Auckland Theatre Company has revealed its 2026 show lineup, including two world premieres.
The 2026 season will premiere “Helen Clark in Six Outfits” by artistic virtuoso Fiona Samuel, which retraces the remarkable trajectory of a farm girl from the Waikato who became New Zealand’s first elected female Prime Minister and a powerful force at the United Nations.
Also making its world debut will be “Sons of Vao” by Niuean writer Vela Manusaute. The story follows Vao’s three sons, who struggle to break free from their father’s destructive hold.
Following a sold-out season in 2025, Auckland Theatre Company will kick off the year with the reprisal of Agatha Christie’s mysterious play “Murder on the Orient Express”, starring Cameron Rhodes as Detective Poirot. The play is the fastest selling production ever for the Company, with audiences demanding a return season.
In collaboration with the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival and Tawata Productions, one of New Zealand’s most-loved plays, Hone Kouka’s “Waiora Te Ūkaipō – The Homeland”, is returning with a 30th anniversary production for audiences in Auckland and Wellington.
After an eight-year hiatus, 2026 will also see the return of “Cabaret” in a bold new production by director Benjamin Kilby-Henson. Meanwhile, two powerhouse celebrities of stage and screen, Sara Wiseman and Mark Mitchinson, will tackle the classic Shakespearean tragedy “Macbeth”.
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The iconic sold-out Australian production of “RGB: Of Many, One”, produced by Sydney Theatre Company, will be coming to Auckland in 2026. Award-winning Australian actress Heather Mitchell will star as Ruth Bader Ginsburg (and 33 other characters) in the brilliant solo performance.
Auckland Theatre Company will partner with Auckland Live for “Cabaret” and “RGB”, which CEO and artistic director Jonathan Bielski said will “turbocharge the Company’s capabilities”.
Commenting on the partnership, Auckland Live’s director of performing arts, Daniel Clarke, said: “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to ensuring Tāmaki Makaurau continues to thrive as a hub for world-class performing arts. From an internationally acclaimed production to a bold new staging of Cabaret, audiences can expect something truly extraordinary.”
Auckland Theatre Company will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the ASB Waterfront Theatre. Bielski said: “Our beautiful home has given us an extraordinary platform where theatremakers can play and dream and we look forward to celebrating next year with a bevy of stage hits and powerful storytelling as we invite audiences to join us for an unmissable season of entertainment.”
Subscription packages for the new season are on sale now, see details here.