World premieres, Victorian exclusives, and the critically acclaimed

Welcome to the wonder of Geelong Arts Centre’s SEASON 2026 — a program bursting with ideas, and powerful storytelling, curated under the thematic of World’s Open Up, this season spans music, comedy, theatre, dance, performance art and more, creating a diverse offering from a centre that continues to expand Geelong’s cultural footprint.

Working across a range of different programming strands, SEASON 2026 is headlined  by an ambitious Mainstage program which brings world-class performance to regional audiences, supported by boundary-pushing series REWIRE, Family Magic for the young, and Delightful Days & Matinees for the young-at-heart. Presented across Geelong Arts Centre’s incredible new campus, the 2026 program leans into the vision of Australia’s largest dedicated regional arts centre—championing thought-provoking, culturally resonant, and exciting original, adapted, and reimagined works at both national and local levels.

Rhys Holden Explains. "We’re trying to bring the best to Geelong Arts Centre — world class performances, world premieres, major award-winning productions, music, comedy but also profile incredible local music and theatre and a huge range of other shows performed across our venues. This year we decided to launch EVERYTHING to really show the breadth of our offering, because we’re equally excited about acting royalty Noni Hazlehurst coming to Geelong as we are about our local artists like Connor Morrel, coming from Geelong"

Appointed CEO in June 2024, Holden champions Geelong Arts Centre as a key player on the national stage, the calibre of programming not only strengthens Geelong’s appeal as a touring destination but reinforces the region’s significance within Australia’s arts ecology.

SEASON 2026 embodies this influence. Radically reimagined classic works such as Macbeth and The Glass Menagerie sit side-by-side with new works such as ILBIJERRI Theatre Company’s Gunawarra Re-creation, directed by First Nations leader Dr Rachael Maza AM.

Olivier Award-winning Australian playwright Suzie Miller makes two Victorian exclusive appearances in the Mainstage season. Her critically acclaimed production RBG: Of Many, One arrives in Geelong in a Victorian exclusive following sold-out runs across the country. Miller also debuts Strong Is The New Pretty, her AFLW chronicle, in a world premiere season.

SEASON 2026 is further headlined by stage and screen icon Noni Hazlehurst—Australian Film Institute Award-winner, ARIA Award-winner, Logie recipient, and Hall of Famer. After her standout performance in Mother, Hazlehurst reunites with playwright Daniel Keene for The Lark, a five-star production described as “utterly compelling” by Limelight.

Trailblazing comic Gillian Cosgriff joins the REWIRE program with Life, Oh Life, following her rise through beloved television comedy including Get Krack!n, Spicks & Specks, and Thank God You’re Here. Also on the bill: powerhouse theatre duo Natalie O’Donnell and Simon Gleeson bring music and heart to the Delightful Days & Matinees program. Families will be treated to cherished favourites, with adaptations of Mem Fox & Judy Horacek’s classic Where Is The Green Sheep? and the beloved Room On The Broom.

As Holden puts it: “We’re really proud to bring these world premieres to Geelong.”

Yet the season also proudly celebrates local identity. Some connections are obvious, others subtle, but each enriches the program’s Geelong heart. A standout example is Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett, honouring the ferocious Divinyls frontwoman and Belmont High alum. It also continues the season’s strong focus on powerful women.

The REWIRE series features Good Man from local favourite and Creative Engine artist Connor Morel, whose career has soared through national tours including The Lord Of The Rings: A Musical Tale, Elvis: A Musical Revolution, and The Wedding Singer, alongside his own internationally touring Geelong Arts Centre supported original work A Lovely Day To Be Online.

Neighbouring cultural powerhouse Back to Back Theatre joins the lineup with their new work I AM IN A PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH BRITNEY SPEARS, a world premiere and Geelong Arts Centre exclusive. Their contribution connects beautifully with Lighting the Dark, a return for Dancenorth Ensemble in collaboration with Chris Dyke. The work has earned national acclaim for Dyke’s history-making achievement as the first Australian living with Down syndrome to direct a mainstage piece for a professional dance company.

This rich spread of stories and stagecraft underscores Geelong Arts Centre’s role as a national leader in arts presentation while also welcoming audiences of all backgrounds, experiences, and curiosities.

“We want to build love, loyalty, and habit for attending arts experiences in our spaces and in our community,” Holden says. “A show like Strong Is The New Pretty is a gateway for AFL and AFLW enthusiasts to step into the theatre setting and it might spark the interest to see a show for the first time. The Lark may encourage those familiar with the renowned Noni Hazlehurst through her television personality to see her perform a powerful monologue.”

SEASON 2026 reinforces Geelong Arts Centre’s commitment to elevating artists, dancers, musicians, comedians, and creatives of the region. Holden sees the Centre as a catalyst for long-term artistic pathways.

As he explains, “Geelong Arts Centre is part of the national conversation of arts and theatre-making. We have a thriving local arts scene and we’re programming a diverse offering for audiences locally. Now it’s about how we connect the dots between all the activities — the great breadth of arts and cultural activities. So how do we connect dots between a four-year-old ballet student who performed in our venue in their first ballet concert one night, and then the following week is Dancenorth performing a contemporary dance work. There’s a beautiful thread that needs to exist between those two things and I think that's where we're going to see really great creative experiences for all.”

This is your cue to dive headfirst into the artistic and cultural kaleidoscope that is SEASON 2026 at Geelong Arts Centre.

To step into SEASON 2026 and discover membership packages by visiting geelongartscentre.org.au