Fresh off a triumphant 2025 season capped by multiple Georgy Award wins — including the prestigious Ted Malloy Award presented to Troy McKindley — STAG has announced COSI by Louis Nowra as its first major production of 2026.
The play will be presented as part of Shepparton Festival’s 30th anniversary, with McKindley co-directing alongside Laura Stevens.
Set inside a Melbourne mental institution during the 1970s, COSI tells the story of an idealistic young director who attempts the near-impossible: staging Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte with a group of patients.
What unfolds is messy, funny, heartfelt, and ultimately celebratory.
Performances will run from March 20 to 28, 2026, at the Bakehouse Blackbox Theatre in Shepparton.
And for those itching to be part of the action, auditions are now open.
“Whether you’re a seasoned performer or stepping into the theatre world for the first time, now is the ideal moment to get involved,” STAG said.
Auditions will be held at the Blackbox Theatre, 17 Wheeler St, Shepparton, on Friday, December 5 (5.30pm to 8.30pm) and Saturday, December 6 (9am to noon).
To book an audition, visit koalendar.com/e/Cosi-auditions-25
For more information, visit sites.google.com/view/stag-cosi/show-information