Theatre
If you’re the kind of theatregoer who craves the strange, the salacious, or the deliciously off-centre, then REWIRE is your new artistic playground.
As the irreverent, electric undercurrent of Geelong Arts Centre’s Season 2026, REWIRE is where boundaries blur, rules are joyfully broken, and live performance becomes a nightly experiment in boldness. It’s theatre that sparkles, sweats, and sometimes even stings — and that’s exactly the point.
The season kicks off with Good Man from Geelong’s own Connor Morel. In a heartfelt musical packed with humour, Morel tells the story of meeting his father for the very first time — during his first-ever live gig, no less — with a live band alongside him. Equal parts charming, chaotic, and deeply personal, this Geelong run proves that sometimes the most disarming stories are the ones we tell about ourselves. The work follows Morel’s Creative Engine–supported A Lovely Day To Be Online, and if that’s anything to go by, audiences are in for a warm, witty whirlwind.
From the confessional to the transcendent, REWIRE then dives into Temple of Desire, a lush dance-theatre work from Karma Dance Inc. that glows at the intersection of spirituality and sensuality. This visually hypnotic piece conjures an imaginary sanctum shaped by classical and contemporary Indian dance, pushing into alternative histories and liberated futures while acknowledging culture, colonisation, and identity with breathtaking beauty. It’s the kind of performance that feels like stepping into someone’s dream — vivid, evocative, and hard to leave behind.
Of course, REWIRE wouldn’t be REWIRE without a little pop-culture pandemonium, and Back to Back Theatre delivers exactly that with their world premiere I AM IN A PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH BRITNEY SPEARS. In true Back to Back fashion, the work questions the possibilities of theatre itself as it follows Simon — Australia’s number one Britney fan — who hatches an elaborate plan to protect his idol from imagined threats. It’s odd, funny, unsettling, and strangely tender, like digging through the fan-mail drawer of someone you’re not entirely sure you should trust. And naturally, you can’t look away.
After Britney comes belly laughs, courtesy of the award-winning Gillian Cosgriff in Life, Oh Life. Blending songs, stand-up, and the occasional bout of voluntary audience participation, Cosgriff brings her glittering comedic instincts to a performance that pings between silliness and sincerity with effortless charm. As a regular on Thank God You’re Here, she’s no stranger to controlled chaos — which makes her a perfect fit for REWIRE’s anything-can-happen energy.
The season deepens again with Swallow, a poignant contemporary dance work from Wiradjuri artist Joel Bray. This Green Room–nominated piece explores the intimate ritual of discovering one’s totem, weaving Bray’s lived experience as a fair-skinned Indigenous man and a gay man into a tender journey alongside the Welcome Swallow, or Yirribin. It’s personal yet universal, delicate yet powerful — a meditation on identity that lingers long after the final movement.
Rounding out the season is the live cine-theatre experiment POV by Re:group, where 11-year-old filmmaker Bub recruits two adult actors — unrehearsed and unsuspecting — to re-enact her memories surrounding her family’s breakdown. With each night unfolding differently, audiences get to witness raw creativity in motion, shaped by a child’s determination to uncover her own truth. It’s messy, heartfelt, and exhilarating: exactly what REWIRE does best.
Together, these works form a season that is daring, dizzying, and deliciously alive. REWIRE isn’t just a program — it’s an experience that invites you to plunge headfirst into the imaginative unknown. If you’re ready to have your expectations unravelled and rewired, this is your invitation.
