Darlinghurst Theatre Announces 2022 Season

Darlinghurst Theatre Company has unveiled its most ambitious season yet. Curated, for the first time, by new Artistic Director Amylia Harris this season builds on her inclusive vision for the company that has seen it successfully emerge from two consecutive lockdowns. It features productions of varying scale from plays and musicals to genre-defying happenings that combine the best of cabaret, burlesque and fully-fledged festivals, as well as transformative talks and workshops.

In announcing her 2022 lineup, Amylia Harris said, “2022 is the culmination of two years of growth and exploration. When the going got tough, we got to work. We listened to our community and threw out the rule book of what theatre is and discovered what it can be.”

The 2022 season gets underway Jasmine Lee-Jones’ smash-hit seven methods of killing kylie jenner. Taking Sydney by storm and receiving nightly standing ovations during its first sold-out season earlier this year, this co-production with Green Door Theatre Company returns to the Eternity Playhouse on January 12.

Next up is Amy Campbell’s new production of A Chorus Line, opening at the Sydney Opera House on Feb 11. The long-awaited premiere comes nearly two years after the global pandemic scuppered the production following four sold-out previews.

Following a hugely successful first outing in 2021, the body positivity festival Big Thick Energy returns bigger and juicier than ever. Curated by Demon Derriere, it will combine skills-sharing workshops with local artisan markets and evenings of high-energy entertainment starring some of Sydney’s most voluptuous burlesque dancers, drag royalty and Vogue goddesses.

Late March sees Darlo present Malthouse Theatre’s production of Aran Thangaratnam’s Stay Woke – its second collaboration with the company for the year.

From May 3, Creative Director Amy Sole and Creative Producer Phoebe Grainer will take up an Artists Residency to present BIG BLAK BANG. This full-venue takeover is an explosion of Blak excellence and storytelling that is deeply connected to the past, while also looking toward the future. It will feature First Nations market stalls, drag performance, cabaret, poetry and yarning centred around a post-dramatic Blak theatre piece in the auditorium. It promises to be an unforgettable fortnight in which First Nations artists of all forms and experience will have the autonomy to be seen, heard and celebrated.

Following this, Darlinghurst Theatre Company will present the NSW premiere of Benched, written by and starring actor and award-winning playwright Jamila Main.

As part of Sydney Fringe in September, legendary cabaret YUMMY will bring their brand-new show incorporating drag, dance, circus, and burlesque to the Eternity Playhouse.

September also sees Dino Dimitriadis direct the Australian premiere of Overflow by Travis Alabanza (Burgerz).

Darlo Underground, a rolling program of intimate performances in the theatre’s New York inspired cabaret lounge is back. Including the hugely popular open-mic night, Thirsty Thursdays, and featuring hidden gems and international festival headliners, no genre is off-limits. It will be accompanied by Darlo Grandstand – home to the spoken word poetry and live music jams of Revolution Renegade, as well as Queer Table Reads.

The smash-hit musical ONCE is also returning to the main stage and opens on June 24 after a season in Perth with Black Swan State Theatre Company. 

On October 6, the highly anticipated Let The Right One In finally lands at Darlo in a production directed by Alexander Berlage. Based on the best-selling novel and film of the same name, this spine-tingling vampire thriller of mythic proportions has been superbly crafted for the stage by Jack Thorne – the award-winning writer of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. Originally programmed as part of the 2020 season and postponed due to the lockdown, this will be the last premiere of the season and guaranteed to set audiences’ blood racing.

Get your tickets to the Darlo Theatre’s 2022 season now at www.darlinghursttheatre.com