THE SHEDLEY

The Playford Civic Centre is home to the iconic Shedley Theatre and the newly developed Shedley Café and Bar.

Located on Playford Boulevard in Elizabeth, each year the Shedley Theatre welcomes a number of high-profile acts, long-time resident theatre groups and local schools while the Shedley Café and Bar provides fresh, healthy lunch options and a vibrant atmosphere on show nights and during special events.

A Rich History

Geoff Shedley (1914 -1981) was an architect and sculptor, born in Adelaide in May, 1914, and has been described as ‘one of the visionaries of Elizabeth’.

Shedley joined the South Australian Housing Trust in 1947, before being appointed the Chief Design Architect in 1963.

He spent most of his professional career in the development of Elizabeth, designing the Town Centre. With its mall, it was the first shopping and civic complex of its kind in South Australia.

Shedley then designed the Elizabeth Civic Theatres, a modern entertainment complex which housed two facilities under one roof. There was an intimate theatre (The Shedley) suitable for theatrical productions and a large octagonal theatre suitable for variety performances (The Octagon). The complex was opened by His Excellency the Governor, Sir Edric Bastyan on August 21, 1965.

Plans to revamp Elizabeth began in 1992 with initial suggestions to demolish the theatres to expand the Elizabeth Shopping centre. The proposal sparked outrage amongst the local community and once again the citizens of Elizabeth rallied to raise support.

While the Octagon Theatre was demolished, the Shedley Theatre was saved and in 2015 celebrated its 50th anniversary.