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Stoddart Entertainment Group is dedicated to developing bold new works, championing original stories, and creating theatre in Australia that resonates on a global stage. We are passionate about nurturing artists, investing in fresh ideas, and producing work that reflects both our unique voice and our international ambition. By building productions from the ground up and collaborating with exceptional creatives, we aim not only to entertain audiences at home, but to contribute meaningfully to the future of Australian theatre and share it proudly with the world.
Clancy of the Outback
Commissioned by Stoddart Entertainment Group as part of its commitment to developing original Australian musical theatre, Clancy of the Outback is a brand-new family musical inspired by Banjo Paterson’s iconic poem Clancy of the Overflow and based on the beloved children’s book series by Phil Kettle and Bob Andersen. Created for audiences aged five and above, the work is currently in development ahead of its planned 2027 world premiere.
Featuring a book and lyrics by Dylan Marshall and music by Earl Marrows, the musical follows a city kid whose journey into the Australian outback becomes an adventure of friendship, courage and belonging. Bursting with humour, heart and original music, the development is centred on creating a distinctly Australian theatrical experience that celebrates our landscapes, communities and stories while inspiring a new generation of theatre-goers.
As part of Stoddart Entertainment Group’s ongoing investment in new Australian work, Clancy of the Outback reflects the company’s commitment to championing home-grown stories and creating original productions with the potential to reach audiences across Australia and beyond.
I HATE MEN As Read By Men
I HATE MEN As Read By Men has been developed from the ground up as a live theatrical response to Pauline Harmange’s incendiary and best-selling text. Rather than presenting a straightforward adaptation, the creative team have approached the work as an evolving conversation, testing how Harmange’s arguments shift, land and resonate when voiced by men in a shared public space. From early dramaturgical exploration through to rehearsal room experimentation, the process has centred on tension, humour, contradiction and audience complicity, asking not how to resolve the material, but how to activate it.
Under the direction of Brittanie Shipway, the development has embraced collaboration as its engine – shaping a work that is structurally fluid and responsive, with space for music, debate and the unpredictable energy of a live room. Endorsed by Harmange herself, the production is designed not as a fixed statement, but as a living theatrical event that can continue to grow beyond its world premiere – with future development and touring envisioned as part of its next life.
Premiering at Newcastle Fringe Festival March 20-22, 2026.
Shakespeare’s Fools
Originally produced in 2010 and awarded the CONDA for Best New Play, Shakespeare’s Fools by Newcastle playwright Carl Caulfield has re-entered development as part of Stoddart Entertainment Group’s commitment to nurturing original Australian work. In 2025, the play was workshopped and presented as a staged reading before a live audience, allowing the creative team to test the text’s contemporary resonance, sharpen its theatrical language, and gather valuable audience feedback. That response is now informing the next phase of dramaturgical refinement as the piece evolves for a new generation.
Currently collaborating with Sport for Jove Theatre Company, the team is deepening the work’s historical and theatrical scope – exploring Shakespeare’s imagined encounters with legendary jesters Richard Tarlton, Will Kemp and Robert Armin, and the enduring influence of the Fool on characters such as Falstaff and Lear’s Fool. Blending humour, scholarship and theatricality, the development process is focused on expanding the work’s scale and clarity ahead of planned 2026 seasons in Newcastle and Sydney, with longer-term ambitions to tour internationally, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.