Mitchell Butel Launches STC’s 2026 Season
A bright new era of entertainment with loved and lauded performers.
From his new office at Sydney Theatre Company’s Walsh Bay Arts Precinct base, Mitchell Butel recalls the contributions each of his predecessors in the role of STC Artistic Director have made to the company’s home.
“The initial plan for the Wharf was to put the theatre at the front on Hickson Road and put the workshops down near the harbour. But Richard Wherrett knew it needed to be a journey for the audience, you need to walk towards the water - and I think everyone really values that now.”
“So many past Artistic Directors and Executive Directors are responsible for the benefits we now enjoy. I’m filled with immense gratitude to those that have come before us who have ensured that this region can operate in the way that it does.”
As Artistic Director number seven, Mitchell recently released his first program at a celebratory event on stage at Roslyn Packer Theatre. “I was really glad to do the launch on that stage. The opening of Sydney Theatre was a huge moment for this company.”
The opening of the new theatre in 2004 (opening as Sydney Theatre, it was renamed the Roslyn Packer Theatre in 2015) wasn’t without its challenges.
“In the theatre we had a flood, a fire and Jonathan Biggins (director of The Republic of Myopia) had chicken pox! Flood, fire and plague! But it ended up being a really beautiful day. It was a celebration of what could be possible in Sydney. Wayne Harrison was the person who had really pushed for the new theatre, and Robyn (Nevin) saw it through. It was a big deal.”
It was also a big moment for Mitchell, one of the cast appearing in the double bill which launched the venue: The Republic of Myopia by Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott, and Harbour by Katherine Thomson. The Sydney Morning Herald review said of Mitchell: “(he) deserves special mention for his swing from the brooding Craig in Harbour to Oswald, the camp, conniving spy with no intelligence in The Republic of Myopia.”
“It’s important to remember who’s come before and what a big impact they’ve had on this area. At one stage the authorities wanted to get rid of the Pottinger Street entrance to the loading dock. Wayne Harrison asked the question - how am I going to get our sets to the Opera House, and they replied ‘you can just barge them on the ferry!’ Wayne had to insist that the bridge was maintained. Had he not done that, STC would be very different.”
To launch the 2026 season Mitchell invited a range of creatives to share the stage with him. The room was overflowing with goodwill, with the exception of a certain esteemed former Prime Minister, aka Jonathan Biggins. At Wharf 1 in November 2026, Jonathan will reprise his turn as Paul Keating in The Gospel According to Paul, The Second Coming.)
The season includes three world premieres and the return of some favourite performers. David Wenham will work with STC for the first time since last century (in 1997 he and Mitchell both performed in Barry Kosky’s Tartuffe). David appears at Wharf 1 in An Iliad, an adaptation of Homer’s Iliad directed by Damien Ryan. “Wharf 1 will be in corner configuration, which means this will be an incredibly intimate audience. David’s return to STC is a grand moment and this is a perfect play for the difficult time we’re living in, the way it deals with disagreement, divergence and conflict.”
Other highlights are Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (“a cracker family drama – one of the funniest and most thrilling plays I’ve seen in decades”); My Brilliant Career, a thrilling new musical interrogation of Miles Franklin’s classic staring Kala Gare (“a huge future star of Australian theatre”); Doubt A Parable by John Patrick Shanley starring Pamela Rabe and Sam Worthington; Bennelong in London by Jane Harrison (“like a beautiful buddy movie…utterly charming”); and The Unfriend by Steven Moffatt, starring Helen Thomson.
“Helen and I have grown up in the company as character-comedy actors. There’s a huge range to her, her performance in The Harp in the South was completely mind blowing. She’s one of the finest comic actors and she’s paired with Simon Phillips, who I think is our greatest comedy director. A match made in heaven.”
The final show for 2026 is “an unusual choice for STC”. Whispering Jack The John Farnham Musical, which Mitchell directs, will play at the Roslyn Packer Theatre. The new musical by Jack Yabsley will focus on the period when Farnham created the seminal album, taking him from a down-on-his-luck has been to the country’s biggest star. As to who will play this iconic role? “We have our second auditions this week! Farnham is a singular talent, but we have the next generation of performers to choose from.”
“It's a great underdog story, a celebration of Australian larrikin mythology, with kindness, compassion and banger songs.”
Aided by the Barangaroo Metro station, Mitchell predicts a transformative time for STC. “In Whispering Jack we have a work that speaks to a broader audience and with the Metro, now we have the transport to connects to that broader audience in Sydney’s north and west.”
Mitchell has no doubt that working among a range of creative neighbours at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct is a precursor to creativity.
“It’s genuinely thrilling. There’s a sense of collaboration. People talk about what they’re doing and ways they can connect and help each other. I run into colleagues every day at the Sydney Dance Company Café and talk about collaborating. The team from Bell Shakespeare come to the Schnitzel Day on Thursdays at The Wharf Restaurant and Bar.”
Adding to this social mix, Folio will be opening its New York-style bar and speakeasy at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in November, with award-winning bartender Charlie Ainsbury, the former owner of the This Must be the Place in Darlinghurst, partnering on the project.
“I’m excited by this being an entertainment precinct, not just a place for shows”, says Mitchell. “Post-Covid people changed how they party, but I think there’s a swing back and I feel very lucky to be here at this time as that is happening.”
As STC’s Executive Director Ann Dunn told launch guests, there is a lot to look forward to in the year ahead. “We’re proud to unveil a season that’s ambitious, diverse, and deeply rooted in our home here in the beautiful Walsh Bay Arts Precinct… anchored by the piers, framed by the water, and propelled by the stories that grace our stages.”
The last word goes to Mitchell, bringing the season launch to a close with a song to remind us of the joy a night at the theatre can bring:
Power, passion and drama
Awesome shows that’ll charm ya
Joy and laughs and good karma
It’s where you wanna be
Article by Phillipa Sprott.