ATYP Returns after 17 Years to Sydney Opera House with Young Creatives in the 2026 Season
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After nearly 20 years away from the Sydney Opera House, the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) has announced its return, with exciting performances scheduled for its 2026 lineup, as well as its new creative space.
ATYP is Australia’s national youth theatre company, based at The Rebel Theatre on Pier 2/3 in Walsh Bay, and has spent more than 60 years launching young artists and creating opportunities for young people to see themselves on stage.
The 2026 season will be led by Hayden Tonazzi, the new artistic director and CEO of ATYP. Tonazzi has revealed that the program is built around up-and-coming actors, directors, writers, and designers, with one of the company’s recent hits, Saplings, heading out on a major national tour.
Saplings leads Sydney Opera House return and national tour
Saplings was a great success at Sydney Festival 2024 and went on to win Best Production for Young People at the Sydney Theatre Awards.
The story follows young people trying to grow up in a system that continually cuts them down. The show will mark ATYP’s return to the Sydney Opera House after 17 years.
The theatre production was written by Yuwaalaraay, playwright Hannah Belanszky, and directed by Kalkadoon artist Abbie-lee Lewis. The show will be open to the public from 11 to 17 May 2026, before hitting the road for what the company says will be its biggest national tour yet. Stops include venues across five states and territories, including Arts Centre Melbourne.
From 2026, Saplings will also appear on the Victorian Schools Drama Syllabus, allowing students to learn lessons of resilience, humour, and hope.
“ATYP has always been a bridge between: young people and the professional stage, local voices and national conversations,” said Tonazzi. “2026 is an exciting time for ATYP with a new performance space for emerging artists and an expanded program to support the next generation of Australian storytellers.”
The Popsy
Away from the Opera House, ATYP is also making more space for emerging artists at the Walsh Bay Arts precinct. Inside ATYP’s Pier 2/3, the company is opening The Popsy, a new performance space dedicated to creative new work and younger artists.
The Popsy stage will feature shows such as Islander, The Last Train to Madeline, and Straight Panic.
Islander by Amy Draper, Finn Anderson, and Stewart Melton, directed by Tonazzi and Miranda Middleton, takes the audience on a musical journey following a girl on a shrinking island whose life changes when a whale and a mysterious stranger wash ashore. It’s set to take place from 21 September to 3 October 2026.
The Last Train to Madeline by Callum Mackay follows the story of two children from a sweltering summer in Wangaratta, at the age of eight, through to their twenties. It’ll be available for viewing from 11 to 21 March 2026.
Additionally, Straight Panic by Lachlan Parry, directed by ATYP alum Lily Hayman, is a comedy that jumps between frazzled staff at Myer George Street, a disastrous McLaren family “Olympics”, and three confused boys on Cronulla Beach in 2005, sending up straight drama and macho panic. It’ll be showing from 24 June to 4 July 2026
ATYP’s artistic community efforts
ATYP plans include featuring 15 emerging artists across their major productions, as well as an adaptation of the musical Islander, providing young performers, directors, and writers with the potential for professional experience.
The new season is supported by Creative Australia, the NSW Government’s Create NSW, and the Neilson Foundation.
“The 2026 program reflects ATYP’s renewed purpose in connecting the creativity of young Australians with audiences across the country. We’re proud to invest in a company that continues to evolve, to open doors, and to champion the voices that will shape the cultural future of our nation,” said ATYP Chair Andrew Johnson.
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