Geelong Arts Centre lifts curtain on 2026 program

GEELONG Arts Centre has lifted the curtain on its program for next year, describing it as offering moments that shift perspective, stir old memories and make you laugh louder than you meant to.

Building on the record-breaking success of 2025, Geelong Arts Centre will host more 32 shows across 86 performances, in addition to a huge mix of theatre, dance, family entertainment, local productions, live music gigs and the biggest comedy acts in the country.

This year’s season, officially launched at Geelong Arts Centre on Wednesday this week, is full of stories of powerful women from Geelong, Australia and around the world – from the resilience of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Sydney Theatre Company’s RBG: Of Many, One, to the raw energy of Geelong-born Chrissy Amphlett of Divinyls fame in Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett.

Making its Victorian premiere, award-winning playwright Suzie Miller’s Strong is the New Pretty tells the story of the power-breaking birth of women’s footy and the trailblazing women rewriting the rules of the game. Australian acting royalty Noni Hazlehurst will star in Daniel Keene’s The Lark, a poignant solo work about memory, change and holding on, and Alison Whyte in Melbourne Theatre Company’s anticipated production of The Glass Menagerie. In addition to ILBIJERRI Theatre Company’s Gunawarra Re-creation, directed by Rachael Maza, honours Taungurung stories and celebrates black women’s strength and healing.

For those seeking the unexpected, REWIRE fills the theatres with bold, daring and unconventional work. This includes Connor Morel’s heartfelt musical Good Man about masculinity and meeting your dad for the first time; Karma Dance Inc.’s visually stunning Temple of Desire;I Am in a Parasocial Relationship with Britney Spears, a world premiere by Geelong’s internationally celebrated Back to Back Theatre; Gillian Cosgriff’s sharp musical wit; Joel Bray’s Swallow; and re:group performance collective’s cinematic POV.

Rounding out the season are the joyful daytime performances of Delightful Days & Matinees, with favourites such as Heart & Music starring Simon Gleeson and Natalie O’Donnell, Denis Walter singing his all-time favourites, James Bond Classics, and Bernadette Robinson’s They Sang at Carnegie Hall.

For young audiences, Family Magic invites children and their grown-ups to discover worlds of imagination through Robot Song, Where is the Green Sheep?, Moss Piglet, Alphabet of Awesome Science, Room on the Broom and Wolfgang in the Stars. The Geelong Wonder Children’s Festival will also return to take over the Geelong Little Malop Street precinct.

“You can really feel the energy building across Geelong right now,” Geelong Arts Centre chief executive officer and creative director Rhys Holden said. “Our stages have never been busier, our audiences are growing, and we’re seeing more and more artists wanting to develop or premiere their work here.”

“Next year, we see Geelong stepping into its next chapter as a cultural leader – a place where world-class art and everyday life meet.

“From world premieres to Victorian exclusives, SEASON 2026 speaks directly to the bold, creative, vibrant and deeply connected community we’re proud to serve.”

Tickets to the 2026 season go on sale from Monday, December 1.

To see the full line-up, head to geelongartscentre.org.au