TL;DR: Geelong Arts Centre’s 2025 season marks their most exciting and ambitious program to date, featuring world-class performances including The Dictionary of Lost Words, Romeo & Juliet, La Bohème, Looking for Alibrandi, and innovative shows like Duck Pond and The Birds.
Geelong Arts Centre has unveiled its biggest season ever for 2025, bringing extraordinary stories from Australia’s best artists and arts companies right to Geelong. Since its $180million Victorian Government transformation into Australia’s largest dedicated regional arts venue, Geelong Arts Centre has welcomed over 256,000 visitors this year, cementing its place as a leading cultural institution.
Here are the 10 must-see events that make Geelong Arts Centre your essential entertainment destination in 2025:
1. The Dictionary of Lost Words – March 27-29
The 2025 season begins with Sydney Theatre Company’s The Dictionary of Lost Words (March 27-29), adapted from Pip Williams’ beloved novel. Set in World War 1, amid the women’s suffrage movement, it’s a fictionalised telling of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. The show tells the story of Esme, a young girl who takes it upon herself to preserve the ‘women’s words’ being neglected by the male lexicographers creating the first Oxford Dictionary.
2. Sydney Dance Company’s Momenta – May 14-15
The Sydney Dance Company’s momenta will run from May 14 to May 15 and promises to take audiences on a journey into the poetry and physicality of human bonds. This contemporary dance performance explores the connections that bind us together through stunning choreography and movement.
3. The Birds – June 11-14
Director Matthew Lutton delivers an immersive audio-theatre experience with Malthouse’s The Birds (June 11-14). Adapted from Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic-horror story, staged in collaboration with Malthouse Theatre. Award-winning actor Paula Arundell (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) stars in this one that promises to be “the most frightening night in the theatre you’re likely to have in your life!” Lights off, headphones on – prepare for a theatrical feat of audio engineering.
4. Opera Australia’s La Bohème – July 11-12
Opera Australia returns to Geelong Arts Centre with one of the best-loved operas of all time, La Bohème (July 11-12). Puccini’s timeless opera about love, art, and heartbreak among bohemians in Paris will bring its full emotional power and beauty to the stage. When Mimì meets Rodolfo, it’s love at first touch in this original bohemian love story exploring the eternal question: is love enough?
5. Looking for Alibrandi – August 20-23
In an adaptation of Melina Marchetta’s groundbreaking Australian novel, Looking for Alibrandi (August 20-23), is a culturally relevant story following Josie Alibrandi’s journey through class, identity, and family history, capturing the richness and complexity of 1990s Australia. Adapted by Vidya Rajan, and directed by Stephen Nicolazzo, this one first hit the stage in 2022. Now it’s making its way to Geelong. Fans of the iconic Melina Marchetta novel, this one’s for you.
6. Duck Pond – September 12-13
Dazzling with its circus-inspired, light-hearted take on Swan Lake, Duck Pond (September 12-13) invites audiences of all ages to revel in a playful and contemporary retelling of a classic ballet full of aerial feats, acrobatics, and feathers. It’s Swan Lake, but not as you know it. Duck Pond is the world’s most romantic ballet, reimagined as a wacky circus spectacular. Brought to life by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa ensemble, expect acrobatic tricks, lots of feathers, and a great time for the whole family featuring sequinned flipper-wearing duck army and a burlesque black swan!
7. Bangarra’s The Light Inside – October 10-11
Bangarra Dance Theatre brings The Light Inside (October 10-11) to the Geelong Arts Centre stage. This is Bangarra’s first mainstage cross-cultural collaboration, with leading Māori choreographer and Arts Laureate Moss Te Ururangi Patterson joining beloved Bangarra alumna Deborah Brown. Together they guide Bangarra’s award-winning ensemble in stories that honour their mother countries and the spirit that calls them home. From two of the world’s great First Nations comes this new work exploring the cultural forces that bind us together, across oceans and eons.
8. Bell Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet – November 8-9
Bell Shakespeare’s raw and magnetic Romeo and Juliet (November 8-9), directed by Peter Evans reinvigorates Shakespeare’s iconic tale of love and tragedy. With Madeleine Li as Juliet, this poignant production will leave audiences mesmerized by the timeless beauty of one of the greatest love stories ever told. This raw portrayal of Romeo & Juliet will envelop you in the passion, the intensity and the heartbreak of Shakespeare’s most evocative tragedy.
9. Family Magic 2025 Program
Family Magic 2025, sparking a lifelong love of the arts for children and families with seven heartfelt performances – there’s something for all ages. This curated program is designed specifically for families and features shows that will ignite young imaginations and create lasting memories.
10. REWIRE 2025
REWIRE 2025, where five vibrant new voices thrill, inspire and push the limits of imagination. REWIRE invites you to explore the bold, the daring, and the unconventional. Now in its third year, the REWIRE program is also back for Geelong Art Centre’s 2025 season and will spotlight five vibrant, daring and unconventional new voices that push the limits of imagination.
Bonus: Delightful Days & Matinees 2025
Delightful Days and Matiness 2025, some of Australia’s best loved performers right here in Geelong to create delightful daytime experiences. Enjoy complimentary tea, coffee and morning tea before the show – the perfect prelude to a morning of socialising and entertainment. Delightful Days and Matinees will offer six daytime experiences over the course of the year, including a tribute to Dionne Warwick and the songs of Burt Bacharach on February 19.
Why Geelong Arts Centre is Melbourne’s Hidden Gem
Geelong Arts Centre has raised the bar, revealing a 2025 season that rivals the best of the region’s capital city. The Centre’s four 2025 curated programs set the stage for Geelong, one of Australia’s fastest-growing regional cities and only designated UNESCO city of Design in Australia, to shine brighter than ever, as the region’s hub of creativity, community, and world-class entertainment in 2025.
The redevelopment has been recognised as a triumph of cultural investment, seeing them crowned as Performing Arts Centre of the Year by APAX, winning the Silver Cultural Victorian Tourism Award and multiple national architectural accolades.
Getting There and Making a Day of It
The beauty of the Geelong Arts Centre is its location: you’ve got the best eats in the city right around the corner. For a great meal, we recommend venturing down Little Malop Street, just across Gheringhap Street. That’s where you’ll find some of Geelong’s best bars and restaurants. Highlights include Sober Ramen and Sumi, Caruggi for Northern Italian, or a few Greek share plates at Mavs.
We’ve rounded up some of the best accommodation on the Bellarine over here, but if you’re looking for something Arts Centre-adjacent, check out the brand new Holiday Inn on Ryrie Street. Or, for a more luxurious, romantic getaway, there’s the wonderful Timber Door, just around the corner.
Booking Your 2025 Entertainment
Purchase a Gold Membership Classic or Flexi package for SEASON 2025 before 29 MAR to receive a 15% discount off tickets. By purchasing a Classic or Flexi package, you’ll automatically become a Gold Member of Geelong Arts Centre, unlocking exclusive benefits and experiences!
Tickets for the 2025 Geelong Arts Centre season are available at geelongartscentre.org.au
Bottom Line: CEO Rhys Holden says: “This season brings powerful stories, made by Australia’s best artists and arts companies, right here to Geelong. I look forward to welcoming you into our theatres for what promises to be another extraordinary year of remarkable stories and extraordinary art.” Don’t miss this incredible lineup – it’s the perfect excuse for a cultural day trip from Melbourne to Geelong!
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