t want to get off.
“*Being part of The Move is an opportunity to develop some new collaborative connections while contributing something fun to an artistically diverse new program.”* Gabrielle Nankivell
www.gabriellenankivell.com

A man looks at the camera, he is wearing a black t-shirt and is in front of a white background. — Lewis Major

**Satori**
Choreography and Direction: Lewis Major
Dramaturgy: Amanda Philips
*Satori* is a Japanese term for awakening. The work explores the states of impermanence and imperfection through an ensemble dance work with 3D projection design and stellar dancers. The interconnecting elements transform into a fluidly shifting atmosphere and stage architecture that continually collide, collapse and create.
“The Move is an incredible, rare opportunity: through this program I have been granted the freedom, space and resource to take a scratch idea, to mould it, shape it and play with it, culminating in a fully-fledged professional performance in the leading South Australian performance venue” Lewis Major
www.lewismajor.com

The Move is a performance platform for new choreographic works; founded through the directors from the allied organisations and the Adelaide Festival Centre.

“South Australian independent dance deserves presentation in our state’s highest calibre venue, the Adelaide Festival Centre. The Move is designed to make this possible for freelance artists to shine a light on our local talent.”
Katrina Lazaroff, The Mill Director
“The Move is one of the most exciting, relevant and significant platforms for freelance Choreographers and the future of Dance. The Move validates and supports creative careers, artistic expression and the development and presentation of new Australian work centred in Choreography as an art form.”
Amanda Philips, Artistic Director Dance Hub SA
“The Move grew out of a need for production opportunities for SA professional dance artists. Performing original work at the Festival Theatre was a significant part of my development as an artist and I’m excited to help develop an opportunity like this again. I’m proud to fulfill Ausdance’s brief to support excellence in all forms and genres of dance.” Cathy Adamek, Director Ausdance SA

Photo credits clockwise from top left: Gabrielle Nankivell supplied by the artist; and Lewis Major by Chris Hertzfeld.

five logos are shown, Adelaide Festival Centre, Dance Hub SA, Ausdance SA, Gov of South Australia and The Mill.

About the artists:

CRAM Collective

Yoz Mensch

About the artists:

Motus Collective

Felicity Boyd

Zoe Gay

About the writer:

Steph Daughtry

July 18 - September 5, 2025

Visiting the exhibition

Curatorial Statement

About Stella

About Shani

About Tash

About Carman

About Lotte

About Yana

July 18 - September 5, 2025

Visiting the exhibition

Artist Statement

About the artist

July 30 - September 17, 2025

Visiting us

What to expect:

Showing and Q&A

Getting to the showing

About the artist:

Kaine Sultan-Babij

About the artist:

Sulochana Dissanayake

About the artist:

Erin Fowler (creator, writer, director, performer)

About the artist:

Katherine Sortini (playwright + performer)

About the artist:

Kaine Sultan-Babij

About the artist:

Carmen Alcedo

About the writer:

Steph Daughtry

Read the articles

About the artist

About the artist

About the artist:

Alix Kuijpers

About the artists: