Celebrate La Boite Theatre’s 100-year history with La Boite Encores. 

La Boite Encores dive into Australia’s oldest continuously running professional theatre company’s rich history of theatrical excellence in a captivating play-reading series of ten fan-favourites from the theatre’s storied archives.  

Over ten weeks, audiences will experience these much-loved works brought back to life for one night only. This intimate series reunites original cast members and directors alongside emerging Brisbane talent, including the return of four former La Boite artistic directors –Sue Rider, Sean Mee, David Berthold and Todd MacDonald.

The series opens on April 28 with In Beauty It Is Finished by George Landen Dann, a play that sparked controversy long before its 1931 premiere due to its candid language and groundbreaking portrayal of a relationship between a young white prostitute and an Aboriginal man. This powerful reading will be directed by proud Butchulla man Aidan Rowlingson and read by a First Nations cast. 

Throughout the series, audiences can rediscover a range of influential and groundbreaking plays, from The Matilda Women, X-Stacy, and Zig Zag Street to The Narcissist, boy girl wall, and Holding the Man, as well as Prize Fighter and Single Asian Female.

Each play offers a unique snapshot of La Boite’s artistic evolution, making La Boite Encores a must-see for theatre lovers and newcomers alike.

La Boite Encores Full Program

Monday April 28: In Beauty it is Finished, written by George Landen Dann and directed by Aidan Rowlingson. 

Tuesday May 6: The Matilda Women, written and directed by Sue Rider. 

Monday May 12: X-Stacy, written by Margery Forde, directed by Fraser Corfield.

Monday May 19: Black Chicks Talking, written and directed by Leah Purcell.

Monday May 26: Zig Zag Street, adapted by Phillip Dean from the book by Nick Earls, directed by Sean Mee.

Monday June 2: The Narcissist, written by Stephen Carleton and directed by Playlab’s Ian Lawson.

Monday June 9: boy girl wall, written and directed by Matthew Ryan and Lucas Stibbard.

Monday June 16: Holding the Man, adapted by Tommy Murphy from the book by Timothy Conigrave, directed by David Berthold.

Monday June 23: Prize Fighter, written by Future D. Fidel and directed by Todd MacDonald.

Tuesday July 1: Single Asian Female, written by Michelle Law and directed by Claire Christian.