Queensland Theatre aims to reach beyond boundaries to inspire, challenge, and entertain audiences with the eight plays of its 2022 season, including two world premieres.
“Our 2022 Season boldly crosses all boundaries, altering time and place and transporting us from Brisbane to Paris, Afghanistan, Far North Queensland, Vietnam and Arkansas. It will carry us across the decades, from the 1890s to the 1940s, to 1975 and 2011, and will bring us back to the current moment, reflecting the issues that matter deeply to us now,” said Artistic Director Lee Lewis.
“2022 will be about recovering from the last two years,” Lewis added. “If there is anything we have learned in this time, it is that theatre remains vital. It is so essential that we gather together as a community to hear the stories that are important and urgent right now, that will help us imagine our future together. And together, we can celebrate the power of a great story, told by talented artists, to change our night, our year, and sometimes, our lives.”
The productions of Queensland Theatre’s 2022 season will be:
- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- First Casualty
- Don’t Ask What The Bird Look Like
- Bernhardt/Hamlet
- The Sunshine Club
- The Almighty Sometimes
- Othello
- Vietgone
See below for more details of the 2022 season!
Season tickets are now on sale – click here to book via the Queensland Theatre website
Queensland Theatre – Season 2022
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
12 – 26 February 2022 at the Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
A co-production with State Theatre Company South Australia
Nick and his wife Honey are new in town and accept an invitation to an intimate afterparty at the home of George and Martha. As the spirits flow and the conversation grows ominous, the four find themselves locked in a cruel sparring match with a hidden agenda. In the small hours of the night, this boozy gathering becomes a frenzy of savage insults. spiteful mind games and wicked humiliations.
Director Margaret Harvey will deliver a fresh and unique vision of this classic in a captivating new production.
First Casualty by Christopher Johnston
12 March – 9 April 2022 at the Bille Brown Theatre
The world premiere of a debut work by Christopher Johnston, a currently serving member of the Australian Defence Force and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. Set in a remote Afghanistan outpost, First Casualty reaches beyond the headlines of this 20-year war.
“This play is not a pro-war story and it’s not an anti-war story,” Lewis said. “It is simply a story about our soldiers. It offers us a chance to understand what they experienced.”
Don’t Ask What The Bird Look Like by Hannah Belanszky
30 April – 14 May 2022 at the Bille Brown Theatre
This gentle, almost gothic tale about land, family, and reconnection was a finalist in the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2018–19 and now makes its world premiere, directed by Isaac Drandic (City of Gold).
Bernhardt/Hamlet by Theresa Rebeck
28 May – 18 June 2022 at the Bille Brown Theatre
A treat for lovers of a big theatrical play, for those who adore luscious costumes, the glamour of Paris and a strong woman taking charge of her destiny.
The Sunshine Club by Wesley Enoch (book and lyrics) and John Rodgers (music)
9 – 30 July 2022 at the Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
A co-production with Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Wesley Enoch return to Queensland Theatre to direct his acclaimed musical. A ground-breaking work in 1999, The Sunshine Club brought together some of the biggest First Nations talent including Wayne Blair, Elaine Crombie, Roxanne McDonald, David Page, Stephen Page and Ursula Yovich.
“It is a joy to welcome Wesley home to lead the next generation with a glorious revival of his home-grown hit, a story filled with song, dance, love and dreams,” Lewis said.
The Almighty Sometimes by Kendall Feaver
13 August – 3 September 2022 at the Bille Brown Theatre
Daniel Evans will direct this powerful and honest family drama about raising a child, their search for independence and the grey areas in mental health care.
Othello by William Shakespeare, adapted by Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein
10 September – 1 October 2022 at the Bille Brown Theatre
In association with Brisbane Festival
This tri-lingual (Kala Lagaw Ya, Yumpla Tok and English) production illuminates the vital role of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion during World War II and brings together two powerful artistic cultures — Shakespeare and Wagadagam.
Vietgone by Qui Nguyen with original music by Shane Rettig
29 October – 19 November 2022 at the Bille Brown Theatre
A wild, road-trip romance beginning at an Arkansas arrival camp for Vietnam War evacuees and setting off through the heartland of the United States. This irreverent work features Ngoc Phan (Boy Swallows Universe) and is likely to be the only 2022 production to include live hip hop.
Backstreet Brisbane 