Melbourne’s Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre has unveiled its 2026 season, marking the company’s 25th anniversary with a program that reflects its legacy of risk-taking, excellence and artist-led storytelling.
Anchored by a landmark revival of Ray Lawler’s The Doll Trilogy, the season also features acclaimed new international works, and a world premiere as part of Red Stitch’s INK program, which champions original Australian writing.
The announcement follows a year of critical and audience acclaim, most recently with the sell-out season of Max Friedlich’s Job. As it enters its 25th year, Red Stitch continues to play a vital role in commissioning, developing and producing new Australian work, and in bringing urgent, resonant voices to audiences across Melbourne.
Red Stitch Artistic Director Ella Caldwell says:
“Our 25th anniversary season is a celebration of the core values that have shaped Red Stitch from the very beginning – the intimacy of our space, the strength of our ensemble, and a fierce belief in the power of great writing. As an ensemble company, our focus has always been on the relationship between actors and the playwright’s words on the page, and the audience travelling alongside us.
This program brings together extraordinary international voices, urgent new Australian work, and one of the most significant works in our national canon, The Doll Trilogy, realised as it was meant to be experienced by an ensemble of actors inhabiting the roles across three decades. Ray Lawler was a trailblazer, a master of his craft and one of Australia’s most influential artists. While The Doll is widely recognised for its significant contribution to dramatic literature, the full trilogy is rarely staged due to its scale and complexity – but at Red Stitch, we love a challenge.”
This season feels like the perfect moment to reflect on where we’ve come from, and to share work that speaks to who we are now, how we got here and who we might become.”
Red Stitch’s 2026 season includes:
• The Doll Trilogy by Ray Lawler (21 Feb – 11 Apr)
• Anna X by Joseph Charlton (27 May – 21 Jun)
• Funeral Flowers by Emma Dennis-Edwards (29 Jul – 23 Aug)
• Luke by Angus Cameron — world premiere, INK program (16 Sep – 11 Oct)
• Carbon by Pier Lorenzo Pisano (11 Nov – 6 Dec)
• On the Ropes by Dan Giovannoni — education production touring to schools
With more to be announced in 2026, Red Stitch celebrates a quarter century by cementing its place as the home of “consistently excellent theatre” (Joanna Murray-Smith). The ensemble-led company continues to punch above its weight, having delivered over 175 productions and multiple national tours, with 2026 set to be another ambitious undertaking.
Tickets for the Red Stitch 2026 season are now on sale via https://www.redstitch.net/