The Australian Theatre Festival NYC (ATF NYC) has announced its 2026 season, running in New York City from 28 September – 4 October with a week-long celebration of Australian theatre, music, storytelling, and community events.
Presented across Theatre Row and Green Room 42 on 42nd Street, the Festival continues its mission of celebrating and showcasing Australian stories and artists in New York City. The Festival creates opportunities for an exchange of culture, cultivates the development of Australian artists and their work, and connects Australians living in New York.
The 2026 season features award-winning productions, new play development, musical theatre presentations, artist conversations, community events, and the continuation of the Festival’s growing partnership with the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C, with a Tour to the capital on 8 October.
The Festival opens at Theatre Row with Tracey Yarad’s acclaimed solo musical memoir, All These Pretty Things. Fresh from winning the Best Music Award at the 2026 Adelaide Fringe, Yarad’s funny, heartfelt, and deeply personal story has captivated audiences across Australia. Now based in New York, the Australian artist brings her celebrated work to Festival audiences for a limited season.
ATF NYC will present CIRC by Eddie Grey, winner of the Festival’s 2024 New Play Award. This hilarious and moving new Australian play will receive a staged reading featuring locally based Australian actors, offering audiences an early opportunity to experience the work before its Off-Broadway transfer to The Tank later this year. CIRC is produced by Neil Gooding Productions.
Continuing the Festival’s commitment to developing new Australian voices, the 2026 New Play Award-winning work, La Malattia by Danny Ball, will be presented in a public reading for the very first time, directed by Broadway’s Emilio Ramos and featuring a cast of New York-based Australian performers.
The Festival’s popular artist talkback series will return both in-person and online, giving audiences unique insight into the creative process behind bringing Australian work to international stages and creating meaningful opportunities for connection between artists and audiences.
The two panels will focus on Australian Women Creatives and The Production Pipeline. Following a successful debut in 2025, ATF NYC’s musical theatre double bill returns to The Green Room 42. Leading the program is LEGENDS – a brand-new Australian musical by New York-based writer Daniel Cullen, and produced by Track 29 Productions. Filled with larger-than-life Australian icons and folklore, the musical reimagines some of Australia’s most legendary figures in a wildly entertaining theatrical experience.
The much-loved ATF Cabaret also returns, bringing together Broadway performers, emerging Australian artists, and recent graduates for a one-night-only celebration of Australian music and musical theatre talent. This year the Cabaret will explore the Ultimate Australian Playlist with pop and rock anthems from down under.
The Festival’s popular Community Party, presented in partnership with America Josh, returns once again, providing a vibrant gathering place for artists, audiences, industry professionals, and members of the Australian community to connect and celebrate Australian culture in New York City.
Following the New York season, ATF NYC will continue its partnership with the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C., expanding the Festival’s reach beyond New York and strengthening cultural exchange opportunities between Australia and the United States through a special event in the nation’s capital.
“Each year we are inspired by the extraordinary Australian artists creating work both here in New York and abroad. The 2026 season reflects the breadth of Australian storytelling today – from award-winning theatre and bold new plays, to emerging voices developing their next work,” said Mark Barford and Connor Delves Co-Artistic & Executive Directors Australian Theatre Festival NYC.
“We are incredibly proud to provide a platform that connects Australian artists with New York audiences while building lasting creative opportunities. As the Festival continues to grow, so too does our commitment to championing Australian stories on the world stage. See you at the Fest!”
The Australian Theatre Festival NYC runs from 28 September – 4 October 2026. For more information, visit: www.australiantheatrefestival.com for details.
Image: Australian Theatre Festival NYC Season 2026 (supplied)