There’s no shortage of great stories being told across stages and screens this August in Australia with NIDA alumni shaping the performances and creative teams. Read on to find out where you’ll catch them this month.
A single weekend changes everything in Storm Bird, blowing into select cinemas from 6 August, including a special Q&A event at Sydney’s Randwick Ritz on 27 August. Set against the stunning backdrop of Far North Queensland, the film follows three strangers whose lives become unexpectedly entwined as they confront mortality, redemption and second chances. The film is written, directed, produced by and stars James Ivor (Acting, 2011), alongside co-stars Gary Brun (Acting, 2011) and Edmund Lembke-Hogan (Acting, 2011). Visit their website for film screenings near you.
A relaxing getaway takes a chaotic turn for a group of friends in the comedy film Spa Weekend, arriving in cinemas on 20 August. Lending their vision to the production is a fabulous team including, Supervising Art Director Fiona Donovan, (Design, 1992), Art Directors Meiko Wong (Design for Performance, 2019) and David Valencia (Acting, 2011) and Assistant Costume Designer Lauren Hunter (Costume, 2016), as well as cast member Gabriella Oxley (Stage and Screen Performance, 2024).
All good things must come to an end including one of our favourite chaotic comedies, Colin From Accounts, season 3, streaming now on BINGE with episodes rolling out weekly. Returning to deliver more hilarious mishaps and wonderfully awkward moments are Genevieve Hegney (Acting, 1999) and Annie Maynard (Acting, 2004) with new characters played by Thomas Cocquerel (Acting, 2012) and Ariyan Sharma (Musical Theatre, 2020 & Acting, 2023) with behind-the-scenes brilliance delivered by Costume Designer Rita Carmody (Design, 2007) and Costume Buyer Genevieve Graham (Design for Performance, 2016 & Master of Design for Performance, 2018).
The 2026 Logie Award Ceremony will be held on 16 August, with coverage available on Nine Network. We’ll be cheering on our alumni nominated including: Rob Collins (Acting, 2013), Tuuli Narkle (Acting, 2018), Yerin Ha (Acting, 2018),Steve Bisley (Acting, 1977), Kate Box (Acting, 2003), Catherine McClements (Acting, 1985), Heather Mitchell (Acting, 1980) and Miranda Tapsell (Acting, 2008).
Age is just a number and the characters in Dalliance are ready to prove that you’re never too old to start again. This new six-part drama coming to Paramount+ on 27 August explores love, friendship and the unexpected and messy turns that life guarantees. Directed by Emma Jackson (Acting, 1999), with Heather Mitchell (Acting, 1980) as co-star and producer, the series also features NIDA alumni Hugo Weaving (Acting, 1981), Catherine McClements (Acting, 1985), Ryan Paniazza (Acting, 2021), Paula Arundell (Acting, 1995) and Costume Truck Standby Lucy Jauristo (Costume, 2021).
Court is in session at Ensemble Theatre with David Williamson’s relentlessly funny and razor-sharp play Top Silk on stage until 12 September. Two lawyers find themselves torn between justice, integrity and career success as the lines between right and wrong become increasingly blurred. Starring NIDA alumni Nicholas Brown (Acting, 2000), Thomas Campbell (Acting, 2002), Laurence Coy (Directing, 1993), Rachel Gordon (Acting, 1996), Samir Nasser (Stage and Screen Performance, 2025) with Set & Costume Designer Ailsa Paterson (Design, 2003), Lighting Designer Kelsey Lee (Design, 2018), Composer & Sound Designer Madeleine Picard (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2023), Stage Manager Lauren Tulloh (Production, 2009), Assistant Stage Manager Yasmin Breeze (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2024) and Costume Supervisor Monica Smith (Costume, 2011).
The past and present converge in the world premiere of Jane Harrison’s Bennelong in London, on stage at Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 1 until 16 August. This compelling new work follows a young actor, played by Guy Simon (Acting, 2010), preparing to step into the role of the historically significant figure, Bennelong, when the man himself emerges to challenge, question and reshape the story being told. Behind the scenes of this remarkable story are Production Designer Emma White (Masters of Design for Performance, 2019) and Cultural Advisor and NIDA’s Elder in Residence Uncle Matthew Doyle.
Sharehouse Production Company and Flightpath Theatre presents Strategic Love Play, Miriam Battye’s brutal comedy about the unexpected possibilities of dating today. Playing from 25 – 29 August, this hilarious two-hander follows strangers whose first date quickly becomes something far more revealing. Entirely NIDA-trained, the production features Director Ava Rusch (Directing, 2026), co-starring Georgia-Paige Theodos (Acting, 2024) and Caleb Jamieson (Stage and Screen Performance, 2023), with Producers Jago Field (Stage and Screen Performance, 2023), Caitlin Green (Diploma of Acting, 2023), Victor Xu (Stage and Screen Performance, 2023), Sound Designer Otto Zagala (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2026) and Production Designer Bronte Hunt (Design for Performance, 2025).
What memory would you erase if you had the chance? Eric Jiang’s Lacuna takes audiences on a surprisingly hilarious and heartfelt journey from everyday struggles with Centrelink to the underworld, where protagonist Claudia lands a job removing memories from the living. The consequences for her hubris will be divine. A Griffin Theatre Company production, presented at Belvoir’s Downstairs Theatre until 15 August, this inventive new work features the behind-the-scenes talent of Set and Costume Designer Hailley Hunt (Design for Performance, 2023), Lighting Designer Morgan Moroney (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2020), Creative Producer Zoë Hollyoak (Directing, 2022) and Stage Manager Jonathan Ogilvie (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2026).
Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy is turned upside-down, inside-out and every other which way in Send For Productions’ play, Goodnight Sweet Prince at the Old Fitz Theatre until 15 August. Stripping back the story of Hamlet to its psychological core, audiences explore memory, grief and the corrosive cycle of revenge through an ever-shifting performance. Featuring NIDA alumni, Catherine Laga’aia (Stage and Screen Performance, 2025) as the Voice of Ophelia, with Lighting Designer Verity Hampson (Technical Production, 2005) and Set and Costume Designer Keerthi Subramanyam (Design for Performance, 2019).
Header image L-R: Googoorewon Knox and Guy Simon (Acting, 2010) in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Bennelong in London. Photo by Daniel Boud.