Following a sold-out debut in 2025, the Theatre Makers Masterclass Series continues to bring professional training to the Northern Rivers. Designed for emerging and established artists alike, the series offers practical, high-calibre workshops with some of Australia’s most respected theatre practitioners, building skills in performance, storytelling and creative collaboration.

The 2026 line-up will be announced early next year.

Launching in 2026, The Storytellers Program supports regional writers and theatre makers to develop new work from concept to performance. Participants receive mentorship, dramaturgical guidance and professional development opportunities, with pathways toward full production with Byron Theatre Company.

Applications open early 2026.

‍

In June 2026, Fairbairn + Wild Productions and Byron Theatre Company present Tirra Lirra by the River

‍

Nora is back. But this is no quiet homecoming.

When Nora reluctantly returns to the Australian house where she grew up, she finds the past lying in wait. Forced to an urgent reckoning with the choices she has made, Nora – exile, artist, lover and wife – sifts through the lives she has led to discover the woman she has become.

In this virtuosic adaptation, leading Australian stage directors Heather Fairbairn and Kate Wild collaborate with star of stage and screen Toni Scanlan (Water Rats) to breathe new life into an Australian classic. Using cutting-edge audio-visual effects, Tirra Lirra by the River spans the twentieth century, from jazz-age Sydney to post-War London, creating a kaleidoscopic meditation on memory, imagination and belonging.

‍

Creatives:

Writers – Heather Fairbairn + Kate Wild

Co-Directors – Heather Fairbairn + Kate Wild

Production Designer – Savanna Wegman

Lighting + Video Designer – Aron Murray

Composer + Sound Designer – Anthony J. Walker

Cast includes: Toni Scanlon