Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Mitchell Butel has announced the Company’s 2027 season, his second since taking on the role. Throughout 2027, across its three venues, STC will present thirteen productions including four World Premieres of new Australian writing and six Australian premieres.
The 2027 season will be bookended by two international hits at Roslyn Packer Theatre: opening in January, the Australian premiere of Robert Icke’s contemporary adaptation of OEDIPUS with beloved stars Heather Mitchell and Richard Roxburgh performing together on stage for the first time in thirty years; and closing with the Sydney premiere of the Old Vic Production of Jack Thorne’s A Christmas Carol starring Tim Minchin.
World Premieres include an adaptation of Jenny Hocking’s The Palace Letters by Melanie Tait starring Georgie Parker as Hocking and Jonathan Biggins as Gough Whitlam; an adaptation of Pip Williams’ The Bookbinder of Jericho by Verity Laughton; Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Death by Deckchair, a brand-new story in the Miss Fisher catalogue written by Deb Cox, co-creator of the original hit series with Fiona Eagger; and 2026 Patrick White Playwrights Award winner, Disapol Savetsila’s Amah and Nanna.
Australian premieres include Celeste Barber making her STC debut in The Book of Liz by Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris; a new Australian production of Simon Stephens’ West End and Broadway hit VANYA starring Eryn Jean Norvill; Gina Gionfriddo’s Tony Award-winning Becky Shaw starring Andrea Demetriades and directed by Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Mitchell Butel; and John Proctor is the Villain, directed by Melbourne Theatre Company Artistic Director Anne Louise Sarks.
Other productions include the return of Kip Williams’ Olivier and Tony Award-winning The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Nikki Shiels; David Ireland’s two-hander The Fifth Step starring Ashan Kumar and Erik Thomson; and direct from State Theatre Company South Australia, Butel’s final commission, Jacob Boehme’s Logan St.
Butel said that a common theme throughout the stories in the 2027 season is the notion of family and community and that the ”constellation of stars” and theatrical brilliance on offer for audiences in 2027 are experiences that AI will ”never match”.
“AI cannot do what these artists can do live on stage, and it will never be able to match the brilliance, complexity and immediacy that is created in a theatre,” says Butel.
“Working in unison with our teams of award-winning and top-drawer creatives, our 2027 stars will bring to life thirteen magnificent theatrical stories that speak directly to the time and place in which we find ourselves – international hits, beloved classics reimagined and reborn, dramas that feel fresh as the morning and comedies that capture the zeitgeist consummately.”
“Throughout the diversity of viewpoints, voices, history and entertainment we will bring you in 2027, many of the stories explore family: how they shape us, how some families are chosen, how they can hurt us, but also how they can heal.”
“Families are also made when we create theatre. The community of staff and creators at STC is something to behold, working together to create brilliant theatre for our other family – our community of audiences,” said Butel.
For more information about Sydney Theatre Company’s 2027 Season, visit: www.sydneytheatre.com.au for details.
Image: Mitchell Butel – photo by Holly Ward