We Talk Theatre, Newcastle (2026)

29/07/2026

🏠 AUSTRALIA’S MOST-LOVED FILM TO BE REIMAGINED FOR THE STAGE 🏠

Michael Cassel Group and Working Dog have announced Australia’s most beloved film, THE CASTLE, will be reimagined for the stage in a major new theatrical play set to premiere in Melbourne at Her Majesty’s Theatre from March 2027, marking 30 years since the film’s original release.

Regarded as one of Australia’s most celebrated and beloved films, THE CASTLE has captivated Australian audiences for three decades and left an undeniable mark on Australian culture, with its humour, heart, and iconic one liners firmly embedded within the national vernacular. Audiences will once again join the Kerrigan family on their heartfelt and hilarious Darryl versus Goliath fight to save their cherished home, in a story that continues to resonate across generations and perfectly captures the Aussie battler spirit of courage, resilience, and the power of community in the ultimate pursuit of… serenity.

This new adaptation has been written by the film’s original creators, Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro and Jane Kennedy, who also join the production as co-producers, ensuring the story of the Kerrigan family and their unmistakable Australian voice will be brought to life on stage by the team who know it best.

THE CASTLE
www.thecastleonstage.com.au
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We Talk Theatre
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21/07/2026

🔪 ‘AMERICAN PSYCHO: THE MUSICAL’ ANNOUNCES MELBOURNE RETURN & BRISBANE TOUR 🔪

Australia’s theatre scene will get a shot of adrenaline with the musical revival of AMERICAN PSYCHO - THE MUSICAL soon to tour Melbourne and Brisbane, following a sell-out season in Melbourne last year.

Playing at Melbourne’s Chapel Off Chapel from 29 October 2026 and Brisbane’s Powerhouse Theatre from 5 February 2027, AMERICAN PSYCHO - THE MUSICAL pulls no punches in its critique of capitalism, consumerism and excess. General tickets go on sale on Tuesday 28th July, with select presales starting from Wednesday 22nd July. Conor Beaumont (Heathers the Musical) will return to the lead role of Patrick Bateman, following his critically acclaimed performance in 2025 - the full cast can be found on the website below.

The show dives into the mind of Patrick Bateman: a young, wealthy investment banker with a taste for designer suits by day, and something far more sinister by night. Set in the money-obsessed Manhattan of the late 1980s, AMERICAN PSYCHO - THE MUSICAL is a blood-soaked thrill ride through greed, privilege and moral decay, soundtracked by a slick score and iconic hits from Phil Collins, Tears for Fears, New Order and Huey Lewis and the News.

American Psycho - A Musical Thriller
www.americanpsycho.com.au
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We Talk Theatre
[email protected]

20/07/2026

🎄 CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY: ELF THE MUSICAL WILL RETURN TO AUSTRALIA 🎄

Following its smash-hit Australian premiere season at the Sydney Opera House in 2024, the heart-warming musical heads to Melbourne’s newest theatre, CROWN LIVE, from 27th November 2026 bringing holiday magic and Christmas cheer to audiences this festive season.

Tickets go on sale to the general public this coming Friday, 24 July at 9:00am from Ticketmaster. Gareth Isaac will reprise the lead role of Buddy, for which he received rave reviews. Further cast announcements will be made in coming months.

ELF THE MUSICAL, inspired by the beloved Christmas film starring Will Ferrell, is the hilarious and heartwarming story of Buddy, a young orphan whose life is changed forever when he mistakenly crawls into Santa’s sack of toys one Christmas Eve. Raised as an elf at the North Pole, Buddy finally discovers he is human and sets off on a journey to New York City to find his birth father. Along the way he must come to terms with a father on Santa’s naughty list, win over a skeptical half-brother who doesn’t believe in Santa, and help restore the magic of Christmas.

elfthemusical.com.au
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We Talk Theatre
[email protected]

01/04/2026

💃 MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL - AUDITIONS KICK OFF IN SYDNEY 💃

Auditions for the global smash hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical has officially kicked off in Sydney this week, with hundreds of performers competing for a coveted place in next year’s highly anticipated production.

With only a limited number of roles available, competition is fierce as performers bring elite technical skill, stamina and star power into the audition room.
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Moulin Rouge! The Musical returns in March 2027 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

27/03/2026

⭐️ NEWCASTLE FRINGE 2026: STAR RATINGS ⭐️

Another year, another ! Week 1 of Fringe was an absolute joy, special thanks to the shows that extended us an invite - check out the official We Talk Theatre ratings for a selection of the works 🎭

BECAUSE THERE WAS FIRE: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SMILE: THE STORY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE RIVER GHOST: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

ONCE UPON A TIME: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get your tickets to the final selection of Newcastle Fringe works for the last weekend through the NFF socials!
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[email protected]

08/12/2025

🖇️ FROM THE PRODUCER OF ‘THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG’ COMES A BOLD, INTIMATE NEW PRODUCTION 🖇️

Newcastle audiences are in for a rare treat this December as The Very Popular Theatre Company stages Mike Bartlett’s critically acclaimed one-act play, Contractions, in the intimate and atmospheric Fern St Studios.

