The 2026 seasons for Sydney Theatre Company and Hayes Theatre Co promise a mix of fresh Australian stories alongside classic and contemporary Broadway productions.
Sydney Theatre Company’s 2026 season features 13 productions, including three world premieres of brand-new Australian writing, Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical by Jack Yabsley, Bennelong in London by Jane Harrison, and Suzie Miller’s Strong is the New Pretty.
It will also host the Australian premiere of Tony Award-winning Broadway show Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and the Sydney premiere of a new Australian musical based on Miles Franklins’ My Brilliant Career adapted by Dean Bryant, Matthew Frank and Sheridan Harbridge, and more.
Marking the first season from artistic director Mitchell Butel, 2026 will be a “season of dream teams” that celebrate the brilliance and diversity of Australia’s theatre talent and live storytelling.
‘’Theatre has the power to touch hearts, challenge beliefs, invite empathy, delight, provoke, inspire, enlighten and, importantly, entertain. I am honoured to have the great privilege of inviting artists and playwrights I respect and admire to bring brilliant, entertaining theatre to the people of Sydney,” Butel said.
“In programming this season, some of the themes that have emerged in the works are around change and difference. Experiencing live storytelling in a theatre together allows us to hold space for different and competing views, to foster empathy and perhaps even change our perspective. The stories in our 2026 Season look back at significant moments in history, celebrate those who have fought to make change and explore how telling stories can help us to understand the present and ourselves’.”
Meanwhile Hayes Theatre Co will open the year with the world premiere of BARBRA: The Greatest Star, a concert event honouring the trailblazing musical storytelling Barbra Streisand, directed by Brittanie Shipway.
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It will also host the Sydney premiere of queer, high-camp musical comedy Head of Heels directed by Ellen Simpson, followed by the Australian premiere of recent Broadway smash-hit Gutenberg! The Musical!, directed by Hayes Theatre Co’s artistic director Richard Carroll.
Other shows set for Hayes Theatre Co include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Addams Family, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, We Are The Tigers, and more, with the year closing with the world premiere of Silver Tongue.
Carroll and his co-artistic director Victoria Falconer said the 2026 season will embrace the power musical theatre has in surprising and provoking people, bringing them together in joyful, meaningful ways with a collection of stories.
“One of our favourite things about Hayes’ audiences is that they combine a love of music theatre’s rich traditions with a constant curiosity about where it could go next. That’s why we prioritise bringing fresh eyes to beloved shows, offering a spotlight to emerging talent, and making space for our most exciting artists to create bold, inventive work,” they said.
See here for full details of the 2026 seasons from Sydney Theatre Company and Hayes Theatre Co.
