Welcome to 2026!

It may sound like a cliché, but Belloo really has hit the ground running in 2026. Between Matilda Award nominations, new works entering creative development, much-loved shows heading on tour, and upcoming travel to Boorloo (Perth) for the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM), things haven’t slowed down at all. We can’t wait to share what’s ahead with you.

Matilda Awards

We are thrilled to announce that BACK TO BILO has been nominated for five Matilda Awards!

Back to Bilo — Best Mainstage Production
Back to Bilo — Best Ensemble
Mic Gruchy — Best Video Design
Caroline Dunphy — Best Direction
Katherine Lyall-Watson (Playwright) — The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work

Huge congratulations to the BACK TO BILO cast, crew and creatives, and massive thanks to Priya, Nades, Angela, Bronwyn, Simone, Vashini, and all the Home to Bilo team for sharing their stories with us. This work was made with – and from – the heart of regional Queensland.

Back to Bilo. Image by Morgan Roberts.

Why Look at International Touring in a Time of Crises?

Belloo’s Producer, Kristen Maloney, has published the first article in her producing fellowship research series, examining why international touring remains critical for Australia’s small-to-medium arts sector in a time of ongoing global crisis.

Drawing on research, observations and reflections from her three-month fellowship in Taiwan and across the Asia–Pacific — including attendance at the 2025 Performing Arts Market in Seoul — the article considers how small-to-medium arts organisations are navigating pressure, constraint and uncertainty, and why inherited touring models are increasingly misaligned with current conditions.

Click the link below to read the article and follow the series as it unfolds.

In late 2025, Kristen also attended the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting (YPAM) as part of her producing fellowship, while Caroline Dunphy travelled to Japan to see work and reconnect with long-standing collaborators. Together, they spent time with IDIOT SAVANT Theater Company and attended Greetings from the Edge of the Earth II, directed by Suzuki Tadashi and performed by SCOT.

Japan holds a very special place in Belloo’s heart and practice. Caroline Dunphy maintains a long-standing professional relationship with Japan, returning regularly to train with Suzuki Tadashi and the SCOT Theatre Company. Over the past decade, Belloo has delivered complex Australia–Japan collaborations including Hanako (Brisbane Festival, 2016), House in the Dunes (TPAM, 2020), Akiruno (Tokyo Tokyo Festival, 2021), and A Special Relationship (2023), combining live performance, digital practice, cultural consultation and public engagement across multiple partners and jurisdictions.

We see our international practice not as touring for its own sake, but as a long-term, relationship-led exchange grounded in trust, shared learning and sustained collaboration across borders.

APAM

Australian Performing Arts Market

Belloo’s Producer, Kristen Maloney, will be heading to Boorloo / Perth this month to attend the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM). If you’re there, come say hi. Kristen would love to catch up with presenters, producers and artists to chat about Belloo’s current works, touring plans and what’s ahead in 2026.

Thanks for being part of Belloo’s community. We look forward to sharing more as the year unfolds.

With gratitude,

The Belloo Team