Season 2024 for Melbourne Theatre Company is the second under Artistic Director and Co-CEO Anne-Louise Sarks’ leadership.
It features 12 productions – brave works and daring performances, reflecting the company’s vision of presenting stories which inspire conversations about who we are, how far we’ve come, and where we’re going.
“Audiences across Season 2023 have responded so strongly to our Australian works, from ‘Sunday’ and ‘Jacky’ to ‘Bloom’ and ‘Prima Facie’ confirming there is no shortage of appetite for a wide range of homegrown stories on our stages,” Anne-Louise Sarks says.
“Season 2024 builds on this as we present two Melbourne Theatre Company commissions, four Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, three works supported by our NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program that invests in commissioning and developing new Australian plays, four cross-industry collaborations, two new Australian plays, seven works from emerging and established Australian writers, and one game-changing collaboration.”
'The Almighty Sometimes' - Image © Victoria Zschommler
“We are more committed than ever to providing a platform for the stories that define Australia and presenting works that spark conversation and help people understand the world around them. At a time defined by ‘what to stream next’, Season 2024 is our invitation to experience the magic of live theatre here in Melbourne.”
The 2024 season goes beyond its 12 productions – also developing new programmes and pathways for emerging artists and creatives, investing in the development of new Australian plays, to a major collaboration with the country’s longest-established First Peoples theatre company ILBIJERRI Theatre Company.
The season is bookended firstly by ‘Seventeen’, a compelling exploration of teenagehood and the transition to adulthood, filled with joy, nostalgia and possibility. It stars Pamela Rabe (‘Wentworth’), and sees a cast of senior actors portraying teenagers on the brink of major life changes and revelations. . . And secondly by ‘My Brilliant Career’ starring Kala Gare (‘SIX’), a new Australian musical from Dean Bryant, Mathew Frank and Sheridan Harbridge. It provides a fresh take on a beloved story with the musical capturing the essence of teenage rebellion and determination.
'Cost Of Living' – Image © Jo Duck
Throughout the season are productions such as the poetic and evocative ‘Meet Me At Dawn’; powerful ensemble drama ’37’; contemporary coming-of-age story ‘The Almighty Sometimes’; classic Tennessee Williams work ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’; intensely empathetic, funny, Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Cost Of Living’, and more.
“Season 2024 will continue to build and strengthen Melbourne Theatre Company’s position a step ahead of the cultural zeitgeist, and invite audiences in to conversations about the things, big and small, that preoccupy us collectively at this moment,” Anne-Louise adds.
“Like so many in the industry we are a theatre company in recovery. However, there is much to celebrate, including the company’s 70-year anniversary in 2023 offering a time of reflection on both the extensive efforts and passions of all who’ve helped build the company, and also our potential over coming years. Season 2024 is an incredibly exciting next step on that journey.”
Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2024 season kicks off with ‘Seventeen’ in January.
