Hunter Drama Announces a Daring 2026 Season
- intouch Magazine
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Hunter Drama has unveiled its bold 2026 Season, a year packed with rebellious fairytales, glittering musicals, searing dramas, and two brand-new Hunter Drama Originals.
As Newcastle’s leading youth drama education and theatre company, Hunter Drama provides students across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock, and Singleton with the opportunity to learn drama, musical theatre, improvisation and screen skills. Each year, those students showcase their talents on stage in major productions and original works. Artistic Director James Chapman says the new season celebrates resilience and rebellion.
“This year, the heroes fight back,” he explains.
“They speak up when they’re told to stay quiet, they break the rules when the rules don’t make sense. Our stories roar with rebellion, heart, and a hefty dose of glitter.”
The season kicks off in April with Once Upon A One More Time, a dazzling jukebox musical fuelled by Britney Spears’ greatest hits, where fairytale princesses rewrite the rules. The Bugs (May) follows with a hilarious eco-comedy, alongside the Performance Troupe’s take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. June brings Hollyweird, a Hunter Drama Original satirising the golden age of Hollywood.
Other highlights include Matilda JR. (July), which sees Roald Dahl’s pint-sized heroine taking on bullies, and Clue: On Stage (August), a laugh-out-loud whodunit. In November, the Actors Company presents Radium Girls, the powerful true story of young women who stood up to corporate greed, before the season closes with Apocalypse Survival Guide (December), an original doomsday spectacular featuring every Hunter Drama student.
Following the success of 2025’s sold-out Frozen JR. and The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, Hunter Drama is bringing back its popular Season Subscription Program. Subscriptions open on 1 October 2025, offering families the opportunity to save $10 per ticket (a significant discount across multiple bookings) and enjoy an exclusive booking window well ahead of general ticket sales in 2026. Subscribers will also receive complimentary programs, partner discounts, and priority access to Matilda JR.
Enrolments for Hunter Drama’s workshops open in December, with opportunities in drama, musical theatre, improvisation, screen acting, and audition-only ensembles.
For more information, visit www.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au.
