There’s a week every year when New York City’s theater becomes a little more Australian, and it’s back. The Australian Theatre Festival NYC has announced its 2026 season, a week-long celebration of Australian theater, music, storytelling, and community running from September 29 through October 4 in New York, with a tour to Washington D.C. on October 8.
For those of us who love a bit of home in our adopted city, these are some truly special dates to add to the calendar. And I’m proud to say the America Josh community is part of it again this year.
What is the Australian Theatre Festival NYC?
The Australian Theatre Festival NYC is the only organization in New York City, and the United States, dedicated to presenting Australian performing arts through an annual festival. Founded and led by co-artistic and executive directors Mark Barford and Connor Delves, it champions Australian artists while building genuine cultural exchange between Australia and the US, through productions, readings, concerts, industry events, and community gatherings.
This year’s season plays out across Theatre Row and Green Room 42, both on 42nd Street, so everything sits within an easy walk. As the directors put it, the 2026 program reflects “the breadth of Australian storytelling today,” from award-winning work to brand-new plays getting their first airing.
The 2026 lineup
There’s a lot packed into the week. Here’s what’s on.
All These Pretty Things — Tracey Yarad. The festival opens with Tracey Yarad’s acclaimed solo musical memoir, fresh from winning the Best Music Award at the 2026 Adelaide Fringe. It’s a funny, heartfelt, deeply personal show that has captivated audiences across Australia, and Yarad, now based in New York, brings it to Theatre Row for a limited season to open the festival.
CIRC — Eddie Grey. Winner of the festival’s 2024 New Play Award, this hilarious and moving new play gets a staged reading featuring locally based Australian actors, an early look before its Off-Broadway transfer to The Tank later this year. It’s produced by Neil Gooding Productions.
La Malattia — Danny Ball. The 2026 New Play Award-winning work receives its very first public reading, directed by Broadway’s Emilio Ramos and featuring a cast of New York-based Australian performers.
LEGENDS — Daniel Cullen. Following a successful debut of the musical theater program in 2025, the double bill returns to The Green Room 42, led by this brand-new Australian musical from New York-based writer Daniel Cullen, produced by Track 29 Productions. It reimagines some of Australia’s most legendary figures and folklore in a wildly entertaining show.
The ATF Cabaret. The much-loved cabaret returns for one night only, bringing together Broadway performers, emerging Australian artists, and recent graduates. This year’s theme is the “Ultimate Australian Playlist,” a run through pop and rock anthems from down under.
Artist talkbacks. The popular talkback series returns both in person and online, with two panels this year focused on Australian Women Creatives and The Production Pipeline. They offer a genuine look behind the curtain at what it takes to bring Australian work to international stages.
The America Josh Community Party
Amongst all of this incredible work, we also have the festival’s Community Party, presented in partnership with America Josh. It’s back, and it’s a proper gathering place for artists, audiences, and anyone in the Australian community who wants to connect.
This year it runs on Saturday, October 3, from 8:15 to 9:15pm at The Green Fig, at The Green Room 42, slotted neatly between LEGENDS and the Cabaret. So you can make a full night of it: a musical, a party with your people, and a cabaret to close it out. If you come to one thing this festival, make it this.
The most important part of this community party is that you don’t need to be familiar with theater, or cabaret, or have ever seen a show before. That’s the whole point!
The festival heads to Washington D.C.
After the New York season wraps, the festival continues its growing partnership with the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. with a special event in the capital on October 8, extending the reach of Australian storytelling beyond New York and strengthening the cultural ties between our two countries.
How to get tickets
The full program, dates, and tickets are on the festival’s Season 2026 page. With staged productions, readings, a musical, a cabaret, panels, and the Community Party all inside one week, it’s worth planning which nights you want before things sell.
Whether you’re a die-hard theater fan or just after a good excuse to spend an evening surrounded by Australian voices, this is one of the warmest weeks of the year for our community in New York. I’ll see you at the fest.
