From a sold-out 2024 debut to an encore Melbourne season and upcoming national tour, the unstoppable musical My Brilliant Career has reached yet another milestone.
The joyous adaptation, further developed through Melbourne Theatre Company’s NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program, has been awarded the $120,000 David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre at the 2026 Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Awards – the richest annual playwriting prize in the country.
Writers Sheridan Harbridge, Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank also received the AWGIE Award for best script in Music Theatre, securing a double win on the night:
“The team are thrilled to have My Brilliant Career recognised at the AWGIES, Australia’s premier writing awards. It’s a fraught time to be an artist and this musical honours the bravery of that choice. We can’t wait to share the production with the rest of the country as Sybylla and her band go on tour”.
The production returned to Melbourne in January 2026, after receiving five Green Room Awards including Outstanding Production during its premiere season – standing shoulder-to-shoulder with major commercial musicals.
“This is an extraordinary acknowledgement of Sheridan, Dean and Mathew’s work, and a powerful endorsement of new Australian musical theatre. Audiences have embraced this story and Sybylla wholeheartedly and this award recognises the place of My Brilliant Career in the national canon,” says Artistic Director & Chief Executive Officer of Melbourne Theatre Company, Anne-Louise Sarks.
Directed by Anne-Louise Sarks, My Brilliant Career brings Miles Franklin’s unapologetically ambitious heroine, Sybylla Melvyn, vividly to life on stage – inspiring audiences night after night and drawing visitors from around the country.
My Brilliant Career will tour across Eastern Australia at the end of its Melbourne run, with seasons in Canberra, Sydney and Wollongong.
Tour Dates & Locations
- Melbourne – 23 January – 28 February 2026 | Southbank Theatre, The Sumner
- Canberra – 7 March to 15 March | Canberra Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre
- Sydney – 21 March to 3 May | Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company
- Wollongong – 8 May to 17 May | IMB Theatre, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre Merrigong Theatre Company
Cast includes Kala Gare (Sybylla Melvyn), Raj Labade (Harry / Peter / Ensemble), Ana Mitsikas (Grannie / Rose Jane / Ensemble), Christina O’Neill (Mother / Helen / Mrs M’Swat / Ensemble), Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward (Frank / Ensemble), Melanie Bird (Gertie / Blanche / Ensemble), Drew Livingston (Father / Jay-Jay / M’Swat / Ensemble), Lincoln Elliott (Jimmy / Horace / Ensemble), Victoria Falconer (Ensemble), Jarrad Payne (Ensemble), Jack Green (Understudy) and Meg McKibbin (Understudy).
Creative team includes Sheridan Harbridge (Book), Dean Bryant (Book & Lyrics), Mathew Frank (Music), Anne-Louise Sarks (Director), Victoria Falconer (Musical Director / Additional Music Arrangements), Amy Campbell (Choreographer), Marg Horwell (Set & Costume Designer), Matt Scott (Lighting Designer), James Simpson (Orchestrator / Vocal Arranger), Joy Weng (Sound Designer), Miranda Middleton (Associate Director) and Savanna Wegman (Associate Set & Costume Designer).
For more information, ticketing, and updates on the tour, visit mtc.com.au/my-brilliant-career-tour and follow @mybrilliantcareer.