David Williamson’s comedy Family Values kicks off the new year, starring Peter Kowitz as the beleaguered patriarch tackling controversial issues with the heated tension only family gatherings can provoke.

Queensland Theatre’s leader and Artistic Director Lee Lewis will direct, saying she’s looking forward to interpreting Williamson’s fierce yet comical take on deeply divisive topics with his trademark insight and wit.

The 2023 season comes after a challenging few years, and Lewis said in acknowledgement of that, they are featuring both new and seasoned playwrights telling a wide range of stories.

“After the speed bumps of the last two years, we’re putting our foot down on the pedal and are heading towards that light at the end of the tunnel — a huge season of inspiring plays,” Lewis said.

“Our 2023 Season promises moments of wild surprise, radical hope, intriguing gentleness, bliss, joy, spiritual wonder, and the warmth of being with a community of people who all love sharing great stories.”

Lewis will also direct Academy Award nominee Nia Vardalos’s adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s New York Times bestselling book Tiny Beautiful Things, bringing vulnerability, authenticity, and candour to the stage from June 17.

“Vardalos manages to capture Cheryl’s raw vulnerability in this beautifully nuanced adaptation,” she said.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing this to life at Queensland Theatre and can’t wait for our audiences to experience it.”

After flood damage delayed its opening, Qui Nquyen’s fast-paced romance Vietgone finally opens on November 4, following protagonists Quang and Tong who after being evacuated from the Vietnam war, travel through the dusty heart of America.

“Ngyuen’s action-packed play epitomises our mood for 2023 –wild, witty, and raucous”, Lewis said.

“It’s the perfect way to round off the season on a high.”

Another casualty of flood damage, Hannah Belanszky’s don’t ask what the bird look like, opens on August 19 after being pushed back a season. Selected as finalist for the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2018-19, Belanszky’s story traverses themes of heritage and reconnection with a subtle humour as it follows city girl Joan’s journey into the remote Australian outback in search of answers about the past. Queensland Theatre’s Artistic Elder Roxanne McDonald will direct this intimate work alongside Lee Lewis.

Nathan Maynard’s groundbreaking play At What Cost? comes to Queensland Theatre on May 25, exploring themes of identity and history through the eyes of Tasmania’s First Nations community. Traversing past and present, Maynard’s drama brings the struggles of Tasmania’s First Nations peoples to the fore as they try to protect their culture and land.

“This ambitious play from Nathan Maynard will keep audiences rapt with its passion and insight, while delving into pertinent issues affecting First Nations communities,” Lewis said.

A contemporary twist on As You Like It from esteemed Shakespearean director Damian Ryan will feature in April. Ryan brings this energetic classic to life, injecting a new vigour into Shakespeare’s tale of love, lust, villains and foes.

Ryan Enniss brings his innovative play Drizzle Boy to the stage in March after winning the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award for 2022-23 for his play which takes the audience on a journey through the world of neurodiversity.

Offering both cheer and warm humour in October is Melanie Tait’s The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race. Tait’s comedy takes audiences to the heart of rural Australia, following the lives of local women Dr Penny, Nikki, Barb, and Bev as they overcome obstacles in preparations for Appleton’s annual Potato Race.