The best of Sydney Theatre 2026 – and how to reserve your seats

All Sydney’s major theatre companies have announced their 2026 line up, with blockbuster musicals, first-time playwrights and Australian icons coming to the most famous stages in the city. Sydney Theatre Company brings John Farnham’s story to the stage as well as the most awarded play of 2025. Opera Australia celebrates its 70^th anniversary and the 100^th birthday of the late Dame Joan Sutherland. Smaller theatre companies like Hayes Theatre Co, Bell Shakespeare and Belvoir St Theatre will delight audiences across Sydney.

Here’s what you should be booking tickets for ahead of next year’s season of stage.

How to reserve season tickets in advance

Sydney Theatre Company: Platinum season tickets, granting access to 10-13 shows, are on sale from October 1, 2025
Opera Australia: You can now pre-register for advanced access to single operas.
Bell Shakespeare: Various packages are now on sale at the Bell Shakespeare website.
Hayes Theatre Co: You can subscribe to show packages now at the Hayes Theatre Co website.

What new shows are coming to Sydney in 2026?

Sydney Theatre Company

Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical
November 15 – December 20, 2026
Roslyn Packer Theatre

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Whispering Jack, the highest-selling Australian album of all time, this brand new musical takes you back to a Melbourne garage in 1986. Follow Farnsey and manager Glenn Wheatley as they work on an album and a song called You’re the Voice that would transform their lives. This crowd-pleasing musical is packed with iconic songs and moments of nostalgia.

An Iliad
April 13 – May 30, 2026

Award-winning actor David Wenham returns to the STC stage after more than 26 years to star in a reimagining of Homer’s epic poem. Wenham stars as the Poet, a storyteller, bound to recount the myth of the Trojan War until humanity can overcome its rage for violence and destruction. In the intimate setting of Wharf Theatre 1, it’s a chance to see one of Australia’s finest actors up close in an appeal for hope and empathy.

The River
March 30 – May 9, 2026

Miranda Otto shines in The River, written by Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Jez Butterworth. On a moonless night, a lovesick fisherman entertains a woman at his family’s remote cabin on the cliffs and the energy between them crackles like fireworks. Playing in the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House, The River has been called alluring, inspired and tantalising.

Doubt: A Parable
June 30 – August 2, 2026

Hollywood star Sam Worthington and screen legend Pamela Rabe go head-to-head in one of the most iconic and electrifying plays of the 21^st century, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning Doubt. Set in The Bronx in the 1960s, it takes a searing look at allegations of abuse in a Catholic school and is directed by Helpmann Award-winning Marion Potts.

Bennelong in London
July 18 – August 16, 2026

Learn the fascinating story of Bennelong, an Aboriginal man abducted by Governor Arthur Phillip and eventually taken to London. Told through the prism of a struggling present-day actor preparing for a role, it explores how Bennelong became the first conduit between the colonisers and the people of the Eora nation. Starring two First Nations actors, it’s a time-bending conversation about two cultures colliding at breakneck speed.

Purpose
February 2 – March 22, 2026

Fresh from winning a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2025, Purpose comes direct from Broadway to Sydney. An influential African American family stands firmly on the highest pedestal of American politics, but the return of an estranged son threatens to unravel decades of secrets and topple their empire. Oprah described the play as “brilliant and funny and serious and complex and powerful”.

My Brilliant Career
March 21 – April 26, 2026

This is Miles Franklin’s classic novel as you’ve never experienced it before, accompanied by a live soundtrack of pop, bush band and pub rock tunes. It follows a young woman in 1880s Australia as she rails against convention and decides to create her own future. After a stellar run in Melbourne in 2024, My Brilliant Career comes to the Roslyn Packer Theatre in 2026.

More shows from the Sydney Theatre Company in 2026:

• The Normal Heart
• Housework
• Girls & Boys
• The Unfriend
• Strong is the New Pretty
• The Gospel According to Paul the Second Coming

Opera Australia

Madama Butterfly
January 2 – March 25, 2026

Back by popular demand, this must-see production of Puccini’s famous opera features some of the world’s best singers as well as emerging Australian stars. Elaborate staging includes a real moat dotted with floating candles, Japanese paper screens and colourful costumes. Madama Butterfly is always a beautiful and moving experience.

