The Queens is being presented by Torben and Richelle Brookman of GWB Entertainment, which manages the theatre, cabaret artist Amelia Ryan and boutique production company Release Creative’s Zac Tyler.

In a statement today, they said the hub will operate throughout the 2021 Adelaide Fringe ­– from February 19 to March 21 – with a total of 82 performances.

It will also have a  bar and lounge area where people can meet before and after shows, and will host a cellar door experience for the Clare Valley region.

“With our combined history, experience and contacts, we are going to be putting on something pretty special that will appeal to those looking for a different Fringe experience, under one historic roof,” says Ryan, whose own shows presented at previous festivals include A Storm in a D Cup and The Breast is Yet to Come.

The hub’s program is being curated by Ryan and Tyler, and will be released later this month. The line-up will include 11 world premieres and 16 South Australian premieres, including performances by more than 50 local musicians.

The Queens Theatre, built in 1840, hosted Patch Theatre’s 2020 Adelaide Festival interactive experience The Lighthouse and has been utilised for other festival shows in the past.

As The Queens during the 2021 Fringe season, its main performance area will have a capacity of 220 seats, with a mixture of table seating and traditional theatre-style seating.

“The Queen’s Theatre is mainland Australia’s oldest purpose-built theatre and we are privileged to utilise this historic building to showcase Fringe at its finest – entertaining, irreverent and humorous and all presented with approachable sophistication,” says Torben Brookman.

The full 2021 Adelaide Fringe program will be released on December 18.