National Theatre of Parramatta Launches Heartland Festival
The festival runs Wednesday 25 June – Saturday 5 July 2025.
National Theatre of Parramatta will present Heartland Festival, a jam-packed, two-week festival of new works, bursting with big stories and ground-breaking writing, from Wednesday 25 June to Saturday 5 July 2025.
Showcasing over 50 local and International Artists, Heartland Festival will feature world premieres, theatre, spoken word, comedy, artist workshops, and some splendid catering in celebration of the artists and communities that make the heartland of Western Sydney so special.
NTofP Producer and the 2025 Heartland Festival Programmer, Phil Spencer, said: “Mixing local theatre makers and International Artists, Heartland Festival will be a true celebration of the creative spirit of Parramatta, a unique meeting place for storytelling and live theatre."
The Heartland Festival officially launches with the full theatrical premiere of The Offering (A Plastic Ocean Oratorio) on Wednesday 25 June and an epic new performance work by multi-award-winning Australian author, poet, and rapper, Omar Musa (Since Ali Died) and renowned American cellist and composer Mariel Roberts Musa.
Creator of The Offering, Omar Musa said, “We are so proud of what we’ve made with The Offering and can’t wait to share it at Heartland Festival – hopefully it’s something super imaginative, stirring and disruptive”.
NTofP teams up with re:group performance collective (Coil, UFO) to present their smash-hit show POV with a rotating cast including Nat Jobe (Yoga Play), Nicole Milinkovic (White Pearl), Bali Padda (Optics) Caroline L George (The Marriage Agency), Ariadne Sgouros (4000 Miles) Jemwel Danao (Yoga Play), Alex Malone (Yoga Play), Keivaan Askari, and many more. This hilarious and profound portrait examines what it means to negotiate difficult questions about parenting, agency, and mental health.
In two delicious evenings of entertainment the festival Supper Club, hosted by the magnificent Nancy Denis (Ma’p Boulé), showcases new works by theatre makers Pratha Nagpal (Aurat Raj), Erica Brennan (The Hero Leaves One Tooth), emerging writers Geneva Valek and Kate Bubalo and storytellers Tiffany Wong (Slanted Theatre) and Youssef Sabet (Karim). These two tasty evenings of hot new works in a blistering variety show are not to be missed.
Direct from sold-out London shows at The Royal Court, Bush Theare and Shakespeare’s The Globe we are thrilled to welcome award-winning writer and performer Azan Ahmed to host our inaugural Bars from the Heart here in Parramatta. This special evening of spoken word will playfully blur the line between poetry and performance making.
On this epic fortnight of bold new works, NTofP’s Creative and Executive Producer Joanne Kee said “I am thrilled that we're able to share the incredible talents of these artists. Check out some of the most exciting new works happening in Australia, where we are combining theatre with spoken word, music and more in a feast for the senses.”
In addition to the performance program, Heartland Festival will also provide a number of opportunities for artists’ development. NTofP’s annual Staging The World mentorship program and by housing the National Play Sumit, a thought-provoking industry event produced with Australian Plays Transform (APT).
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Shrek The Musical Pioneer Theatre (10/30-11/08) |
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Monty Python's Spamalot Sydney Event Centre - The Star (10/15-10/18) |
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We Are The Tigers Hayes Theatre (10/09-11/08) |
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The Book of Everything Belvoir St Theatre (8/22-9/20) |
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Morning Melodies: What's New, Pussycat Kingston City Hall (8/25-8/25) |
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lacuna Belvoir Street Theatre (7/30-8/15) |
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The Elevator Ensemble Theatre (9/18-10/18) |
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Cicada Wollongong Art Gallery (8/27-8/29) |
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Cabaret, Cocktails and Karaoke Seymour Centre (8/28-8/28) |
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Good Company Entertainment Presents: The Big Chillout Saraton Theatre (10/11-10/11) |