Rehearsals are well underway as the supremely talented cast of Tootsie, the smash-hit Broadway musical, prepare for the Australian Premiere at Teatro at the Italian Forum later this month. Wigs and sequins have been donned in preparation to bring this nostalgic classic to the stage at Sydney’s newest exciting venue. Tootsie opens on 26 May, with tickets on sale now at www.teatroitalianforum.com.au. Based on the beloved Oscar-winning hit film starring Dustin Hoffman, the Tony Award® winner for Best Book of a Musical promises’ laughs, heart, and a generous dose of nostalgia.
Leading the cast in the dual role of Michael Dorsey and his alter ego Dorothy Michaels, made famous on screen by two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman, is Andrew Bevis (The Lord of the Rings, The Rocky Horror Show). The role of Julie Nichols will be played by Sydney Theatre Award winner Elenoa Rokobaro (Hadestown), while Alana Tranter (Beauty and the Beast) plays Sandy Lester. Brendan Irving (The Rocky Horror Show) plays Max Von Horn, Tyran Stig (Titanique) plays Jeff Slater, Donna Lee (Hairspray) is Rita Marshall, Chris Huntley-Turner (Friends: The Parody Musical) is Stan Fields, and Lachlan O’Brien (The Phantom of the Opera) plays Ron Carlisle.
The ensemble features Sam Austin, Lisa Callingham, Katie Green, Arthur Lees (swing), Maximillian Macdonald, Jessica Parris, Jamie Reisin, Julian Seguna, and Nicole Vella.
Described by The New York Post as “Broadway’s funniest new musical” and praised by Rolling Stone as “musical comedy heaven”, Tootsie is the laugh-out-loud story of a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one bold, show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime.
Tootsie received 11 Tony Award nominations for its Broadway production, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. With music and lyrics by Tony Award and Grammy Award winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn (13 The Musical, Shucked), Tootsie has had audiences rolling in the aisles.
This all-new production of Tootsie is directed and choreographed by award-winning director and choreographer Cameron Mitchell (Putting It Together, Sweet Charity) with co- musical direction by Kevin Wang and Nicholas Till (Putting it Together) and costume design by Angela White.
Fast-paced and outrageously funny, Tootsie explores identity, ambition, and ego, all while keeping the laughs coming.
TOOTSIE Season: From 26 May Venue: Teatro at the Italian Forum, Norton Street, Leichhardt Performance Times: Wed–Thurs 7pm, Fri–Sat 7.30pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm Prices: $75 for previews (26–28 May); from $85 for remaining dates (a handling fee of $6.95 per transaction applies) Bookings: www.teatroitalianforum.com.au
Space Jump Theatre Company invites audiences into the searing poetic intensity of Contest by Emilie Collyer. Running from 17–28 March 2026 at Flight Path Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, this production delivers a taut, electrifying theatre experience, where power, endurance and the cost of competition collide on the court and beyond.
About the Production: The game slows. It’s a dance. A memory, a dream, the body remembers. Muscles tense and release, bones anticipate the landing after the leap we can do this in our sleep. We Play on.
When a new player, Cass, joins a suburban netball team, the fragile balance of the group shifts. She sees what others cannot or will not, and her truths, quietly spoken, ripple through the team. Secrets, unspoken grievances, and long-held frustrations rise to the surface, turning every pass, pivot, and collision into a reckoning.
Set entirely on the netball court, Contest, written by Emilie Collyer and produced by Space Jump Theatre Company, immerses women of every age, shape, size, and ability in a world governed by rules, expectation, and relentless pressure. Bodies move side by side, sweating, enduring, testing limits. The game becomes a powerful metaphor for resilience, courage, and endurance, both on and off the court, capturing the subtle, fierce, and unrelenting ways women persist.
Blending stylised movement, poetic dialogue, and raw physicality, Contest is a bold, immersive, and unforgettable story of connection, rivalry, and the extraordinary endurance of women. Every moment on the court resonates with intensity, intimacy, and the unflinching reality of human emotion.
But what still aches after the whistle blows?
