2026 Programs
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Image: Canberra Theatre Centre – About New Works Video
We’re thrilled to play a role in the creation of exciting new works and nurturing professional development in 2026
CULTURAL CREATIVES RESIDENCY 2026
Participant: Patrice Soward
Dates: 2026
The Cultural Creatives Residency is a participant led opportunity for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artist or producer to work closely with CTC over 10 months to gain insight into how large live performance venues operate, engaging in mentoring sessions with CTC staff and professional arts workers, and developing ideas for future live performance events or projects.
Patrice is a proud Wiradjuri woman born in Canberra. She has over two decades experience within Government and over a decade experience in the talent management industry helping artists achieve their goals. With a focus on innovation and a commitment for excellence, Patrice has established Soward Management and Soward Consultancy as a leader in the talent management space and business innovation.
This program is an initiative of CTC’s Sector Development Program.
SEEDING GROUND
Artists: Max Burgess and ADP dancers
Mentor: Martin del Amo
Dates: 23 – 27 March 2026
Venue: Courtyard Studio
Presented by Australian Dance Party (ADP) at the Canberra Theatre Centre, Seeding Ground is an annual program that supports emerging choreographers in the development of new work with the space to explore, experiment, and take creative risks. This is an intensive week of creative research working with ADP dancers and a mentor to seed bold ideas, refine their process, and practice artistic leadership.
Supported by the Canberra Theatre Centre through the NEW WORKS and Sector Development Programs.
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Martin del Amo, Photo credit: Heidrun Löhr
Artist/ Facilitator: Martin del Amo
Date: Thursday 26 March 2026
Venue: Courtyard Studio
IMMERSE LAB
Presented by Australian Dance Party
IMMERSE LAB is a series of labs led by professional artists with a focus on a particular physical and creative inquiry. An initiative of Australian Dance Party, Immerse Lab enables dance artists time to explore, test, discover, connect, network, and explore new ways of working/moving. Open to professional performing artists, movers and makers in the ACT across disciplines with an interest in physical performance/choreography, as well as tertiary and senior dance students.
This session, Talking Dance, was facilitated by Sydney -based choreographer Martin del Amo.
Supported by the Canberra Theatre Centre through CTC’s Sector Development Program
CHIPS DIPS AND SIPS
How to Fringe- Participating in Fringe Festivals
Presented by Canberra Theatre Centre and The Sydney Fringe
Date: Monday 30 March 2026
Time: 4.30pm – 6.30pm
Venue: Canberra Theatre Foyer
Rowan Brunt, Head of Programs at The Sydney Fringe, shared their knowledge and know-how about all things Fringe. Participants heard about opportunities of presenting work in a fringe festival, including what to expect, what to look out for, and how to cut through with your marketing. Rowan was joined by regular fringe participant and local artist Marcel Cole who brought an artist’s perspective to the conversation.
NEW IDEAS LAB 2026
Christopher Gurusamy, Mentor for New Ideas lab 2025 Image Credit: Andrew Sikorski
The New Ideas Lab is a week-long intensive program open to four ACT live performance makers to seed an original and compelling new work that speaks to the contemporary moment from a unique perspective.
Selected through an open EOI process, the New Ideas Lab encourages participants to explore their idea in a collaborative context, working to develop the artistic concept and build industry skills, preparing to pitch the idea and take it to the next stage of development under mentorship from industry experts and CTC staff.
Participating Artists:
Zev Aviv
Zev is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work investigates trans, queer, and disabled experiences, often using their own body. Known for creating art that explores discomfort, queer futurism, and joy, Zev frequently works with soft sculpture and body-horror based performance art as their performance persona “The Host”. In 2025 they participated in Performance Space’s Queer Development Program, performed at Dark Mofo, and starred in the award- winning MONSTROUS at KXT Broadway.
Body? Horror! is a love letter from an ancient interdimensional symbiotic being to its human body host. Blending performance art and narrative theatre to explore the transcendental joy and horror of living in a disabled and transgender body, the work will draw on spoken word, narration, special effects, prosthetics, interactive sculptures, sound and video design. Zev will be working with mentor Lara Thoms, Co-Artistic Director of acclaimed experimental performance makers APHIDS.
Thea Jade
An emerging writer currently undertaking a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing at NIDA, Thea’s debut play How These Things Go (seeded in the New Ideas Lab 2023) was shortlisted for the Griffin Award and the Katie Lees Fellowship, and named Runner Up for both the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award and the Australian Theatre Festival NYC New Play Award. In 2025, Thea developed and presented manic pixie meltdown with Shopfront Arts Co-Op, and in defence of the horse girls will be published by Currency Press in the 2026 edition of ATYP’s Intersection Festival collection.
glass shards don’t float explores themes of domestic violence and climate change through a family held together by silence, denial, and sacrifice. Thea will be working with celebrated director, writer, dramaturg, and screenwriter Tasnim Hossain.
Tom Glassey
Tom is a Canberra-based playwright. Tom won the Queensland Theatre Company’s Young Playwright Award (2014), was a participant in the Playlab Incubator Program (2017) and was the Resident Street Artist at The Street Theatre in 2025. He is premiering his new work Playback (or a Play About But Not Starring a Famous Politician) a The Street Theatre in May 2026.
A Big Angry Play About Housing explores the cultural impact of the contemporary Australian housing market. Travelling from naturalism through to absurdism, the play explores the uniquely Australian relationship to housing, home ownership, and cost of living. Tom will be mentored by renowned theatre maker David Williams, Co-Founder and Director of Alternative Facts.
Marlene Radice
Marlēné is a noise clarinettist and composer who specialises in electroacoustic sound art that often explores identity and it’s expression through sound. Marlēné directed, composed, and produced Retrograde (2021), ROAR! (2022), and CRAVE (2023). They are currently co-producer and music director for Shwa Shwa Theatre, and have been commissioned by Questacon, Backbone Theatre, Chamber Made, The Australian National Museum, Belco Arts, Rebus Theatre, and Canberra Youth Theatre.
This new work is a reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s short story Birthday of the Infanta to create an immersive work for young people aged 5 – 12 using image-based theatre and sound design to encourage discussion around empathy and inclusion. Marlene will be mentored by award winning theatre maker, artist and cultural leader, Kaz Therese.
NEXT LEVEL MENTORSHIP
Artist: Ella Buckley
Dates: May – October 2026
Led by Accessible Arts NSW in partnership with Access2Arts, the 2026 Next Level Creative Mentorship Program supports writers, musicians, dancers, choreographers, actors, directors and/or producers with disability or who are d/Deaf from NSW, SA, NT and the ACT.
In 2026, one ACT based artist with disability working in the performing arts is provided with $3000 in project funding and 20 hours of mentorship within Canberra Theatre Centre to develop an innovative new project over 5 months to deliver professional development and project outcomes.
Ella Buckley is an artist and theatre performer in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University and is an alumnus of Canberra Youth Theatre. She is developing a new theatre work titled Saving Face and is building her independent producing skills as part of this program.
Partnering Organisations in 2026 include:
- Australian Dance Theatre (SA)
- Bangarra Dance Theatre (NSW)
- Bell Shakespeare (NSW)
- Canberra Theatre Centre (ACT)
- Gravity and Other Myths (SA)
- Merrigong Theatre Company (NSW)
- Patch Theatre (SA)
- PYT Fairfield (NSW)
- State Theatre Company South Australia (SA)
- Monkey Baa (NSW)
- Tracks Dance Company (NT)