Matthew Lutton

Adelaide Festival artistic director

I only moved to Adelaide in May this year, so there is a great deal I’m excited to discover and explore year-round. I’m looking forward to seeing the 2026 program that Vitalstatistix will announce, as well as the Unsound Festival program in July. I’ve also never been to Thebarton Theatre, so I’m eager to get down there and see a few gigs in its newly renovated glory. I’ve never heard the Sibelius symphonies performed live, so I’ll be seeing all three Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) concerts in September. And since Into the Woods is my favourite Sondheim musical and Constantine Cosi is an awesome opera director, I definitely won’t be missing Into the Woods at State Opera of South Australia.

Emily Steel

Artistic director, Theatre Republic

In 2026, Theatre Republic will bring our show How Not To Make It In America to Holden Street Theatres for the Adelaide Fringe. It’s about a young, naive Australian actor trying to make it in New York in 2001 – but 9/11 brings down the Twin Towers, his high-school sweetheart dumps him and his visa expires. It’s a funny, moving, one-man show in which local actor James Smith plays 28 characters, and it’s inspired by my own experiences, as the playwright.

This will be Theatre Republic’s first show in the Fringe – we’re excited to be part of the buzz at Holden Street, and connect with national and international producers. We first presented How Not To Make It In America in the Space Theatre in 2021, shortly after Covid lockdowns when audiences were still masked. It got fabulous reviews but had a very short premiere season, and a lot of people missed it. So we’re re-staging it, 25 years after September 11, to reach new audiences with this hilarious, heartbreaking play and James Smith’s extraordinary performance.

I’ll also be devouring Adelaide Festival shows, including Windmill’s Mama Does Derby,  and State Theatre Company South Australia’s season including Anthony Nocera’s play Log Boy as part of Spark, first developed with Theatre Republic.

Michelle Ryan

Restless Dance Theatre artistic director

In 2026, I’m particularly excited about remounting our work Guttered, which premiered at the 2021 Adelaide Festival. It’s a work that has become deeply loved within our repertoire — cheeky, heartfelt, and beautifully grounded in the everyday setting of a bowling alley. Returning to it with new cast members feels invigorating. Their perspectives, humour, and lived experiences will shape Guttered in surprising ways, breathing new life into the piece.  Shortly after the season we will be travelling to Canada to develop a new iteration of the work with our long-standing partners Maï(g)wenn et les Orteils and the team from Écoute Pour Voir.

It is incredibly exciting for the company and our dancers — especially knowing that our last collaboration earned an international award — and this residency offers a rich cultural exchange that will allow us to embed fresh perspectives and new ways of thinking directly into the work. I’m equally energised by the development of our new work Enough. This work examines thresholds — what we hold onto, what we release, and what happens when we finally decide “enough is enough”. These ideas resonate deeply with our dancers. The early stages of a project are always thrilling: there’s an openness, a curiosity, and a sense that anything is possible. I’m looking forward to watching the ensemble carve out the physical language and emotional tone of the work.

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Beyond Restless, I am most excited to experience Stephanie Lake’s The Chronicles at the 2026 Adelaide Festival. Having been completely absorbed by Manifesto and Mass Movement, I’m eager to see what she creates next. Stephanie has an extraordinary ability to combine muscularity, precision, and emotional immediacy in a way that feels both daring and deeply human. The Chronicles promises to be another ambitious, large-scale work that pushes the boundaries of ensemble choreography – and I can’t wait to see it unfold.

Daniel Riley

Artistic director, Australian Dance Theatre

I’m really excited to see Faraway. It’s a privilege to support an artist like Jenni Large, who is one of Australia’s most thrilling choreographic voices, who crafts and builds powerful worlds through her work. To be able to give such a special artist an opportunity to work with the remarkable dancers of ADT and to see what they generate together is a total thrill.

I’m also looking forward to seeing and supporting Jacob Boehme’s Logan Street at State Theatre Company in 2026. Jacob received a Tanja Liedtke Studio Residency at ADT to develop part of the work in 2024, and was also part of our inaugural BLAKFUTURES gathering in 2024. Jacob’s work is incredibly powerful, personal and so wonderfully connected to place. His work is deeply grounded in cultural authority and I’m really excited to see how he works with Elders and the community to share this beautiful story with audiences here on Kaurna Yerta. I think what connects both Jen and Jacob is a quality of being unapologetic. For Jen, it’s an amazing aesthetic interest in disassembly of the things we take for granted and how this relates to patriarchy. For Jacob, it’s a dedication to telling stories that aren’t often told about our history and connecting with his community and lineage to do so, with his unapologetic First Nations voice. Both strong, both creating cultural change and both inspiring artists.

