Season 2026 Foreword by Dianne Toulson
As I write this, my final season foreword for Theatre Works, I am filled with a deep mix of pride, gratitude, and a sense of completion. After eight years as Executive Director, I will be stepping down in July 2026. Announcing this with a long lead time allows for a careful, considered transition (the kind of transition this organisation deserves) and ensures that the complex, multi-faceted work of leading Theatre Works can be handed over with clarity, stability, and care.
When I joined Theatre Works, the organisation was facing the very real possibility of closure. What has happened since is nothing short of transformational; not because of any single person, but because of the artists, staff, board members, partners, donors, and audiences who refused to let this place fade. Together, we rebuilt the organisation’s foundations and then pushed far beyond what seemed possible.
In 2025, we achieved the highest box office results in Theatre Works’ 45-year history, a more than 50% increase on any previous year. That achievement belongs to every artist who took a creative risk, every staff member who worked beyond their remit, and every audience member who chose to spend an evening with us.
The 2026 season represents the pinnacle of this collective effort. It is the most expansive, ambitious and inclusive program I have ever had the privilege to build. Two works that have been personal passion projects for me will tour nationally, taking stories made here in St Kilda to audiences across the country. Three productions will feature on the VCE curriculum, ensuring that students engage with bold, artist-led Australian theatre that speaks to their world. Our stages - both the Acland Street Main Stage and our beloved Explosives Factory - will host a program that spans debut creators to master storytellers, reflecting an artistic community that is as wide and diverse as Melbourne itself.
But the work has not only been artistic. The physical transformation of our spaces has reshaped who we are. The main venue now has the infrastructure and technical capacity that artists have deserved for decades. And the creation of the Explosives Factory, from a dusty shell into a living, breathing hub for development and performance, remains one of the proudest achievements of my career. Watching artists claim that space, fill it, transform it, and make it their own has been one of the quiet joys of these years.
This job has been hard. It has been beautiful. It has broken me open more than once, and it has also rebuilt parts of me I didn’t know were lost. Everything Theatre Works has achieved has been a shared effort between artists, staff, board, partners, donors, and audiences. I carry all of you with me as I step toward the next chapter.
For now, though, I leave you with the 2026 season: a celebration, a culmination, and a love letter to what independent theatre can be.
Here’s to the future and to the extraordinary artists who will shape it.
Mình thấy website XOSO66 com này được nhắc đến khi đang đọc một chủ đề trên mạng nên cũng mở vào xem thử để tham khảo. Mình không xem quá kỹ năng từng nội dung, chủ yếu chú ý đến cách họ bố trí giao diện và sắp xếp các chuyên mục.
What a comprehensive and heartfelt message from Dianne. It's clear how much passion and dedication has gone into rebuilding Theatre Works over the past eight years, and the 2026 season sounds like a magnificent culmination of that effort. After absorbing such an inspiring foreword, sometimes it's nice to take a quick mental break before diving into 'EXPLORE SEASON 2026'. I usually clear my head with a quick game, like the MeowdoKu Game Online, before moving on to the next task.
The vision for the 2026 season sounds absolutely incredible, Dianne – 'the most expansive, ambitious and inclusive program' truly reflects the spirit of independent theatre! I'm especially excited for the 'bold, artist-led Australian theatre' mentioned. Thinking about how artists bring these stories to life visually, I've been experimenting with a new tool, the Zeva AI Image Generator, for some of my own creative projects, and it's fascinating to see the possibilities.
Dianne, your honesty about the job being both 'hard' and 'beautiful,' and how it 'broke you open more than once,' really speaks volumes about the dedication required for such a role. It's clear that your leadership has been incredibly impactful, and it's inspiring to read about the collective effort. I’ve recently been incorporating a knee brace support into my daily routine for walks, and it’s a simple addition that makes a difference for me.
Dianne, your description of the Explosives Factory's transformation 'from a dusty shell into a living, breathing hub' really resonated with me. It’s amazing to see how a space can inspire so much creativity, and I can only imagine the photos and videos from those projects! For anyone capturing moments on their phones at these events, converting images or live photos sometimes needs a good tool, and I've found Heic to MP4 quite useful for handling those files.