Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre will open its 2027 season with the world premiere of a new comedy by David Williamson, kicking off a program balancing fresh Australian works with acclaimed international drama, musical theatre, an Ibsen classic and ripped-from-the-headlines political satire.

Ensemble Theatre. Photo supplied

Artistic Director Mark Kilmurry has unveiled a 10-play season featuring four world premieres, led by Williamson’s Sleeping Dogs, which launches the year on 22 January.

Directed by Priscilla Jackman (RGB: OF One, Many), the new comedy follows a fading Hollywood film director whose return home forces him to confront family tensions and buried secrets.

“Our 2027 season celebrates theatre that is intimate and immediate: stories that entertain, move and spark conversation,” Kilmurry said. “It’s a season that brings together some of Australia’s finest playwrights alongside timeless international classics.”

Season 2027: Play by play

In Williamson’s Sleeping Dogs, Colin Moody stars as Max, a former Tinseltown movie director slinking home only to discover his past waiting for him. Family tensions flare and buried truths are unleashed – all with Williamson’s signature comedic bite.

French playwright Yasmina Reza’s Olivier Award-nominated comedy Life x 3 follows in March under the direction of Lee Lewis. The play presents three alternate versions of the same disastrous dinner party, exploring how small changes can dramatically alter relationships.

Tom Rodgers and Diane Smith: Split Ends. Photo © Brett Boardman

Australian playwright Brittanie Shipway’s Split Ends receives its world premiere later that month. Directed by Liesel Badorrek, the comedy is set in a struggling small-town hair salon where traditional country life collides with modern business ambitions.

The first half of the year also includes Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow, chronicling Judy Garland’s final London performances in 1968. Directed by Julia Robertson, the production stars Lucy Maunder as the legendary entertainer and features Garland’s iconic songs.

Kilmurry will direct Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler in June, bringing the Norwegian playwright’s enduring portrait of ambition, manipulation and social constraint to the Ensemble stage. The production marks the Australian premiere of this new adaptation.

Williamson returns in July with Money and Friends, his sharply observed 1991 comedy examining friendship, financial hardship and moral compromise among a group of holidaying couples. Lee Lewis directs.

Sharon Millerchip: Bombshells 2. Photo © Brett Boardman

Joanna Murray-Smith revisits one of her most celebrated creations with the world premiere of Bombshells 2, a sequel to her acclaimed one-woman play, which played on this stage in 2013. Sharon Millerchip takes on five new characters in what promises another tour de force performance exploring the lives of contemporary Australian women.

Political comedy returns in September with The Year in Tatters: 2027 Revue. Following the sellout success of its inaugural season, the satirical revue reunites Andrew Hansen, Mark Humphries, Emily Taheny and Chris Taylor for another fast-moving examination of the year’s political and cultural events.

Kilmurry also directs Noël Coward’s 1925 comedy Fallen Angels, a tale of two women whose friendship is tested by the anticipated arrival of a former lover. The classic comedy of manners – not produced professionally in Australia for many years – opens in October.

Madeleine Jones: Fallen Angles. Photo © Brett Boardman

The season concludes with Robert Lord’s Joyful and Triumphant, directed by Shane Anthony. Running through Christmas and into January 2028, the bittersweet family drama follows four decades of festive celebrations, charting the triumphs, disappointments and enduring bonds of one family.

Across the season, Ensemble continues its mix of established performers and emerging talent. Among the artists returning to its stage are Merridy Eastman, Gareth Davies, Rebecca Massey, Jamie Oxenbould, Gabrielle Scawthorn and John Adam.

Subscription packages to Ensemble Theatre are on sale now, with individual tickets available closer to each production.