Following its sold-out 2024 premiere, Melbourne Theatre Company is thrilled to announce the return of the smash-hit musical, My Brilliant Career, in 2026.
The 2024 run of My Brilliant Career was showered with five-star reviews, winning over audiences and critics alike. It garnered five Green Room Awards, including Outstanding Production, competing alongside some of the year’s biggest commercial musicals.
Praised by The Guardian as a “funny, feminist triumph” – the show’s return for a limited 5-week run will be led once again by powerhouse performer Kala Gare (SIX) as Sybylla Melvyn, joined by much of the original ensemble of dynamic actor-musicians.
Set in the sweeping landscapes of 1890s Australia, the electric reimagining by Sheridan Harbridge, Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank transforms Miles Franklin’s literary heroine into a singer-songwriter for this very moment.
Fiercely intelligent and unapologetically ambitious, Sybylla Melvyn is wholly uninterested in the future society expects of her. Instead, she marches to the beat of her own drum, challenging class, gender and family to find her own voice.
“We’re passionate about making live theatre – stories that inspire, delight, and stay with you long after the curtain falls. My Brilliant Career was as much fun to create as it is to experience,” says Anne-Louise Sarks, Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Melbourne Theatre Company.
“We’re thrilled to be kicking off our 2026 season with a special encore of this joyous and utterly unmissable show: we’ve taken a much-loved Australian classic and given it a bold new life. I can’t wait to welcome returning audiences back, and to see new audiences fall in love with this show.”
With a powerhouse score blending contemporary pop, bush ballad and raucous pub rock, alongside a breathtaking design from Tony Award-winner Marg Horwell, this is a production loved by the people.
The production features a dynamic cast, including Kala Gare (Sybylla Melvyn), Raj Labade (Harry / Peter / Ensemble), Ana Mitsikas (Grannie / Rose Jane / Ensemble), Christina O’Neill (Mother / Helen / Mrs M’Swat / Ensemble), Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward (Frank / Ensemble), Victoria Falconer (Ensemble) and Jarrad Payne (Ensemble).
The creative team includes: Sheridan Harbridge (Book), Dean Bryant (Book & Lyrics), Mathew Frank (Music), Anne-Louise Sarks (Director), Victoria Falconer (Musical Director / Additional Music Arrangements), Amy Campbell (Choreographer), Marg Horwell (Set & Costume Designer), Matt Scott (Lighting Designer), James Simpson (Orchestrator / Vocal Arranger), Joy Weng (Sound Designer), Miranda Middleton (Assistant Director) and Savanna Wegman (Assistant Set & Costume Designer).
My Brilliant Career will play the Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, from 23 January – 28 February 2026. Subscribers can secure their seats now. Tickets open to everyone on Wednesday 27 August at 3.00pm. For more information, visit: www.mtc.com.au for details.
Image: The Cast of My Brilliant Career (2024) – photo by Pia Johnson