State Educate
State Educate is designed to provide high school students and teachers with the opportunity to see professional live theatre, engage with the artists, creative team and cast involved, and participate in Q&A sessions held only for these shows. We also offer backstage tours, workshops associated with our State Educate productions and specifically tailored workshops to support classroom learning. Engaging with the professionals that you have just seen performing provides an insight to theatre-making that is hard to find elsewhere.
Education resources, videos and activities for individual or classroom use are available on the State Educate Resources page. This page includes both show specific and general resources, addressing topics such as characterisation, theatre terms and playwriting.
If you have any questions, please email education@statetheatrecompany.com.au
Our school booking Terms and Conditions have changed recently, please take the time to read them thoroughly before booking.
About State Educate 2025
State Educate offers a variety of resources for students and teachers to help them get the most out of their theatrical experience, including filmed interviews with the cast and creative team to help gain an insight to the creative and rehearsal process.
The advantages of booking State Educate performances are:
- Daytime performances specifically for high school students. Each play is followed by a Q&A with the cast.
- Detailed study guides with in-depth information on key themes, dramatic style, characters and design elements. Study guides also include assignment questions for continued learning back at school.
To book a 2025 State Educate performance for your school, please check the performance availability page and complete the 2025 State Educate Booking Form.
If you have any questions, please email education@statetheatrecompany.com.au.
2025 State Educate Shows
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HOUSEWORK
BY EMILY STEEL
Kelly Sheppard, a naive but excited junior staffer in the Electorate Office of Ruth Mandour, Minister for Health, unexpectedly gets the chance to travel to Canberra with the passionate MP she idolises and Ruth’s brilliant-but-exhausted Chief of Staff, Anna Cooper. Anna’s juggling Ruth’s new policy launch, family and the type of muffins the Minister requires for a cabinet meeting while Kelly is excited to get into Parliament and make her mark. But getting what you want in the nation’s capital requires some fancy footwork. What they all experience in that week makes them question their ambitions, their ideals and the value of democracy itself.
A whip smart, gaspingly funny and dazzling deep dive into the corridors of power and with shades of Veep, The Thick of It and The Hollowmen, celebrated South Australian playwright Emily Steel (Euphoria) blows open the doors of Parliament House to unlock some devilish and dangerous truths in this bold new black comedy.
Sex scandals, betrayals, culture wars, the price of power, motherhood and Machiavellian manipulation – it’s all in a day’s work inside the House.
Guidelines & Content:
Age guide: Year 11-12
Run time: Approx 1 hour and 55 minutes (no interval)
Content warnings: Adult themes, mild coarse language, mild sexual references and the use of herbal cigarettes.
Curriculum links: Creative Arts, Drama Stage 1 and 2, English Stage 1 and 2, Politics, Power and People, Women’s Studies.School performances
Dunstan Playhouse
Thursday 13 February 11.00am -
THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS
ADAPTED BY VERITY LAUGHTON
FROM THE NOVEL BY PIP WILLIAMSMotherless and ever curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium – the “Scrippy”, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. She hides beneath the table and catches discarded words as they fall – words the men find irrelevant and unimportant… female words. Here begins Esme’s collection of her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words.
As the years pass and Esme’s world expands and her circle of friends grows – actresses, suffragettes, market traders, workers, she realises the power in gathering their voices, and lending hers. And on the way, she comes to understand the many meanings of the word “love”.
Guidelines & Content:
Age guide: Year 11-12
Run time: Approx 2 hours and 45 minutes including interval
Themes: Gender roles and feminism, identity and voice, social change, family and relationships, language and words.
Content Warnings: Contains a scene with strong coarse language and adult themes, sexual references, haze and theatrical blood.
SACE Curriculum links: Women’s Studies, Creative Arts, Drama Stage 1 and 2, English Stage 1 and 2.School performances
Dunstan Playhouse
Friday 4 April 11:00am -
LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI
BY VIDYA RAJAN
BASED ON THE BOOK BY MELINA MARCHETTAIt’s the final year of school for 17-year-old Josephine Alibrandi, who eagerly anticipates her future. But first, she must navigate her Nonna’s traditional values and her mother’s world of care and secrets. This is the year Josie meets her father, plus she falls in love, uncovers the truth, and finds her true self. Set in 1990s Italian-Australian culture, this theatrical adaptation of the iconic novel and film will premiere in Adelaide in 2025, following sold-out seasons in Sydney and Melbourne. Directed by Stephen Nicolazzo, a fresh take on Josie’s journey is coming!
Guidelines & Content:
Age guide: Year 10-12
Run time: Approx 2 hours and 20 minutes including interval
Themes: Cultural identity, family and generational conflict, love, class and social status, self discovery and independence.
Content Warnings: Coarse language, sexual references, use of herbal cigarettes, haze, reference to suicide and allusion to domestic violence.
Curriculum Links: Drama, English, Creative Arts.School performances
Dunstan Playhouse
Thursday 22 May 11.00am
Tuesday 27 May 11.00am
Thursday 29 May 11.00am -
DEAR SON
Letters and reflections from First Nations Fathers and SonsBASED ON THE BOOK BY THOMAS MAYO
ADAPTED BY ISAAC DRANDIC AND JOHN HARVEYAuthor and editor Thomas Mayo, co-author of The Voice to Parliament Handbook and Torres Strait Islander man, invited 12 contributors to write letters to their sons, fathers, or nephews, celebrating First Nations manhood. Dear Son is a groundbreaking theatrical event honouring the wisdom of past generations while exploring the challenges faced by First Nations men today, highlighting the importance of family, culture, and resilience. As Thomas writes to his father: “We are a continuum of proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men… I see you. I understand you. I love you. I will always be your dear son.”
Guidelines & Content:
Age guide: Year 9-12
Run time: Approx 85 mins (no interval)
Themes: Love, connection, culture, identity, family
Content Warnings: Discussion of racism, trauma, deceased persons, coarse language and adult themes.
Curriculum Links: Aboriginal Studies, Creative Arts, Drama, English, Politics.School performances
Odeon Theatre
Tuesday 29 July 11.00am
Wednesday 6 August 11.00am
Friday 15 August 11:00am
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To book a 2025 State Educate Schools show for your students, please complete the 2025 State Educate Booking Form.
If you have any questions, please email education@statetheatrecompany.com.au or call Education Manager Fiona Lukac on 8415 5307.
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A teacher subscription can range between 4-6 plays, but must include at least four of the 2025 schools shows. Teachers participating in this program will receive a Certificate of Attendance for professional development hours. Contact us when you subscribe online to register, or tick the teacher subscription box on the booking form to choose this package.
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