Malthouse has revealed its first five productions for 2023. Topics vary from bloodthirsty vampires in Tasmania to an exposé of life as an artist in China, and the murky waters of colourism to a sweaty night at The Peel.
Malthouse Theatre’s Artistic Director, Matthew Lutton, spoke of the personal experiences that will inform the productions at the launch of the 2023 season.
The comedy Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner relates to the commodification of black women. The gothic bloody sentiment of Nosferatu is relocated to Tasmania and the burden of being Greek and gay finds expression in Loaded.
Adding to the mix are Wang Chong’s personal account of a provocateur artist in, Made in China 2.0 and a caustic comedy by Ash Flanders, This is Living.
These are new works written for the stage highlighting the commitment of the Malthouse to creativity and to unfrequently told stories.
Notably, there are only five works in this tranche. The Malthouse are moving toward a new curatorial model delaying the release of details of the next three productions allowing themselves a greater deal of flexibility regarding timing and fitting works to suit the occasion in rapidly changing times.
Complementing the sense of a theatre world reawakening, there will be works appearing on the outdoor stage, the addition of associated Comedy Festival performances and the readily accessible ‘Stories of M’, a digital archive of the 46-year body of work that has seen some 650 productions in the life of the Malthouse.
Waiting in the wings are several other productions. One of these will be from the company in residence, A Daylight Connection.
The Malthouse will also return to immersive theatre with ‘Hour of the Wolf’ and another addressing disability, Telethon Kid.
The Malthouse have deliberately delayed setting dates for these as they refashion their approach to promoting theatre transitioning away from a subscription base to prioritising ‘Malthouse Mates’ – a supporter base given preferential access.
As always, the theatrical predominates but there is a commitment to new voices, new perspectives and new ideas.
The promise behind 2023 is tantalising. The Malthouse Supporter Community can access presale tickets now with sales for the general public opening on Monday, October 3 at malthousetheatre.com.au

• David McLean