Emma’s been seeing Darren. She thinks she’s in love.
Her boss thinks she’s in breach of contract.
The situation needs to be resolved…

Set entirely within the confines of a corporate HR office, Contractions is a darkly comic and chilling exploration of power, privacy, and control. What begins as a seemingly ordinary workplace meeting quickly escalates into a tense and unnerving power struggle, where personal freedoms are tested, and every polite phrase hides a threat.

Directed by Daniel Stoddart, this production stars two of Newcastle’s most compelling performers Katie Blaxland (Mary Poppins, Jersey Boys) and Megan Kennedy (Every Second, Banging Denmark), whose dynamic performances bring Bartlett’s tension-filled dialogue to life. Stoddart admits, “I never intended for this to be a full-blown production - it started as a workshop project, but I got a little carried away. Katie and Megan are two of my favourite Newcastle actors, and this was the perfect opportunity to work with them together.”

“Staging it in the intimate space of our own Fern St Studios is like entering the meeting room yourself and offers our audiences a front-row seat to every twist, turn, and uncomfortable laugh,” said Stoddart.

Step inside the corporate world like never before, where every word matters, every action is scrutinised, and a simple meeting can become a corporate nightmare. At once both absurd, and horrifyingly familiar, you’ll be talking about this show around the water cooler at work for days afterward!

CONTRACTIONS runs for 60 minutes with no interval and will be staged for four performances only: 8:00pm | 10–13 December | Fern St Studios | Tickets $40

Book at www.verypopulartheatrecompany.com.au

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[email protected]

07/10/2025

🥧 SYDNEY, LIFE IS ABOUT TO BE AS EASY AS PIE 🥧

Broadway’s smash-hit musical WAITRESS is baking its way to Australia for the very first time, premiering at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in July 2026. Waitlist at WaitresstheMusical.com.au to be first in line to buy tickets when they go on sale later this month.

Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s beloved film, and brought to life by a trailblazing creative team, including a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson, an original, uplifting score by Grammy® winner Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave) and direction by Tony® winner Diane Paulus, WAITRESS is the irresistible Broadway hit about resilience, friendship and hope that has captured hearts worldwide.

“It’s been a dream of mine to see WAITRESS (finally) find its way to Australia,” said Sara Bareilles. “This story is about dreams, friendship and the courage needed to learn to love oneself, which feels so universal, and so timely. Over the years, we have witnessed such an incredible embrace of this show, and I’m so proud to be a part of the team that is bringing you something so full of heart and soul. I’m so excited for Sydney audiences to experience WAITRESS.”

This heartwarming and empowering musical tells the story of Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie maker who longs to escape her rocky marriage and start again. When a baking contest, an unexpected new romance and the support of her fellow waitresses offer her a taste of change, Jenna discovers that the secret ingredient to happiness might be closer than she ever imagined.

📸 Marie-Andrée Lemire
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[email protected]

03/10/2025

BACK TO THE FUTURE - THE MUSICAL
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Take an electrifying ride back in time with London’s Olivier Award-winning best new musical, adapted for the stage by the creators of the original movie trilogy.

Starring Tony Award-winner Roger Bart, who originated the iconic role of Doc Brown on the West End and Broadway, and rising star Axel Duffy as Marty McFly. They lead an outstanding cast including Ashleigh Rubenach as Lorraine Baines, Ethan Jones as George McFly, and Javon King as Goldie Wilson

Welcome to Hill Valley! When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past and send himself… back to the future.

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[email protected]

01/10/2025

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

The longest running comedy in London, the smash-hit Olivier and Tony-Award-winning, The Play That Goes Wrong, returns to Australia & New Zealand!

A hilarious hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes, things go from bad to utterly disastrous when the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society performs a classic murder mystery. Complete with an unconscious leading lady, a co**se that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it’s “A RIOTOUS EXPLOSION OF COMEDY!” (The Daily Beast) and “TONS OF FUN FOR ALL AGES!” (HuffPost). The New York Times calls The Play That Goes Wrong “A GUT-BUSTING HIT”, and the New York Post has just one word for you: “GO!”

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, experience total mayhem and comic hijinks at The Play That Goes Wrong, guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter. Book tickets now – it would be WRONG to wait!

The next tour stop for THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is Port Macquarie, followed by Canberra, and finishing off in Perth.

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[email protected]

29/09/2025

🦁 THE WAIT IS OVER! DISNEY ANNOUNCES ON-SALE DATE AHEAD OF SYDNEY 2026 SEASON 🦁

Australian audiences will soon be able to secure their seats for Disney’s THE LION KING ahead of the triumphant return of the world’s #1 musical to Sydney. Opening at the Capitol Theatre from April 2026, this season marks ten years since this iconic musical was last on stage here in Australia.

THE LION KING has been seen by more than 120 million world-wide, cementing its status as one of the most beloved musicals of all time.

Tickets will go on sale from 9am AEDT 16 October 2025 via thelionkingmusical.com.au. To be kept informed of ticketing details sign up at thelionkingmusical.com.au.

CommBank Yello gets you in first! Eligible CommBank Yello customers have exclusive early
access to presale tickets starting from Thurs 9 Oct 2025 at 9am AEDT until Thurs 16 Oct 2025 at
8am AEDT. Visit commbank.com.au/disneypresale to find out more.

We Talk Theatre

29/07/2026

21/07/2026

20/07/2026

01/04/2026

27/03/2026

08/12/2025

07/10/2025

03/10/2025

01/10/2025

29/09/2025

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