Black Swan State Theatre Company 2025 Season

Black Swan State Theatre Company has announced its 2025 Season, presenting six productions including American and Australian contemporary classics, a sizzling dinner party gone wrong, a new Australian work, a witty political portrait, a coming-of-age story and a musical performance from the Kimberley.

“Planning a season is like creating a meal,” says Artistic Director Kate Champion. “We aim for a mix of flavours and textures, undeniable substance, diverse nutrition, and a sprinkling of surprising spices. Our 2025 season is designed to challenge, delight, and nourish our audiences.”

The 2025 Season commences with the American contemporary classic August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, winner of 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and five Tony Awards. An unflinching portrayal of a family’s unravelling, reflecting a nation’s own disintegrating facade. This co-production with Belvoir St Theatre will feature seven WA actors alongside members from the Sydney production. Directed by Eamon Flack and presented in association with Perth Festival, the play runs from 27 February to 16 March in the Heath Ledger Theatre.

Image: August Osage County. Photographer: Joel Barbitta

Following this is Blue, a monologue written by proud Kamilaroi man, and Heartbreak High star, Thomas Weatherall. This life-affirming story delves into a young person’s journey through life, loss, mental wellbeing and early adulthood. Ian Wilkes directs this production that runs from 23 May to 8 June in the Studio Underground. 

Image: Blue
 

Next up, Never Have I Ever, the debut play by Deborah Frances-White (host of the global hit podcast The Guilty Feminist), is a mix of humour, savvy political insights, outrageous twists and turns and joyous mayhem. Contemporary, fresh and contentious, this is a dinner party that leaves its guests reeling with their lives changed. Directed by Kate Champion, this theatrical feast runs from 14 June to 6 July in the Heath Ledger Theatre.

Image: Never Have I Ever
 

After sold out shows around the country, Jonathan Biggins (Ying Tong, A Walk with the Goons) brings The Gospel According to Paul to WA for the first time. Love him or love him less, no-one can deny the intriguing complexity of Paul Keating’s personality. A leader who changed the course of our country and who to this day can still ruffle feathers. The play is laden with Keating’s acerbic language and unmatched eviscerating witticisms. Directed by Aarne Neeme, this show runs from 23 July to 3 August in the Heath Ledger Theatre.

Image: The Gospel According to Paul

Regarded as a contemporary Australian classic, Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell was adapted for screen into the film Lantana. This cleverly crafted story, full of sliding door possibilities, will make audiences question, in a very personal way, ‘what if I….?’ Finely balanced notions of fate and purpose fill its multi-layered narrative leaving audiences to contemplate the vital significance and inevitable consequence of every decision we make. This drama is directed by Humphrey Bower and runs from 23 August to 14 September in the Heath Ledger Theatre. 

Image: Speaking in Tongues

Bringing a touch of the Kimberley to Perth is Raised in Big Spirit Country, curated by Black Swan’s Broome-based Artistic Associate Naomi Pigram-Mitchell. Born amongst the artistic giants who created the ‘Broome sound’ and who were integral to legendary Black Swan productions such as Bran Nue Dae and Corrugation Road - Naomi’s life has been steeped in the riches of this bountiful creative legacy. Significantly, she now finds herself centred between the vital history of Broome’s past, her own music, and the next generation of performers. This concert will bring this multi-generational talent to Perth, to showcase and celebrate the influential past, and the voices of the future.

Image: Raised In Big Spirit Country, Photo: Boy from Beyond Photography

Finally, Andrea Gibbs (Barracking for the Umpire) returns to the Perth mainstage with her newest offering Carol. Set in the lead-up to Christmas, the play follows Carol, a woman who has unexpectedly found herself on the margins of society. With a Kmart choir and a homeless Santa in tow, Carol ultimately finds genuine season’s cheer through unexpected alliances, new perspectives and unprecedented resilience. Directed by Adam Mitchell, Carol runs from 22 November to 14 December in the Heath Ledger Theatre.