For 100 years, Queensland’s beloved La Boite Theatre has been entertaining audiences – with ground-breaking, confronting and inspiring works.
Founded in 1925, La Boite theatre was originally an amateur repertory society, which as the company's Artistic Director and CEO Courtney Stewart explains, went through “different iterations through the hands of revolutionary leaders” to become a pro-amateur theatre company to a professional theatre company in the '90s, and to the La Boite that we now know today.
To coincide with the company's 100th anniversary, we speak to La Boite’s Artistic Director, Courtney Stewart, about the company’s 2025 season, its history, legacy, and most importantly. . . Its future.
“The company came out of the little theatres movement in Brisbane and all of those smaller theatre companies kind of had a big vision to promote works that really question the human experience. What is our moral and collective responsibility? How can we shed light on things that have not been seen before? And that vision has kind of been at the forefront of the company for the last 100 years”, Stewart explains. “[It] has taken different shapes in a way and the company now is really focused on new Australian works that provide fresh perspectives and enable conscious and really exciting collaborations and authentic representation.”
Read scenestr’s coverage of La Boite Theatre over the years.
When it came to overseeing the company’s 2025 season, Stewart was determined to pay tribute to La Boite’s rich heritage and history, while simultaneously paving a way for its exciting future.
Stewart looked back at some of the company’s most inspiring productions and reached out to previous collaborators for the anniversary season. “[I looked back at] what, from the archives, warrants a new production in 2025, and because La Boite has always been at the forefront of conversations, when you look back at the archives the plays are incredible and amazing, but would require quite a deep interrogation to make them sit in conversation with the sociopolitical climate that we are currently in right now. I was thinking, 'if it’s not a production from the archives, how can we invite artists to really make their mark on La Boite in a new and fresh story?'.”
First up in 2025, was a retelling of the 400-year-old 'Macbeth', where this time the three witches reclaim the narrative. Stewart enlisted Sue Rider, previous Artistic Director of La Boite on the production as its Dramaturg, and Lisa Fa’alafi as its Co-Director, who previously worked with La Boite on 'Hot Brown Honey'. Following 'Macbeth' is 'We’re All Gonna Die!', a collaboration with Dead Puppet Society. “They made their professional debut here at La Boite, so having them come back after the success of our collaboration on 'Laser Beak Man' a couple of years ago is a way to honour the legacy of La Boite supporting independent companies and watching them outgrow us, and then doing us the honour of coming back,” Stewart describes.
After 'We’re All Gonna Die!' is Merlynn Tong’s 'Congratulations, Get Rich!'. “[Tong] has performed in a number of productions at La Boite but this is her first play that she’s produced here. . . She’s one of the most exciting artists we have in the country. Then we are collaborating with Griffin Theatre Company on 'Whitefella Yella Tree'.”
Rounding out the eventful season is 'La Boite Encores', a play-reading series which Stewart refers to as a “celebration of La Boite’s greatest hits”. The ten play readings include plays written from the 1930s to more present-day works, encompassing the company’s history.
Check out more info on 'La Boite Encores'.
While Stewart is immensely proud of the company’s history, which has seen the likes of renowned artists Deborah Mailman, Leah Purcell and Geoffrey Rush walk through its historic doors; she’s more excited to see in what direction the company’s future will head.
“[We have] more renewed energy and heat under the company now that we’ve been here for 100 years, but we aren’t a nostalgic company. It’s really important to acknowledge and look back, but we are a company that is always continuing to look forward. Our thoughts and understanding of what legacy is really about, is creating one – we are creating it and pivoting in real time. We express our agency in the creation of legacy. We live in the future, not in the past.”
And as for the future, Stewart hopes to look beyond Queensland.
“My hope is that we can really stretch, being able to allow Queensland artists to dream big and think beyond the state. Absolutely make homegrown work here, but let that work have another life interstate and internationally, and to be part of a cultural conversation in the Asia Pacific area more broadly. We are a major city and have incredible artists with perspectives that are relevant beyond the state line.”
On a closing note, Stewart acknowledges there would be no celebration without the impact of each person that has walked through the theatre’s historic doors. “We have survived the last 100 years through the blood, sweat, and tears of anyone and everyone that's walked through [its doors], whether as a producer, or an actor or an artist, volunteer, board member. . . Anyone who has done anything with the company – we’ve only survived because of the people that have been in it.”
Brisbane's La Boite Theatre celebrates its 100 year anniversary in 2025.