State Theatre Company South Australia has unveiled an eclectic 2026 program — the first curated by new Artistic Director Petra Kalive — a year of theatre designed to be “joyful, playful and political”.

The nine-show season ranges from cutting-edge new Australian writing and First Nations storytelling to radically reimagined classics and smash-hit revivals.

It marks a bold new chapter for the company, defined by Kalive’s vision of “the works that make us squirm, laugh and question in the same breath”.

Petra Kalive. Photo © Claudio Raschella

“The works in 2026 are each vital in their own way,” said Kalive. “They hold a mirror to our cultural and political present. This season celebrates the richness of voices shaping our stages today; the clarity of early-career writers breaking through with bold new perspectives; the craft of Australia’s most celebrated performers; the tender, necessary stories of South Australian artists weaving culture and memory into the present; and the thrill of international works that bring the world to our doorstep.”

STCSA 2026: Show by show