With the Glasshouse Theatre named, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) have actively begun announcing what audiences can look forward to during their fifth theatre’s premiere season. In an Australian exclusive, 17 time Grammy Award winner Sting will perform in his musical The Last Ship, for a 29 performance season running from 9 April to 3 May 2026. Tickets go on sale to the public from 18 September 2025, with an earlier presale set to be available for those who add their names to the waitlist.
This renewed version of The Last Ship features new scenes and music, revisiting the acclaimed musical first developed by Sting in 2011 and originally inspired by his 1991 album The Soul Cages. Rooted in the artist’s upbringing in the British shipbuilding town of Wallsend, the show follows a community confronting the closure of its shipyard. Sting will take the role of Jackie White, the shipyard foreman whose health is failing just as his leadership is most needed. The production is billed as a full stage presentation with a company of 28 artists, musicians and choristers, and weaves in songs including Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance.
The season forms part of Sting’s plans to step away from his STING 3.0 touring schedule and bring The Last Ship to select cities worldwide in 2026, including Amsterdam, Paris and now Brisbane, performing in every show. The musical previously premiered in Chicago in 2014 before a Broadway run at the Neil Simon Theatre that same year, followed by seasons in the UK, Ireland and multiple European and US cities.
In a statement, Sting shared some insight into the production:
I grew up in the shadow of the shipyard. My father wanted me to follow him into the shipyard, but I dreamed of something else… I dreamed of escaping, and I did everything in my power to get away from that life. But the farther I got, the more I realized I needed to understand where I came from and felt I had to give something back. The Last Ship is my tribute to the people and the place that shaped me.
QPAC Chief Executive Rachel Healy described the Brisbane engagement as a significant win for the city and the new venue:
You might have experienced Sting’s amazing stadium performances in the past but witnessing a performer of this calibre sharing a fascinating and deeply personal story in the gorgeous intimacy of Queensland’s brand new Glasshouse Theatre is truly a once in a lifetime experience. This will be Sting like you’ve never seen him before.
Interestingly, Brisbane has its own shipbuilding history; the Evans Deakin shipyard was Australia’s third largest shipbuilding enterprise just down the river from the Glasshouse Theatre. 2026 marks fifty years since its closure in 1976 so it’s very special to link this local history with the personal experiences retold in The Last Ship.
The fact that we’ve secured this season exclusively for Brisbane in Australia, as the first international production in our new theatre speaks to Brisbane’s reputation as a cultural tourism destination and we’re very grateful to the Queensland Government for its support.
