Artistic Directors Richard Carroll and Victoria Falconer have lifted the curtain on Hayes Theatre Co’s 2026 program, outlining a year that seeks to combine classic titles with recent Broadway crowd-pleasers, topped by new Australian works. The season continues the venue’s focus on intimate productions that aim to deliver concentrated storytelling and strong musical performances.
The year opens with the World Premiere of BARBRA: The Greatest Star, a concert event celebrating Barbra Streisand and directed by Brittanie Shipway. It plays a three week season from 21 January 2025. February and March bring the Sydney premiere of the high camp musical comedy Head Over Heels directed by Ellen Simpson, followed by the Australian premiere of Broadway hit Gutenberg! The Musical!, directed by Richard Carroll and starring Stephen Anderson and Ryan Gonzalez.
From May, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels returns to Sydney in a new production directed by Rebecca McNamee. In July, Julia Robertson returns to the Hayes to direct The Addams Family. The program then moves to the satire How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with direction and choreography by Cameron Mitchell.
October features the Sydney premiere of We Are The Tigers, a pop rock thriller where cheer meets fear, directed and choreographed by Chiara Assetta. The season concludes with the World Premiere of Silver Tongue, a musical reimagining of Treasure Island created by Miranda Middleton, Jacob Parker and Alec Steedman, directed by Richard Carroll with musical direction by Victoria Falconer and starring Billie Palin.
Regular Hayes events return in 2026. Neglected Musicals will present A Man of No Importance in March and The Rink in September for limited performances. Also set to return are Musical Bang Bang, Home Grown, Theys At The Hayes, the Festival of New Work, the Winter Cabaret season and Carols by Cabaret. In other words, local theatre afficionados may have a lot to fill their schedules next year!
Carroll and Falconer summarised the intent behind the 2026 program and the kind of audience experience they aim to deliver, sharing:
In 2026, we’re once again jumping into a season of work that embraces the power of music theatre to surprise, to provoke and to bring people together in joyful, meaningful ways, with a collection of stories big and small, old and new, hilarious and heartfelt – all designed to be experienced up close and thrillingly live. One of our favourite things about Hayes’ audiences is that they combine a love of music theatre’s rich traditions with a constant curiosity about where it could go next. That’s why we prioritise bringing fresh eyes to beloved shows, offering a spotlight to emerging talent, and making space for our most exciting artists to create bold, inventive work.
Subscriptions are on sale from tonight, Monday 15 September, with single tickets to follow at different times over the coming months.
