Newcastle theatre: plays and musicals in Newcastle and the Hunter
Touring musicals and new plays at the Civic Theatre, Maitland's community repertory season, and young writers on Cessnock's stage. Every play and musical we know of in the Hunter, with dates.
Coming up
5NovRadium Girls
Civic Theatre · NewcastleA play based on the true story of the women who painted radium watch dials.TheatreBook with the venue · listing checked 3 Oct8NovI Love Your Faces: The Don Lane Story
Civic Theatre · NewcastleA show about the television host's life.TheatreBook with the venue · listing checked 3 Oct12NovShe, Her & I
Civic Theatre · NewcastleA theatre production.TheatreBook with the venue · listing checked 3 Oct
15NovAn Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein
Civic Theatre · NewcastleSongs from the musicals.MusicBook with the venue · listing checked 3 Oct17NovFirst Draft: ASPIRE Young Scriptwriters
Vincent Street theatre · CessnockA staged reading of new short scripts by young Hunter writers.TheatreBook with the venue · listing checked 3 Oct18NovAgatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced
Maitland Repertory Theatre · MaitlandA Miss Marple mystery from Maitland's community theatre company. Tickets $32, concession $27.TheatreBook with the venue · listing checked 3 Oct
25NovBeauty and the Beast JR
Civic Theatre · NewcastleA youth production of the musical.KidsBook with the venue · listing checked 3 Oct17DecPriscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
Civic Theatre · NewcastleThe jukebox musical.TheatreBook with the venue · listing checked 3 OctCommunity theatre
Maitland Repertory Theatre describes itself as Maitland's community theatre for more than 75 years and stages six plays a year. Its 2026 season ran An Inspector Calls, Harvey, An Unseasonable Fall of Snow, a junior production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Almost, Maine, and closes with Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced from 18 November to 6 December (evenings at 8pm, matinees at 2pm; tickets $32, concession $27, as the company lists them).
Community companies across the Hunter cast from open auditions, which they announce on their own websites and social pages. If you want to get involved on stage or behind it, they are the place to start.
New writing
Two nights showcase young Hunter playwrights: First Draft, staged readings of short scripts by the ASPIRE Young Scriptwriters, at the Civic Theatre (19 and 20 October) and at Cessnock's Vincent Street theatre (17 November).
Touring productions
The Civic Theatre in Newcastle is the Hunter's main stop for touring musicals and plays. Before Christmas it has Disney's Frozen (10 to 25 October), Radium Girls (5 to 7 November), She, Her and I (12 to 21 November) and Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical (17 to 20 December).
Common questions
What musicals are on in Newcastle?
Disney's Frozen (10 to 25 October 2026), Beauty and the Beast JR (25 to 29 November) and Priscilla Queen of the Desert (17 to 20 December), all at the Civic Theatre.
Is there a theatre company in Maitland?
Yes. Maitland Repertory Theatre stages six plays a year; its last 2026 play is A Murder Is Announced, 18 November to 6 December.
How do I get into community theatre in the Hunter?
Watch the companies' own audition calls. Most cast from open auditions a few months before each play.