Sarah Crane, Hayley Sugars and Mara Gaudenzi in La Cenerentola. Photo © Jade Ellis

Let’s say you’re a subscriber to one or two arts companies. Perhaps you regularly buy single tickets to a range of performances. You are now on a database. There’s no avoiding it.

Which means that come September your inbox starts pulsating with announcements from our larger organisations about the following year’s program. If you have opted to receive printed brochures they too will start dropping. Christmas has come early! Extremely early if you are on Opera Australia’s list. OA revealed its 2026 season on 5 August. The Australian Ballet waited until 9 September.

Whether a company is big or small, shiny new things are dangled before you and beloved repertoire is brought back. Whichever way the balance goes, a season is designed to send a...