‘Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest’ returns to Australia for 65-performance season

Following sold-out seasons in London’s West End and the United States, and a record-breaking tour across Australia and New Zealand in 2025, BIG Live’s critically acclaimed Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest will return home for 65 performances across Sydney and Melbourne: 35 in Melbourne and 30 in Sydney.

The Australian-born production will play 35 performances at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, from 10 September to 25 October 2026, alongside two Sydney engagements: eight performances at the State Theatre from 22 to 27 September, followed, due to overwhelming demand, by 22 additional performances at the Capitol Theatre from 7 to 29 November 2026.

The Capitol Theatre extension adds 22 performances to the originally announced eight-show State Theatre engagement, taking Dracula’s Sydney season to 30 performances in total. It will also return a major production to dates made available after the cancellation of Beetlejuice: The Musical’s Sydney season, supporting work for artists, technicians, venue teams and the wider live-performance economy.

The additional Sydney performances have been welcomed by Foundation Theatres, with Chief Executive Graeme Kearns placing the expansion in the context of the wider pressures facing the Australian live performance sector.

“It is particularly significant to see an Australian founded company developing work here, building an international audience for it and then bringing that success home. Productions of this scale sustain artists, musicians, technicians and theatre workers, while giving audiences compelling reasons to experience great live performances. We are delighted to welcome BIG Live back to the Capitol Theatre with Dracula,” says Graeme Kearns, Chief Executive, Foundation Theatres.

In Melbourne, the season also marks BIG Live’s return to Her Majesty’s Theatre during the venue’s 140th anniversary year.

“In our 140th year of proudly entertaining Melbourne audiences, Her Majesty’s Theatre is delighted to welcome BIG Live back to our stage with Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest. We are proud to present an Australian-created production that has grown into a genuine international success, performing on major stages across the United Kingdom, the United States, Asia and Australasia,” adds Quan Tu, Chief Operating Officer, Her Majesty’s Theatre.

For BIG Live, the 65-performance return is part of a wider story of Australian investment and international growth. Founded in Brisbane and operating without government funding, the independent company is on track to sell more than 400,000 tickets across its productions in 2026, with more than 200,000 people expected to see Dracula during its 2026 international tour alone.

“There’s no question the touring landscape is challenging right now, but there is also real cause for confidence. The response to Dracula — both across Australia and on major international stages — shows that when work genuinely resonates with people, the demand is there. We are proud to support Australian talent and to prove that Australian-led productions can hold their own anywhere in the world,” says Khalid Tarabay, Executive Director and Co-founder, BIG Live.

Choreographed by BIG Live Artistic Director and Co-founder Joel Burke, Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest is a bold, cinematic reimagining of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic – a visceral exploration of forbidden love, grief, obsession, immortality and sacrifice.

The production features a powerhouse cast of artists with experience at the Mariinsky Theatre, English National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet and other leading companies. BIG Live principals Ervin Zagidullin and Abbey Hansen perform as Dracula and Mina Harker, with internationally renowned guest artist Adamzhan Bakhtiyar appearing at selected performances.

Set within a world of gothic grandeur created by award-winning CTS Design, Dracula is driven by a powerful score led by Emmy Award-winning composer Jason Fernandez and featuring masterpieces by Bach, Rachmaninov, Mozart, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns and Debussy.

Dracula’s 2026 international tour has included the London Palladium, Sadler’s Wells, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre and Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre, before returning to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Further international performances are scheduled for Hong Kong and Bangkok in January 2027.

Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest will perform 35 times at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne from 10 September to 25 October 2026, followed by eight performances at Sydney’s State Theatre from 22 to 27 September and 22 additional performances at the Capitol Theatre from 7 to 29 November. Tickets and further venue information are available through each theatre.

‘Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest’. Image supplied.