Theatre fans, take note. Sydney Theatre Company – Sydney’s largest and most prominent theatre producer – has just dropped the details for its 2026 season. The beautifully varied 2026 season will comprise 13 productions, with more than 80 beloved and emerging performers set to take to the stage throughout the year. The 2026 season will be the first curated by new Artistic Director Mitchell Butel, who joined the company in late 2025. Reflecting on what theatre-goers can expect in 2026, Butel described the 2026 program as a "season of dream teams: celebrating the diversity of Australian storytelling.
Highlights from STC’s 2026 season will include three world premieres of brand-new Australian works, the Australian Premiere of the most awarded Broadway play of 2025, the Sydney premiere of a new Australian musical and a handful of other Australian and international plays.
If you’re keen to see something new, get in line for the season’s key world premieres: Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical (from award-winning writer and director Jack Yabsley), Bennelong in London (by Jane Harrison, the brilliant playwright behind The Visitors and Stolen) and Strong is the New Pretty by Olivier Award-winning playwright Suzie Miller. Bennelong in London will be showing from July 24 until August 16 2026, Strong is the New Pretty will be playing from October 26 until December 5 2026, and Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical will be showing from November 26 until December 20 2026.
For a taste of world-class theatre without leaving the country, bookmark Purpose by American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – a critically acclaimed Broadway production that won the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2025. Purpose will be lighting up the Wharf 1 Theatre from February 7 until March 22 2026.
Musical fans, add March 26, 2026 to your diary. Miles Franklin' s novel My Brilliant Career has been adapted by Dean Bryant, Matthew Frank and Sheridan Harbridge, with its Sydney premiere taking over the Roslyn Packer Theatre from March 26 until April 26, 2026.
Other productions making up the 2026 program include the Pulitzer Award-winning Doubt: A Parable; Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s adaptation of The Iliad; and the Australian debut of The Unfriend.
“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,” explains STC Artistic Director Mitchell Butel.
You can check out the full program and book tickets via the Sydney Theatre Co website, with performances taking place at various STC venues across the city.
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