The daring, diverse programme for Malthouse Theatre in 2026 is here.
It’s a year of intimate portraits, radical reimagining, powerful new voices, and unforgettable live experiences. Works span from contemporary drama, to iconic adaptations, riotous comedy, and world-class cabaret.
Opening up the season are two new Malthouse commissions. The first is ‘Black Light’, written and directed by Larrakia, Yanyuwa, Bardi and Wardaman person Jada Alberts and starring real-life sister, Lisa and Rachael Maza. It’s an intimate, powerful portrait of contemporary Blak motherhood.
Next up is ‘Game. Set. Match.’, written by and starring masterful comedic actor and proud Gamilaroi woman, Megan Wilding. It takes audiences on a journey from opposites-attract rom-com, to devastating revenge thriller, directed by Malthouse New Work Associate Jessica Arthur.
Then there’s the world premiere, of Australian play ‘Break Of Day’, by Steve Rodgers. Director Sarah Goodes will team up with powerhouse stage and screen star Kat Stewart (‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf’). It’s a moving tale of a mother and daughter navigating life in a town the NBN forgot.
Later in the year, incoming Malthouse Artistic Director Dean Bryant will take on Ivo van Hove’s electrifying stage adaptation of Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s ‘All About Eve’. It stars Christie Whelan Browne in the dual roles of ageing Broadway star Margo Channing and ingenue Eve Harrington.
Griffin Theatre Company’s ‘Koreaboo’, from Michelle Lim Davidson, will arrive at Malthouse directed by Jessica Arthur. This follows a sold-out 2025 season in Sydney.
Australian stage royalty Paul Capsis, and the magnetic Adam Noviello, bring Green Door Theatre Company’s ‘HOUSE OF ROT: GREY GARDENS’ to the stage. Centred around two eccentric recluses living in a house slowly falling it on itself.
Bloomshed’s inventive staging of ‘Pride And Prejudice’ is up next. The Jane Austen classic romance and society satire is given a delectable modern twist.
Then, one of Australia’s most celebrated and prolific choreographers, Stephanie Lake, returns to Malthouse with the world premiere of her latest contemporary dance work ‘Vista’. It features an extraordinary ensemble of dancers and creative collaborators, showcasing Stephanie Lake Company’s signature explosive physicality, poetic imagery, and precision.
Malthouse’s Bagging Room will transform into a unique live performance experience for ‘The Nightline’, created by Roslyn Oades and Bob Scott. This show explores themes of loneliness and connection, as audiences are invited to navigate a switchboard of hundreds of real-life, anonymous voice messages left by shift workers, insomniacs, truck drivers, new parents, revellers, and all manner of night owls.
There’s also the world premiere of ‘Ritual Ritual Ritual’. It’s an exploration of climate change through intergenerational hope, commissioned for the award-winning high school participatory programme.
Malthouse Comedy returns as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2026, and Malthouse will also host the inaugural Australian Trans Theatre Festival, showcasing new works and workshops by leading trans and gender diverse artists.
Check out the full programme.
Malthouse Theatre’s 2026 season starts with ‘Black Light’ in February.