Geoff Cobham

Artistic director, Patch Theatre

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2026 is shaping up to be a massive year for Patch. The highlight of our year will be getting to perform for Adelaide audiences again as we bring one of our favourite shows Me & My Shadow back to the refurbished Adelaide0 Festival Centre. It has been a couple of years since we’ve had the chance to perform in our hometown and it’s very exciting to be re-mounting Me & My Shadow for its 15^th anniversary.

I’m thrilled that Wonderverse will continue to reach more children across Australia. The response from our recent regional tour was deeply rewarding for an old artist like me. As I was lying on the floor beside a group of four-year-olds watching an ever-changing universe of light above us, one turned to me and whispered, “Am I flying?” Moments like that remind me why we do what we do.

We are also working hard and developing a new work that explores ideas of migration through the metaphor of birds. The group we are working with is extraordinary and I feel genuinely grateful to be in a room with such a diverse collection of artists, creating fresh experiences for our favourite audience – five-year-olds!

Next year, I’m especially looking forward to the Adelaide Festival, particularly Works and Days (from the company that brought us the extraordinary, bewildering and inspiring The Sheep Song in 2023). I’m also excited to catch Mama Does Derby from our own local legends at Windmill.

Jo O’Callaghan

Executive director, programs and development, Adelaide Fringe

Choosing one Adelaide Fringe show is tricky in a festival of this scale, I am however most excited by works that activate unexpected spaces, neighborhood venues, main streets, community halls, parks and regional sites. I encourage everyone to take a road trip this Fringe and find a venue they have never been to!

I’m looking forward to a strong year of arts across South Australia. I’m excited to see incoming artistic director Matthew Lutton and executive director Julian Hobba deliver their first Adelaide Festival, in which I’ve already bought tickets to see Windmill’s Mama Does Derby. State Theatre Company South Australia announced a great program for 2026, with the new addition of the Spark program for independent theatre makers which I’m especially eager to support.

The year-round arts and festival scene is something I really enjoy about Adelaide, from feeding my curiosity at History Festival or ADT’s latest dance work, attending a visual arts exhibition at The Mill or Art Gallery of South Australia, or catching emerging theatre makers CRAM Collective’s latest performance, my calendar is never empty, and of course I love a gig at The Gov or a cheeky Thursday blues jam at Memphis Slims House of Blues.

Dane Lam

Artistic director, State Opera South Australia

I am most excited about the scale and ambition of our 2026 Golden Jubilee season. A year that declares, unequivocally, that world-class opera can and should be made in South Australia. It marks 50 years since this company was founded on Don Dunstan’s belief that culture belongs to everyone, and the program reflects that founding spirit.

We are creating four new productions; La Cenerentola (Cinderella), Hansel & Gretel, Into the Woods and Carmen — each conceived specifically for South Australian audiences. Together, they represent an achievement unmatched nationally by a company of our size. Alongside these works, we are showcasing leading South Australian and Australian artists and creatives; producing the first opera for babies outside Europe; launching a new schools opera that will reach students across the state; and expanding pathways for emerging artists through our collaboration with the Elder Conservatorium, including masterclasses, recitals and community-facing programs. These initiatives generate significant employment for local artists and makers while strengthening a legacy that will endure beyond the anniversary year.

Outside my own organisation, I am energised by the broader national momentum in opera. I look forward to seeing new Australian works, fresh interpretations of classic repertoire, and bold reimaginings that respond to the cultural moment with intelligence and ambition. Across the country, there is a renewed sense that opera can evolve, speak more directly to audiences, and embrace a wider creative landscape — and that is exciting.

But 2026 will be a defining year for opera in South Australia. It reflects a sector that is confident, imaginative and creating work of global calibre right here at home. Who says you need to import great opera to show South Australians great opera?

Bridget Alfred

CEO SALA Festival

In 2026 we are very excited that we are inviting the South Australian diaspora of artists to be part of SALA festival. Artists need to move, develop and keep connected to their roots, and it’s crucial that developing practitioners can access career development pathways, build expanded networks, and know they’ll always have a place here.

Our 2026 Feature Artist, Troy-Anthony Bayliss is the perfect example of an artist who has a geographically expansive practice. We’re enormously looking forward to working with Troy-Anthony and bringing South Australia and beyond along for the ride. It is going to colourful, thought provoking, and lots of fun.

