Huppert's performance in 'Mary Said What She Said,' based on Queen Mary Stuart's letters with a score by Ludovico Einaudi, has received high praise from The Guardian and The New York Times, highlighting her virtuosity.

The 2026 Adelaide Festival, marking the first program under new Artistic Director Matthew Lutton, will showcase notable productions including a solo show starring Isabelle Huppert as Mary, Queen of Scots, directed by the late Robert Wilson, and a triple bill by Ensemble Pygmalion focusing on early baroque music.

From March 4-6, 2026, Luigi Rossi’s opera 'Orfeo' will be performed by 18 instrumentalists and 28 singers, highlighting the theatricality of baroque music.

Ensemble Pygmalion will make its Australian debut with three concerts at venues including Adelaide Town Hall and St Peter’s Cathedral, showcasing works by Bach, Monteverdi, and Luigi Rossi’s 'Orfeo,' emphasizing baroque music’s theatrical and spiritual qualities.

These performances will explore hope amid turmoil through Bach, sacred music with theatrical elements via Monteverdi’s Vespers, and the myth of Orpheus with Rossi’s 'Orfeo,' a French opera lost for over 300 years.

The full Adelaide Festival program will be announced on October 27, 2025, with tickets for highlighted events going on sale August 28, 2025.

The festival will feature Wilson's theatrical vision through Huppert's powerful portrayal of Mary Queen of Scots, emphasizing Wilson's influence on the production.

Running from February 27 to March 15, 2026, the festival is supported by a $650,000 contribution from the Malinauskas Government’s Arts Investment Fund, ensuring high-caliber artistic experiences.

The program on March 2-3, 2026, will feature Monteverdi’s Vespers from 1610, continuing the baroque exploration.

One of the festival's programs, 'Bach: Good Night World,' scheduled for February 27-28, 2026, will feature music by Bach and other composers performed by a group of 10 singers and 11 instrumentalists.

Another program will explore themes of hope and consolation through baroque compositions, including a revival of the 17th-century French opera 'Orfeo,' performed from February 27 to March 6, 2026.

This festival marks Lutton’s first as Artistic Director, following a period of financial recovery and leadership changes, including the departure of Ruth Mackenzie and the stewardship of Brett Sheehy.