Queensland Theatre Company wears its heart on its sleeve in 2026, with a showcase of eight mainstage productions designed to get under your skin and stay with you.
The 2026 season is filled with landmark collaborations, world premiere works, reimagined classics, fresh voices, and trailblazing pioneers. It’s also the first programmed by QTC’s new Artistic Director, Daniel Evans, and marks the organisation reaffirming itself as Queensland Theatre Company. . .To reflect the collaborative community of artists, theatre makers and supporters who contribute to the company.
“Season 2026 invites you to sit in your ‘big feelings’, not only to entertain and inspire, but hold you as you experience the full gamut of human emotion,” Daniel says. “This is a season that takes bold risks – we’re reimagining classics, setting the agenda with unmissable premieres and collaborating on ambitious and heart-thumping productions.”
“In 2026, we are presenting deeply human works, with storytelling that reminds us why we gather; to feel something expansive, to hold space for wonder and to see the world in a new light. It’s theatre where the collective breath catches, where hearts cracks open, and where we come together to feel together.”
Of the eight mainstage productions in 2026, four will be staged at QTC’s Bille Brown Theatre, three at QPAC’s Playhouse, one at Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre, and one at QPAC’s new Glasshouse Theatre.
Kicking things off is an opulent reimagining of ‘The Great Gatsby’, brought to the stage in partnership with Shake & Stir Theatre Company. It’s a fever dream of excess, escape, and aspiration. Then there’s ‘Torch The Place’, the debut play from Queensland-raised writer Benjamin Law, unpacking the chaos of family, identity, and intergenerational trauma.
‘The Sapphires’ is up next – it’s the real-life story of four Yorta Yorta women who sang for troops during the Vietnam War. Former QTC Artistic Director Wesley Enoch returns to direct the stellar, soulful musical, featuring a cast of First Nations artists. Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’ follows – an encore to the 2025 sold-out production.
‘Do Not Go Gentle’ from Patricia Cornelius features a star-studded cast of Australian theatre veterans, rallying and raging against silence, as the Bille Brown stage transforms into the icy expanse of Antarctica. Then, ‘Strong Is The New Pretty’ sees the spotlight shining on the quiet power of determined women, in the untold story of the behind-the-scenes fight which willed the AFLW competition into existence.
Audiences are invited to embark on a silent retreat with a wayward bunch of misfits, in the groundbreaking ‘Small Mouth Sounds’. . . Where, even without a word being uttered, they can tune into the reactions behind the actions, with headphones relaying an audio-immersive symphony of sound effects engineered by Counterpilot.
The 2026 season ends with the fitting crescendo of Sondheim’s ‘Into The Woods’ at the brand-new Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC.
Alongside the mainstage programme is also the QTC First Nations Theatre Unit. The hub in Gimuy (Cairns) continues to develop new work reflecting the region, including two pieces of storytelling: ‘Forgotten Songlines’, blending traditional song, dance and language with symphonic sound. . . And ‘Biw a Githalay’ (‘The Crab And The Mangrove Tree’), a powerful children’s work grounded in Saibai Island storytelling.
“First Nations people have shared their stories through song, dance and cultural exchange for generations,” Queensland Theatre Company Head Of First Nations Theatre Isaac Drandić says. “In bringing our stories to the stage, we continue to communicate our ideas, share our knowledge with a wider audience and shine a spotlight on the narratives and issues that are truly important.”
“QTC’s First Nations Theatre Unit reflects the lands and cultures of this state. Every new work it develops is shaped by the people who live it and hold the knowledge.”
DOOR 3 also returns in 2026, supporting three Queensland-based theatre collectives to each stage a season of independent theatre work in the Diane Cilento studio.
“Season 2026 exemplifies what makes Queensland Theatre Company unique: a place where world-class performances meet a distinctly Queensland spirit,” Queensland Theatre Company CEO Criena Gehrke says.
“We have the incredible privilege and pleasure to amplify voices that span generations and cultures, to welcome seasoned performers and emerging artists, and to tap into the creative minds who work behind the scenes to bring magic to our stages.”
Check out the full season.
Queensland Theatre Company’s 2026 season begins with ‘The Great Gatsby’ in February.
