The Holden Street Theatres 2026 season opens with the South Australian premiere of Till the Stars Come Down, the Olivier-nominated family drama by British playwright Beth Steel. The production runs at The Studio from 26 May to 13 June, directed by Holden Street’s Director in Residence Nick Fagan.
Steel’s play premiered at London’s National Theatre in January 2024, where it sold out its run and picked up two Olivier Award nominations including Best New Play. It transferred to the West End’s Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2025, with critics calling it “deliriously funny,” “utterly unmissable,” and “spun in gold.” Now it makes its Adelaide debut.
What the play is about
The action unfolds over a single hot summer’s day at a wedding. Sylvia is marrying Marek, a Polish newcomer to the family, and over the course of the day, the vodka flows, sisters clash, family meddle, and the cracks beneath the bunting widen until they can’t be papered over. It’s a portrait of family, class, and the things we don’t say to the people we love most — fiercely funny in places, gut-punching in others.
The Adelaide cast
Fagan has assembled an ensemble of some of South Australia’s most accomplished stage performers: Martha Lott, Michelle Nightingale, Krystal Cave, Jo St Clair, Brendan Cooney, Brant Eustice, Spencer Scholz, Steve Turner, Laura Lines and Millie Fagan.
“Till the Stars Come Down is a deeply personal and human story that speaks to tenderness and the complexity of family relationships,” Fagan said. “This is a play for our times, which will connect with Adelaide audiences on every level. We have assembled an exceptional local cast for this truly ensemble piece, who will bring this brilliant play to life with its tension, drama and electricity.”
Holden Street Theatres’ Chief Executive and Artistic Director Martha Lott — also part of the cast — described the production as “a major coup for the season.”
“From London to Holden Street, we are thrilled to open our 2026 in-house season with Nick Fagan as Director in Residence,” Lott said. “The production embodies everything that audiences love about Holden Street: bold storytelling, unflinching performances and theatre that moves you, and leaves a lasting impression.”
The details
- What: Till the Stars Come Down, by Beth Steel
- Where: The Studio, Holden Street Theatres, 34 Holden Street, Hindmarsh
- When: 26 May – 13 June 2026
- Director: Nick Fagan
- Tickets and bookings: holdenstreettheatres.com
- Presented by: Holden Street Theatres Inc. by arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical on behalf of Samuel French: A Concord Theatricals Company