Turandot
January 15 – March 27, 2026

This spectacular production of another of Puccini’s works features monumental sets, immersive visuals and mesmerising dance. Two of Australia’s top dramatic sopranos, Rebecca Nash and Anna-Louise Cole, share the title role, bringing to life Turandot’s courage, her ancestor’s trauma, and another woman’s sacrificial love.

Handa Opera: Phantom of the Opera
March 27 – April 6, 2026

Sydney’s legendary floating stage returns to the harbour for a 40^th anniversary performance of Phantom of the Opera. Telling the story of a mysterious masked man living beneath the Paris Opera House, who falls madly in love with a young singer, it has been performed to more 160 million people. Directed by Australia’s master of musical theatre, Simon Phillips, this dazzling spectacle includes a firework finish.

Anastasia
From April 2026

The Broadway smash comes to the Sydney Opera House for its Australian premiere. The romantic and adventure-filled tale of Anastasia travels from Imperial Russia to 1920s Paris as the young woman tries to discover the truth about her family and her future.

La Stupenda: A Joan Sutherland Celebration
August 20 – 22

A star-studded tribute to ‘the voice that stopped the world’. Marking the 100^th birthday of the late Dame Joan Sutherland, Australian opera sensation Jessica Pratt will perform her most famous pieces, joined by Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang and the full forces of the Opera Australia Orchestra and Chorus.

My Fair Lady
From September 2026

Another milestone celebration, the Opera Australia production marks the 70^th anniversary of My Fair Lady’s debut on Broadway. The heartwarming story of Eliza Dolittle’s transformation from Cockney flower girl to society lady, it’s one of the most beloved musicals of the century. Be charmed by classic songs like ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’, ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ and ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’.

More shows from Opera Australia in 2026:

• Hansel & Gretel
• Eugene Onegin
• The Merry Widow
• Rigoletto
• The Drover’s Wife

Bell Shakespeare

Julius Caesar
March 7 – April 5, 2026

Television and theatre star Leon Ford takes on the role of Cassius alongside Brigid Zengeni’s Brutus as they plot to bring down the all-powerful Julius Caesar. Betrayal and chaos rock the republic as Rome teeters on the brink of collapse, fully expressing the drama that sits behind this legend.

Mackenzie
June 6 – July 18, 2026

Held in the Bell Shakespeare’s flagship performance space in Walsh Bay, Mackenzie is a hilarious, twisted and deeply camp reimagining of Macbeth. Set in the early 2000s, a teenage girl rises to fame driven by her cut-throat stage mother and includes original music from playwright Yve Blake.

Macbeth
November 18 – December 6, 2026

See Shakespeare’s most haunting thriller on the stage of the Sydney Opera House. Directed by Bell Shakespeare’s artistic director Peter Evans, Macbeth is a terrifying portrayal of moral collapse that takes you on an intense and compelling journey.

Hayes Theatre Co

Barbra: The Greatest Star
January 21 – February 14, 2026

A world-premiere performance, Barbra honours a trailblazing musical storyteller, and the music that’s shaped generations. Four vocalists and a live three-piece band take on the best of Streisand’s songbook and pay tribute to her legendary humour, fearless attitude and her groundbreaking impact on the industry.

Head Over Heels: The Musical
February 20 – March 22, 2026

Bringing together Shakespearean romance and the iconic anthems of 1980s band The Go-Go’s, this glitter-drenched romp follows a royal family on a riotous journey of tradition, change, and love in all its forms. It’s a feel-good party for fans of &Juliet and SIX the Musical.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
May 22 – June 21, 2026

Based on the hit 1988 film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, this Tony-nominated musical comedy follows two cunning conmen as they go head to head in the glamorous French Riviera. You’ll be seduced, swindled and swept off your feet.

The Addams Family
July 11 – August 9

The whole family will love The Addams Family, a fun, mysterious and freaky spin on this gothic cartoon. With toe-tapping numbers and spine-tingling laughs, this show promises an unforgettable night of kooky entertainment

Silver Tongue
November 13 – December 12, 2026

A funny and offbeat take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Silver Tongue is swashbuckling romp full of heart, swagger, and constant surprises. The production was created by Australian creatives Miranda Middleton, Jacob Parker and Alec Steedman, and developed by Hayes Theatre Co over several years.