Six years after Australian historian Jenny Hocking successfully challenged the government to release secret letters between Queen Elizabeth II, former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, and the then-governor general John Kerr, her ongoing quest to uncover the truth behind the 1975 dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam is being brought to the stage. The Palace Letters, announced as part of the Sydney Theatre Company’s (STC) 2027 program, will have its world premiere at the Sydney Opera House in April. The play will star Georgie Parker as Hocking and Jonathan Biggins as Whitlam. STC’s artistic director, Mitchell Butel, likened the play to Hocking’s “Erin Brockovich journey through the court system,” with the first half focusing on her legal battle and the second depicting the aftermath of the dismissal. The STC’s 2027 program includes a mix of new and returning productions, with four world premieres and six Australian premieres. Among them is a modern retelling of the ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus, written by Robert Icke. The play, which previously starred Lesley Manville and Mark Strong in London and New York, will be staged at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in January and February, before moving to the Adelaide Festival in March. Butel has cast Heather Mitchell and Richard Roxburgh in the roles of Jocasta and Oedipus. This adaptation shifts the setting to a contemporary world where Oedipus is a politician awaiting election results. Comedian Celeste Barber will make her STC debut in The Book of Liz, a 90-minute comedy written by the Sedaris siblings, David and Amy. Barber will portray Sister Elizabeth Donderstock, a character escaping a religious sect who is “clueless about sex and the modern world but armed with a formidably sunny disposition.” Also returning to the STC is The Picture of Dorian Gray, which will be staged at the Roslyn Packer Theatre. Former artistic director Kip Williams is set to direct, with Nikki Shiels playing all 26 characters in the marathon show. The production will tour to Brisbane as well. Other highlights include Tim Minchin’s return to the stage as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, directed by Matthew Warchus. A new stage adaptation of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries will also debut, with Amber McMahon playing the iconic Phryne Fisher on a cruise ship. Additional productions include a new Australian version of John Proctor is the Villain, a dark comedy exploring high school students’ engagement with The Crucible, and a play titled Amah and Nanna, inspired by the classic film Thelma and Louise. Rounding out the program is The Fifth Step, a two-person play exploring non-toxic masculinity, and Logan St, a story about friendship set in the grounds of Australia’s oldest mosque.