An ambitious new production about Australia’s most catastrophic engineering disaster is set to be a highlight of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2026 season. West Gate, penned by former shearer and construction worker Dennis McIntosh, will delve into the tragic collapse of the West Gate Bridge in 1970, which claimed the lives of 35 men. The play will be directed by Iain Sinclair, renowned for his 2019 adaptation of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge for MTC.
MTC Artistic Director Anne-Louise Sarks was captivated by McIntosh’s work upon reading an early draft nearly two years ago. “I felt like this is a work we need to do because we are a state theatre company, and this story is about Melbourne, it’s for Melbourne,” she remarked. “It has a national reach – it’s the worst industrial disaster in Australian history – but it’s our story.” Sarks emphasized the personal connection McIntosh has to the narrative, having been a student at Newport Primary School when the disaster occurred. “He speaks so passionately about it because he has a genuine connection to this story, to those people, and he has worked really hard to engage with survivors and families, to do his research, and the result is a work that is so human.”
Exploring Human Nature and Technology
Also featured in the 2026 lineup is Eliza, a play by Tom Holloway that examines the essence of humanity through the lens of technology. Based on the true story of Dr. Joseph Weizenbaum, a professor at MIT who developed the language-simulation program ELIZA in 1966, the play will star Dan Spielman. Weizenbaum’s creation ultimately laid the groundwork for modern chatbots, but its success led him to become a vocal critic of artificial intelligence, particularly its military applications.
“I’m not a hugely technological person, but I knew when I first saw that script that it was a very urgent work,” Sarks stated. “It looks through that historical lens at the questions everyone is asking right now about technology, about AI, about human engagement, and so we need to get that play on next year. I think there’s something quite beautiful about the very human form of theatre grappling with that challenge.”
Championing Australian Voices
In a robust program of 12 plays, the MTC is showcasing the work of Australian writers, with 10 plays penned by local talents. Seven of these are world premieres, and the same number have been developed through the company’s Next Stage writers’ program. “I came to this company [in 2023] with a vision to put Australian work at the centre of the company,” Sarks explained. “And this season, I feel, really delivers on that.”
The season will commence in January with an encore run of My Brilliant Career, ahead of a tour to Canberra, Sydney, and Wollongong. There are also discussions underway for an international tour of the musical.
Diverse Offerings and New Adaptations
The season will also feature new works from writers such as Marieke Hardy, whose Losing Face is a comedy about perimenopause, wellness, and aging, starring Genevieve Morris and Michala Banas. Jean Tong, director of Dying: A Memoir, will present Do Not Pass Go, starring Belinda McClory in a drama about two colleagues navigating identity, politics, and their generational divide.
Acclaimed screen actor Daniel Henshall will return to the stage in Joanna Murray-Smith’s reimagining of Uncle Vanya, marking the first MTC staging of a Chekhov play since 2013. Additionally, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie will be revived for the first time in over 20 years, with Alison Whyte and Tim Draxl leading the cast.
Following his directorial debut last year, Bert LaBonte will direct Retrograde, an Olivier-nominated play about a real-life encounter between Sidney Poitier and a studio lawyer in 1950s Hollywood. Meanwhile, from the creators of Counting and Cracking, S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack, comes The Jungle and the Sea, a family drama set against Sri Lanka’s civil war.
Concluding the season in November will be an adaptation of E.M. Forster’s A Room With a View, by writer Grace Chapple and director Hannah Goodwin, with Nathalie Morris starring as Lucy Honeychurch.
The Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2026 season is poised to offer a compelling mix of historical narratives, technological reflections, and explorations of human nature, underscoring the company’s commitment to Australian storytelling and theatrical innovation.
