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Ready for theatre that will make you laugh, think and possibly question your relationship with your phone? Malthouse Theatre’s 2027 season has arrived, with new artistic director and co-CEO Dean Bryant unveiling eight productions – all new Australian works, including seven world premieres.
Expect everything from satire and gothic horror to cabaret, black comedy and adaptations of literary classics, performed by some of Australia’s best-known performers alongside exciting new voices. As Bryant puts it, the aim is for theatre that “electrifies and sends audiences out fully charged”.
Here are the highlights of Malthouse Theatre’s 2027 season:
The Tartuffe
February 19–March 19, Merlyn Theatre
If you’re spending a little too much time talking to ChatGPT, this one might hit close to home. Directed by Dean Bryant and starring Eddie Perfect, this modern-day reimagining of Molière’s 17th-century play transforms Tartuffe into an AI-powered hairdressing robot that listens, cares and knows a little too much because its family gives it access to everything.
Swim
May 12–22, Beckett Theatre
Mununjali poet Ellen van Neerven makes their stage debut with this dreamlike work starring Cynda Jace Beare and Tahlee Fereday. On a hot summer’s day at the local pool, gender-fluid protagonist E negotiates the space between the change rooms and dives into something much deeper.
Stone Yard Devotional
June 4–26, Merlyn Theatre
What happens when you walk away from your old life and seek refuge somewhere completely unexpected, like in a cloistered nunnery? Charlotte Wood’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel is brought to the stage by Joanna Murray-Smith, with Sarah Goodes directing Lisa McCune and Catherine McClements in this production that blurs the boundaries between theatre and art installation.
Magic Sing: Pinoy Pop Power!
July 7–10, Merlyn Theatre
Get ready for power ballads and Filo pride. Christina O’Neill leads three Filipino-Australian divas in a cabaret celebrating the role of karaoke and pop music in Filipino culture and protest, from the People Power Revolution to generations of diaspora families belting out Whitney, Celine and Mariah at family gatherings.
The Turn Of The Screw
July 23–August 21, Beckett Theatre
Things get spooky in Keziah Warner’s one-person adaptation of Henry James’ gothic classic. Tuuli Narkle plays a young woman who takes a role caring for two children at Bly Manor, only to discover that her dream job is turning into a nightmare.
Jackpot
August 13–September 4, Merlyn Theatre
Family, money, housing and the question of who owes what to whom all collide in Yve Blake’s dark comedy. Over one night and a shared bottle of whiskey, two sisters hash out who should care for their mother – a topic that hits close to home for most audiences.
Lucy
September 17–October 9, Beckett Theatre
Written by and starring Thomas Weatherall and directed by Dean Bryant, Lucy explores what happens when a relationship starts to change shape. It’s an intimate story about love and the unsettling moment when someone you thought you knew begins to feel like a stranger.
Gone With The Wind
November 12–December 4, Merlyn Theatre
Margaret Mitchell’s classic novel gets an Australian makeover. Scarlett O’Hara hates politics and loves parties, but when her comfy world of instant gratification starts to crumble, this adaptation asks whether nostalgia for a world that never really existed can ever satisfy us.
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