Synopsis: When new player Cass joins a suburban netball team, long-held tensions surface, and every pass, pivot, and collision becomes a reckoning. Set entirely on the netball court, Contest captures the fierce, subtle, and unrelenting ways women persist.
Event Details: Dates: 17 – 28 March, 2026 Venue: Flight Path Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, Sydney Tickets: Available at www.flightpaththeatre.org Run time: approx 75mins
Cast: [alphabetical] GS: Melissa Jones GA: Willa King C: Suz Mawer GD: Emma Monk WA: Lana Morgan
Creatives: Production Company: Space Jump Theatre Company Playwright: Emilie Collyer Producer: Kirsty Semaan Director: Kirsty Semaan Movement Director: Amelia Pawsey Lighting Design: Theo Carroll Composer/Sound Design: Charlotte Leamon Set/Props Design & Construction: Jason Lowe Production & Movement Assistant: Danette Potgieter Tech Operator: Eliza Dodd Promotional Video: Yarno Rohling Marketing Images: SPbyKS
Production Highlights: Idea-Driven Storytelling: A bold, immersive exploration of pressure, rivalry, and endurance, where every pass, pivot, and collision is charged with physical tension, revealing the subtle, relentless ways women persist. Minimalist Design: A simple netball-court set and striking lighting turn movement into memory, dream, and dance, making every leap, stretch, and fall vividly felt. Tension and Insight: The arrival of Cass, named after the Greek prophetess cursed to speak truths no one hears, disrupts the team’s fragile balance, exposing secrets, grievances, and unspoken power dynamics. Kirsty Semaan’s Direction: A physically rigorous, poetically precise interpretation that captures courage, vulnerability, and the quiet ferocity of women on and off the court. Space Jump Theatre Company’s Mission: Committed to presenting bold, thought-provoking theatre for, by, and about women that resonates, challenges, and lingers.
Content Warning: This work contains strong language and references to sexual content, domestic violence, suicide, eating disorders and mental health challenges.
Sensory Warning: The performance includes the use of theatrical haze and loud noise.
About the Director: Kirsty Semaan (she/her) is a director, producer, and theatre-maker based on Gadigal Country (Sydney), with a passion for bold storytelling and visually striking stage productions. As the founder and Artistic Director of Space Jump Theatre Company, she is dedicated to championing Australian playwrights, amplifying female and underrepresented voices, and bringing impactful plays off the shelf and back onto the stage. Her directing credits include Woyzeck (2021), A Mouth Full of Birds (2022), and Driving the Holden (2022). In 2023, she co-produced and directed Long Story Short, a sold-out short-form theatre project. Most recently, she served as Assistant Director for Blood Wedding at Flight Path Theatre (2024). A Theatre and Performance graduate from the University of New England, her creative approach is further enriched by a successful 20-year career running a photography business, which has provided her with a unique perspective on visual storytelling and the expertise to deliver well executed productions from start to finish.
About the Playwright: Emilie Collyer lives in Naarm/Melbourne on Wurundjeri Country and writes across poetry, performance, and prose, exploring the intersection of the personal, the existential, and the socio-political. Her plays include Contest, Dream Home, The Good Girl, and most recently Super (Red Stitch Theatre 2025), with The Good Girl having been produced internationally. Her work has won and been nominated for awards including the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, Green Room Awards, George Fairfax, Patrick White, and Malcolm Robertson. Emilie’s debut poetry collection, Do you have anything less domestic? (Vagabond Press 2022), won the inaugural Five Islands First Book Prize, and she was runner-up in the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize 2024. She works as a dramaturg, text consultant, and teacher, and has just completed her PhD at RMIT, where she now serves as an Adjunct Industry Fellow.
About Flight Path Theatre: Located in Marrickville, Sydney, Flight Path Theatre champions bold and innovative works, providing a platform for emerging and established artists.
Contest is supported by the Inner West Council and through the Australian Cultural Fund.
Experience the sweat and intensity of Contest at Flight Path Theatre, 17–28 March 2026: www.flightpaththeatre.org
