Eddie Perfect's AI-Era Tartuffe Headlines Dean Bryant's First Malthouse Theatre Season
Dean Bryant has revealed his inaugural season as artistic director and co-CEO of Malthouse Theatre, which will showcase eight productions in 2027. Among these, seven will be world premieres from Australian artists. A standout production is The Tartuffe, a comedy by Eddie Perfect that explores themes of AI, with Bryant directing. The lineup also features swim by Ellen van Neerven, an adaptation of Charlotte Wood's Stone Yard Devotional starring Lisa McCune, MAGIC SING: Pinoy Pop Power!, a gothic horror take on The Turn of the Screw by Keziah Warner, Yve Blake's Jackpot, Thomas Weatherall's Lucy, and Bloomshed's Gone With The Wind. Malthouse Comedy will return for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, with early bird tickets on sale until 21 October.
Key facts
- Dean Bryant unveils his first season as Malthouse Theatre artistic director and co-CEO, comprising eight productions for 2027
- Seven of the eight productions are world premieres and all are by Australian creators
- The Tartuffe is a new Eddie Perfect comedy relocating Molière's satire to the age of artificial intelligence with an AI-powered hairdressing robot
- Bryant directs The Tartuffe, with Eddie Perfect and Karis Oka reuniting after Beetlejuice! The Musical, plus Noah Szto and a cast of clowns
- Perfect began his career at Malthouse more than two decades ago as an actor in cabaret and comedy
- The season includes the Melbourne debut of Ellen van Neerven's swim, first staged by Griffin Theatre Company at Sydney's Carriageworks
- Lisa McCune and Catherine McClements star in an adaptation of Charlotte Wood's Booker Prize-shortlisted Stone Yard Devotional by Joanna Murray-Smith and Sarah Goodes
- Until 21 October, Malthouse offers 25% off every production in its 2027 season as an early bird saving
Entities
Artists
- Eddie Perfect
- Dean Bryant
- Karis Oka
- Noah Szto
- Yve Blake
- Thomas Weatherall
- Joanna Murray-Smith
- Sarah Goodes
- Ellen van Neerven
- Lisa McCune
- Catherine McClements
- Christina O'Neill
- Yvette Lee
- Victoria Falconer
- Keziah Warner
- Tuuli Narkle
- Sheridan Harbridge
- Carillo Gantner
- Molière
- Henry James
- Charlotte Wood
- Margaret Mitchell
- Alannah Sue
- Michelle Lim Davidson
- Stephen A Russell
- Leah J. Williams
- Richard Carroll
Institutions
- Malthouse Theatre
- Opera Australia
- Victorian Opera
- Melbourne Theatre Company
- Griffin Theatre Company
- Carriageworks
- Hayes Theatre Co.
- Bloomshed
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival
- YIRRAMBOI
- ArtsHub
- ScreenHub
- Creative Hubs Group
- Time Out Sydney
- The Conversation
- Light Sound Art Film
- OzAsia
Locations
- Melbourne
- Australia
- Sydney
- Perth