This month, State Theatre Company South Australia will opens its 2026 season with Emmanuelle Mattana’s hit black comedy about power, privilege and high school debating – Trophy Boys.
The first show of Artistic Director Petra Kalive’s inaugural season, Trophy Boys is set on the biggest night of Melbourne’s academic calendar – the Grand Finale of the Year 12 Interschool Debating Tournament.
With the show unfolding in real time, the team from an elite all-boys school are locked in a classroom for their one-hour prep window, forced to argue that “feminism has failed women” – they are ready to totally annihilate their sister school – until things take a dark turn.
Directed by Marnie Mount, Trophy Boys is performed by a female and non-binary cast (Myfanwy Hocking, Fran Sweeney-Nash, Tahlia Jamieson and Kidaan Zelleke, who starred in State Theatre Company South Australia’s Antigone), who play the four private school boys preparing for the debate.
From the queer, satirical lens of Emmanuelle Mattana (Videoland, Mustangs FC), the riotously funny satire looks at insecure adolescent masculinity, entitlement, and the ego of Australia’s next generation of politicians and powerbrokers, unveiling the dark undercurrents of male privilege and power.
Since its 2022 premiere at La Mama, Melbourne, Trophy Boys has enjoyed a sold-out national tour and a hit off-Broadway season in 2025. A Soft Tread production in association with The Maybe Pile, Trophy Boys is the winner of Best New Work (Sydney Theatre Awards 2024) and recipient of multiple Greenroom Awards Nominations (2024): Best Production, Best New Writing, Best Director (Marni Mount).
Artistic Director Petra Kalive says Trophy Boys sets the tone for a fun, politically charged and entertaining 2026 season. “I first saw Trophy Boys in development at La Mama years ago and I fell in love with it,” she said.
“The show has since gone gangbusters all around the country, performing sold-out shows all over Australia to whoops and cheers and critical acclaim. I didn’t want Adelaide to miss out, and I am so excited for local audiences to experience this political and funny work by phenomenal early career writer Emmanuelle Mattana,” said Kalive .
“a show that crackles with tension, laughter, and a chilling relevance to the world beyond the classroom walls.” – Australian Arts Review
Director: Marnie Mount | Featuring: Myfanwy Hocking, Tahlia Jameson, Fran Sweeney-Nash, Kidaan Zelleke | Designer: Ben Andrews | Lighting Designer: Katie Sfetkidis | Stage Manager: Genevieve Davidson | Playwright: Emmanuelle Mattana | Producers: Jo Dyer, Ben Andrews
Trophy Boys
Space Theatre – Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Season: 17 March – 2 April 2026
Information and Bookings: www.statetheatrecompany.com.au
Following the Adelaide season, Trophy Boys will be presented at the Theatre Royal, Hobert (15 – 18 April), Alexander Theatre, Clayton (21 – 22 April), Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat (24 April) and the Canberra Theatre Centre (28 April – 2 May).
Image: The Cast of Trophy Boys – photo by Ben Andrews