Brisbane’s La Boite Theatre celebrates its 100th year in 2025, with a daring season of classics, premieres, and a few famous faces.
La Boite will mark this auspicious milestone with a 2025 programme packed with storytelling, special events, surprise guests, sojourns down memory lane. . . Reimagined classics, cross-genre productions, powerful performances and striking cultural contributions.
There are four major productions for La Boite’s 100th year: A spirited adaptation of ‘Macbeth’, the world premiere of ‘We’re All Gonna Die!’ from Dead Puppet Society, the world premiere of ‘Congratulations, Get Rich!’ co-presented with Sydney Theatre Company and Singapore Repertory Theatre, and the Queensland premiere of Griffin Theatre production ‘WhiteFella Yella Tree’.
Next to this is ‘La Boite Encores’, a three-month play-reading series bringing ten celebrated hits and fan favourites to life, from La Boite’s archives.
“The dual themes of legacy and longevity were front of mind even before I was appointed as La Boite’s Artistic Director, a position that has been filled over the past 100 years by luminaries and legends of Australian theatre,” Artistic Director Courtney Stewart says.
“I keep returning to a quote I read in Christine Comans’ book, ‘La Boite: The Story of An Australian Theatre Company’, which recounted the ethos on which the company was founded.
“It was about ‘presenting serious drama and aspiring to cultural awareness, social improvement, discussing moral and spiritual values and collective responsibility’ and it’s become a guiding light.
“It’s what La Boite’s founders were trying to do 100 years ago and it’s what we’re still striving to achieve – how do we set ourselves up for another century of legacy?”
Well, the next 100 years kick off with ‘Macbeth’ – and in this version, three witches reclaim the narrative. It opens on International Women’s Day, breathing at the intersection of spirituality, philosophy, power, ambition and fate. ‘Macbeth’ is co-directed by Courtney Stewart and Lisa Fa’alafi, with La Boite favourite Roxanne McDonald leading a local cast.
‘We’re All Gonna Die’ sees Brisbane-based, globally-renowned darlings Dead Puppet Society collaborate with La Boite for the first time since the 2017 smash-hit, ‘Laser Beak Man’. It’s part climate change play, part shlock horror, part live comic book.
Courtney Stewart
Next up is the world premiere of ‘Congratulations, Get Rich!’ (‘恭喜发财,人日快乐乐’), from Merlynn Tong and directed by Stewart – an explosive ghost story set in a karaoke bar, with a thematic playlist spanning transformation, legacy, family, hope, traditions, laugh-out-loud comedy, and the ecstasy of being alive. Starring Tong alongside Seong Hui Xuan, Zachary Boulton and Kimie Tsukakoshi.
Last but not least is the sweeping, 19th-century coming-of-age saga about love, mob and Country, ‘WhiteFella Yella Tree’ from Dylan Van Den Berg, chronicling the fragile friendship blossoming into love, between two First Nations teens on the brink of a world about to change forever.
La Boite’s 2025 season is the first to benefit from its inclusive in Creative Australia’s National Performing Arts Partnership Framework.
“As a leading arts organisation, La Boite holds sacred the privileged responsibility we have to support Queensland’s arts sector and deliver exceptional performances and cultural experiences,” Courtney Stewart says.
“I invite everyone to join us in our 100th year as we begin another century of changing the world, one story at a time.”
La Boite Theatre’s (Brisbane) 2025 season kicks off with ‘Macbeth’.
