Leichhardt’s new theatre will host hit Broadway musicals as the Italian Forum enters its second act

• Teatro at the Italian Forum: A new 365-seat theatre is launching at the Italian Forum in Leichhardt.
• The venue has announced two hit Broadway musicals, starting with The Addams Family Musical in October.
• This marks a vibrant second act for the Italian Forum, aiming to revive the precinct’s cultural heartbeat.

For years, the Italian Forum in Leichhardt was Sydney’s little slice of Rome. Bustling trattorias, heaps of gelato shops and the atmosphere of a Venetian or Roman piazza. But the once-proud cultural hub turned into more of a ghost town than gathering place.

Now, two seasoned theatre makers are betting everything—quite literally—on bringing the sparkle back.

The makings of a comeback

Nathan M. Wright and Andrew Bevis, both veterans of Broadway, West End and Australia’s big stages, have signed on to transform the underused Italian Cultural Centre, which stands at the centre of the Forum.

“So, obviously, the golden rule of theatre is never invest your own money,” Wright told the Sydney Morning Herald. “And we haven’t taken any notice of that. We’ve self-funded to get into this building. We want to be able to create great theatre.”

The Italian Cultural Centre was fitted out as a 365-seat theatre and auditorium long ago, but has never quite reached its full potential. Wright and Bevis aim to change that, bringing big-name musicals and fresh talent to the venue, which they’ve named Teatro.

After seven months of negotiations with Co.As.It, the cultural organisation that owns the site, Wright and Bevis have the keys—and two years (plus an option for four more) to prove their venture can succeed.

Premiere season

Performances begin in October, with the Tony Award-nominated production The Addams Family Musical proving a quirky family reunion is the perfect way to open a theatre. Nothing says “welcome back” like a tap-dancing Gomez and a brooding Wednesday, after all, right?

The cast will be announced in the next couple of weeks, but tickets are already on sale, ahead of its three-week run starting from October 3.

They will follow that up with the award-winning Broadway musical comedy The Prom in March 2026. Written by a team of Tony Award-winners and nominees, this booking is a big deal—the production will make its Australian premiere at Teatro. Not bad for Sydney’s newest theatre.

The Prom revolves around four Broadway stars who are in desperate need of a new stage. How appropriate.

A revival for the piazza

This is about more than theatre though. It’s about breathing life back into the Forum. “We see [Teatro] as a central component of the whole Italian Forum precinct and a way to draw new crowds and new interest, which can hopefully then spark further interest in some of the neighbouring tenancies,” says Co.As.It general manager, Thomas Camporeale.

It’s a vision that harks back to the Forum’s heyday in the ’90s and early 2000s, when the piazza was alive with conversation, music and, well, life. Created in 1988 on land gifted to the Italian community by then-NSW Premier Neville Wran, the precinct was once a go-to for locals and visitors alike. Over time, foot traffic waned and businesses shut their doors, leaving the square a shadow of its former self.

Bevis and Wright want to change that, and they’re inviting the whole arts community to join in. “This is not about our egos or doing it for us,” Bevis says. “We actually want people to come and join us.”

If they succeed, the curtain won’t just rise on a new theatre; it could be the opening scene in the Italian Forum’s second act.

Teatro at the Italian Forum

Address: The Italian Forum, Shop 30A/23 Norton St, Leichhardt NSW 2040
How to get there: Take the Light Rail to Leichhardt North (three-minute walk away) or bus routes 436, 437 or 438 to the Norton Street near Marion Street stop (two-minute walk away).

teatroitalianforum.com.au

The Addams Family Musical

When: Friday, October 3 until Sunday, October 26, 2025.
Run time: two-and-a-half hours, with a 15-minute interval.
Tickets: Mid-week: $65 per person or $50 each for four. Friday, Saturday and Sunday matinees: $75 per person or $60 each for four.

Book tickets here.

The Prom

When: March 2026.
Tickets: Join the waitlist here.