Lorinda May Merrypor joins Australian Musical Theatre Festival
Artistic Director Tyran Parke today announced an exciting casting update for the 2026 Australian Musical Theatre Festival, reinforcing the Festival’s commitment to showcasing leading Australian talent while creating opportunities for artists at every stage of their journey.
Due to their recent casting in the musical Waitress, previously announced performers Annie Aitken and John Xintavelonis have regrettably withdrawn from the 2026 Festival program. The Festival celebrates this exciting career opportunity and wishes them every success.
Joining the line-up in place of Aitken is acclaimed performer Lorinda May Merrypor, best known for starring in the Australian production of & Juliet. Merrypor will appear across multiple Festival events throughout the five-day program.
Merrypor:
I am so excited to be joining the Australian Musical Theatre Festival to perform across a range of events including embodying an amazing Australian icon, Cathy Freeman, in the Australian musical Well Behaved Women. I’m pinching myself that I’m singing with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and can’t wait to enjoy all the gifts that Tasmania has to offer across this five-day festival. I am particularly excited about the opportunities for emerging artists and members of the community to get involved in this art form which continues to bring joy to so many.
Beyond the stage, the Festival will offer a wide range of community engagement opportunities — from formal masterclasses and industry-led panels to informal events, including a joyful gospel singing session with Merrypor as guest — creating accessible entry points for artists and audiences alike.
Local performer Gerard Lane will step into the role of Dionysos in The Frogs, which will see community performers share the stage with musical theatre stars in a one-night-only performance of this wild and witty musical comedy exploring the role of artists’ voices in leadership and society.
Both Merrypor and Lane will also assist in facilitating the Festival’s annualDiversity and Inclusion panel, joining Indigenous music theatre artist Jarrod Draper. Lane brings extensive experience as Artistic Director of Studio Space Inclusive Arts, an organisation dedicated to creative opportunities for artists of all abilities.
Together with previously announced productions and events, these initiatives further cement the Festival’s reputation as one of Australia’s most inclusive and dynamic celebrations of musical theatre.
The Australian Musical Theatre Festival returns to Launceston from 20–24 May 2026, presenting more than 40 performances, concerts, workshops and special events across five extraordinary days.
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