UpStage at the Playhouse
Local Voices. New Stories. Reimagined Works.
A Civic Theatre initiative that supports local producers and playwrights to bring their new and reimagined works to the stage.
Our 2026 season brings together returning collaborators and exciting new voices, each bringing their own distinctive style and artistic vision to the Playhouse stage.
Occasional Combustible Disaster
March 12 - 21
Produced by Daniel Cottier Productions
Local playwright and director Daniel Cottier, a CONDA Nominee for Best Director for Punk Rock, is thrilled to bring their debut play home to Civic Theatre’s Playhouse. The story follows Freddy, who has 42 hours to finish his HSC and choose: confess before he’s 18, or live with a deadly secret forever. This hilarious yet heartbreaking play examines the fallout inevitable in all nuclear families.
The Libertine
July 2 - 11
Produced by HER Productions
Following their successful Romeo and Juliet: A Reimagining in 2024, HER Productions returns to the program with a darkly comic work that challenges audiences. Provocative, sensual and unflinchingly human, The Libertine is theatre that refuses to let you look away. Two versions of the play will be presented: one set in the historical context and the other as a contemporary reimagining.
The Whisper
August 6 - 15
Produced by Stray Dogs Theatre Company
Written by award-winning Newcastle playwright Carl Caulfield, Stray Dogs Theatre returns to the UpStage at the Playhouse program following their successful 2024 production Karma Kafé. A bereaved family is brought to the brink after the arrival of a charming young stranger in The Whisper, a new black comedy for the Digital Age.
She, Her & I
12 - 21 November
Produced by Cats in the Cupboard Productions
Following their much-loved 2025 reimagining of This Restless House, Cats in the Cupboard Productions bring us an original work She, Her and I. A tense, humorous and heartfelt portrait of female family dynamics set in a sweltering Newcastle summer, where the past refuses to stay buried.
"The program has allowed us to spread our wings and bring ambitious ideas to life..." - Marigold Pazar, HER Productions (2024)
"UpStage is giving a platform for new and adapted works to local companies like mine" - Seb Smee, Hyde Entertainment (2025)
Ready to book your UpStage at the Playhouse experience?
Call 02 4929 1977 on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, or visit the Ticket Office in person between 10am and 2pm on weekdays or 1 hour prior to Civic Theatre performances.
Tickets can be purchased online at any time.
