StoreyBoard Entertainment & Stoddart Entertainment Group has announced that the Olivier Award nominated The Shark is Broken will make its Australian debut in Sydney and Melbourne from August 2026.
This fictional piece centred around the making of JAWS is described as “hilariously brilliant and pure genius” (Sunday Express, ★★★★★) and has been co-written by Ian Shaw, the son of JAWS actor Robert Shaw.
The Shark is Broken is a razor-sharp, laugh-out-loud play about fame, failure, and friendship under pressure – an edgy, once is a lifetime theatrical treat that proves the biggest drama was never in the water.
FADE IN: The open ocean, 1974. Filming is delayed… again! The lead actors – theatre veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider – are crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star.
Alcohol flows, egos collide, and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic… if it doesn’t sink them all.
“Sensational! In between jokes and tasty movie trivia, this is a story of fathers, sons, mortality and legacy” – Mashable
Casting announcements will be made in coming weeks.
Director: Luke Joslin | Set and Costume Design: James Browne | Lighting Design: Jasmine Rizk | Original Music: Sean Peter | Production Manager: Alex Duffy
The Shark is Broken will play the Foundry Theatre (at the Sydney Lyric Theatre) from Friday 28 August to Sunday 11 October, before playing Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre from Thursday 15 October to Sunday 8 November 2026. For more information, visit: www.sharkisbroken.com.au for details.
Image: The Shark is Broken (supplied)