OBSERVER: La Mama Theatre in 2026


Returning in 2026 after lying fallow in 2025, La Mama Theatre’s season next year has an exciting new structure consisting of three themes introduced at the season’s launch by Caitlin Dullard, La Mama’s CEO and Artistic Director.
All three themes seek to embody La Mama’s key principles of community, freedom, pathways and new Australian work.
The first theme, La Mama Presents, sees eight new plays performed from February to May at La Mama HQ and La Mama Courthouse.
The second theme, Play, running from June to August, sees the focus on developing new work, on experimentation and pushing the boundaries of theatre.
Finally Partnerships, running from September to December, sees La Mama collaborate with a range of different organisations and events, such as Melbourne Fringe, in order to broaden its engagement with community.
Further details about Play and Partnerships will be forthcoming so the launch focussed primarily on La Mama Presents.
There is a diverse range of offerings in the eight plays to be staged at the two venues, each running for three weeks.
In February, Moongazing looks at contemporary sources of emotional and spiritual guidance while Saints takes a satirical tour of a revolutionary England.
In March, Some Secrets Should Be Kept Secret is a gothic tale of lies and truth telling involving the Stolen Generation while Back To Te Maunga is a Maori dramedy examining male friendship.
In April, Spare A Thought For Jana Wendt is a dark comedy taking aim at privilege and status and Head-Thorax-Abdomen, a dark comedy thriller, sees three characters struggle to solve a terrible mystery.
Finally in May, Gag Reflex has three naive Year 12 girls trying to write erotica to win a manuscript competition and Stuck has two women in a small-town supermarket deli go head-to-toe trying to survive the drudgery.
After a challenging couple of years it looks like La Mama is bouncing back with more than just a spring in its step.
For further information about the 2026 season see: https://lamama.com.au/
Peter Murphy