Melbourne Theatre Company has revealed the components of its 2026 campaign, 10 mainstage productions (plus an education add-on) that add up to “an ambitious line-up of distinctly Australian stories, world premieres and new examinations of enduring classics – all grappling with what it means to live and connect in the world today,” according to the company’s Artistic Director Anne-Louise Sarks.

Kala Gare in MTC’s My Brilliant Career. Photo © Pia Johnson

My Brilliant Career

MTC opens with a runaway success: the musical My Brilliant Career, back by popular demand after its sold-out premiere season in 2024. Sheridan Harbridge, Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank reimagine Miles Franklin’s heroine, Sybylla Melvyn, as a modern singer-songwriter defying expectations in 1890s Australia.

Kala Gare reprises her Green Room-winning role, joined by much of the original actor-musician ensemble. Directed by Sarks with design by Tony Award-winner Marg Horwell, this joyous, feminist revival fuses bush ballad, pub rock and pop into an electrifying anthem for independence.

Southbank Theatre (Sumner), from 23 January.

Do Not Pass Go

Playwright Jean Tong (Hungry Ghosts) turns office malaise into absurdist reflection in a new Australian work directed by Katy Maudlin. In a workplace that seems to exist only to perpetuate itself, two employees – Flux and Penny – edge from snark to sincerity as they talk their way through cynicism, connection and late-capitalist burnout. Designed by Jacob Battista, the production showcases MTC’s NEXT STAGE commitment to developing contemporary voices.

Southbank (The Lawler), from 14 February. 

West Gate

Dennis McIntosh’s moving new play, directed by Iain Sinclair (A View from the Bridge), revisits the 1970 collapse of Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge – Australia’s deadliest single industrial disaster. With Steve Bastoni, Daniela Farinacci, Lachy Hulme and Darcy Kent, this deeply human account explores friendship, labour and loss in the shadow of a city’s defining tragedy.

Southbank (Sumner), from 10 March. 

The Glass Menagerie (Alison Whyte). Image supplied

The Glass Menagerie

For the first time in two decades, MTC revisits Tennessee Williams’s poetic masterwork. Alison Whyte stars as Amanda Wingfield, the hopeful mother who clings to the past while trying to control the future. When a much-longed-for ‘gentleman caller’ steps into their world, he may be the fulfilment of Amanda’s dreams – or the blow that shatters her carefully constructed illusion.

Southbank (Sumner) from 27 April. 

Shoelace Chaser

Madelaine Nunn’s tender coming-of-age play, directed by Liv Satchell, follows Thea, a 17-year-old carer balancing school, sport and family. Starring Leigh Lule and Zoe Boesen, it’s a warm portrait of resilience and love, presented as MTC’s education production for the year.

Southbank (The Lawler) from 9 May.

Retrograde (Donné Ngabo). Image supplied

Retrograde

Set in 1950s Hollywood, Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde dissects ambition and racial politics in the industry’s so-called Golden Age. Bert LaBonté directs Alan Dale and Donné Ngabo in a taut, single-room thriller inspired by a real encounter from screen great Sidney Poitier’s early career.

Arts Centre Melbourne (Fairfax Studio), from 16 May.

Losing Face

Screenwriter Marieke Hardy (Laid, Erotic Stories) pens a spiky new comedy that’s part Weekend at Bernie’s, part wellness satire. Michala Banas and Genevieve Morris lead this gleefully unhinged look at friendship, vanity and the price of chasing youth, directed by Leticia Cáceres.

Southbank (Sumner) from 22 June.

Uncle Vanya

Joanna Murray-Smith adapts Chekhov’s tragicomedy for today, with Daniel Henshall (Snowtown) and Catherine Văn-Davies in a fresh, heartfelt version directed by Sarks. Beneath the frustration and wit, Uncle Vanya explores yearning, purpose and the fleeting nature of contentment.

Arts Centre Melbourne (Playhouse) from 21 July.

The Jungle and the Sea, Belvoir, 2022. Photo © Sriram Jeyaraman

The Jungle and the Sea

From S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack, creators of Counting and Cracking, comes an epic of survival and love in the murderous turbulence of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Winner of the 2024 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Drama, the work weaves myth, music and lived testimony, featuring Anandavalli and Nadie Kammallaweera with live Carnatic musicians Indu Balachandran and Arjunan Puveendran.

Southbank (Sumner) from 14 August.

Eliza

Tom Holloway’s Eliza, directed by Paige Rattray, traces the invention of artificial intelligence through the story of Dr Joseph Weizenbaum (Dan Spielman) and his secretary Becky (Manali Datar). As the line between empathy and algorithm dissolves, Holloway poses urgent questions about technology and humanity.

Southbank (Sumner) from 28 September. 

Before I Forget

Writer-director Kamarra Bell-Wykes (Whose Gonna Love ’Em?) offers a tender, funny and devastating portrait of three generations of First Nations women confronting memory, legacy and love. Roxanne McDonald, Melodie Reynolds-Diarra and Tyallah Bullock star.

Arts Centre Melbourne (Fairfax Studio) from 24 October.

A Room with a View

Grace Chapple’s adaptation of E.M. Forster’s beloved romance closes the season. Directed by Hannah Goodwin, it stars Nathalie Morris (Bump), Tom Conroy and Brigid Zengeni. Chapple and Goodwin re-imagine Lucy Honeychurch’s awakening with wit, warmth and a feminist lens.

Southbank (Sumner) from 14 November.

Subscriptions for Season 2026 are now available. For more information visit mtc.com.au