It’s very hard not to talk about another 2026 project, but as we launch on July 31, the cat is staying in the hat for a while longer. In terms of other events, I’m looking forward to the Art Gallery of South Australia’s 2026 programme, the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Monet to Matisse, AGSA Screen Wavelength. I’m keen to see Post Office Projects line-up, they have a sharp eye on who is emerging and pushing through the ranks and Fabrik, always interesting.

Performing arts and film? Where to start? I’ve just seen the premier of Enzo at the Queer Film Festival, part of Feast Festival, I can’t recommend it enough, a gorgeous film. You might see me at Laneway if I can buy a ticket from my daughter, and I can’t wait for the trifecta of Adelaide Festival, Fringe and WOMAD. Who would live anywhere else?

Stephen Nicolazzo

Artistic director, Brink Productions 

Well, I am most excited about all of the shows we are developing but also one that will be revealed in the new year- which is a fun new work premiering in Adelaide for a very fun festival! So, stay tuned. Outside of Brink- WELL, there are so so so many shows I cannot wait to see; Windmill’s Mama Does Derby – because I love roller derby, Clare Watson and Elvy-Lee Quici, Anthony Nocera’s big gay slasher dramedy Log Boy as part of the very first Spark program at State Theatre Company South Australia, anything and everything Australian Dance Theatre are putting on ever. The Importance of Being Earnest (because I love Oscar Wilde, Carla Lippis, and Petra Kalive), Jacob Boeheme’s Logan Street and Ash Flanders’ dark satire about film and sexual politics – Commentary – which I just think is going to be a killer piece of new writing made with some killer SA talent. I also think there will be brilliant independent South Australian work coming to the stage that we don’t even know about yet- and that is probably the most exciting thing for me.

Petra Kalive

Artistic director, State Theatre Company South Australia

It’s genuinely hard to choose just one – every production in our 2026 season has its own energy, purpose and spark. Each work offers something different: laughter, beauty, provocation, or sheer joy. That variety is what makes programming so exciting – it’s a reflection of the depth and diversity of voices shaping Australian theatre right now.

That said, I’m especially excited about Logan Street, a new work by Narungga writer Jacob Boehme. Set in the heart of Adelaide, it traces the evolving friendship between a young First Nations girl and an Afghan cameleer over 10 years. It’s a story of belonging and transformation, filled with warmth, humour and grace. Jacob’s writing captures the pulse of this place – its layered histories and vibrant communities – and the play offers a deeply human vision of connection across culture and time.

Outside our own season, I’m looking forward to seeing new Australian stories flourish on stages across the country – from the bold experimentation of Belvoir and Malthouse, to the joy and craft of our regional partners like Country Arts SA and Windmill. There’s an incredible sense of renewal in the sector, a collective confidence to create work that is both meaningful and entertaining.

2026 feels like a year where Australian theatre will celebrate its full voice – authentic, fearless and generous – and I can’t wait to share in that creative conversation.

Colin Cornish

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra chief executive

With such a wide range of musical styles in our 2026 season, choosing a single highlight is no easy task. We are especially thrilled to welcome the great Welsh baritone Sir Bryn Terfel to Adelaide in November for the ASO’s 90th anniversary concerts at the Festival Theatre. His star power remains undimmed, and these performances promise to be truly unmissable.

Beyond the ASO, I am excited about the 2026 Adelaide Festival program – particularly the performances of Monteverdi, Bach, and more by Ensemble Pygmalion. Next year also marks the 50th anniversary of State Opera South Australia, and I am very much looking forward to their production of Rossini’s Cinderella, directed by Neil Armfield, in May.

Jason Smith

Director, Art Gallery of South Australia 

I can’t answer this question without my focus on AGSA’s inaugural Winter Art Series exhibition Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition opening in July 2026. But outside of AGSA’s rich 2026 program I am excited to see numerous productions in Matthew Lutton’s first Adelaide Festival as artistic director, especially Mary Said What She Said, designed and originally directed by the late Robert Wilson, an extraordinary American artist who died in July 2025. AGSA is the proud home of one of Wilson’s mesmerising video portraits, Lady Gaga: Mademoiselle Caroline Riviere, which is currently on display in the Melrose Wing. Mary Said What She Said will remind us of Wilson’s singular aesthetic sensibility, attuned as it was to nuance and idiosyncrasy in his human subjects.

Missed Part One? Find out what challenges our arts leaders are bracing for in 2026.