The Little Red Company’s Naomi Price talks Swiftie singalongs, taking creative risks and the unbridled escapism of musical theatre
Naomi Price knows a thing or two about theatre. As one of the brains behind Brisbane-born The Little Red Company, the creative powerhouse has had a hand in creating a plethora of beloved musical-theatre productions. We caught up with Naomi – a Queensland 40 Under 40 alumni – to chat about Little Red’s current era and the state of Queensland’s independent theatre industry in 2025.
When we catch up with Naomi Price, the artistic director of The Little Red Company has a lot on her plate. In addition to spearheading the ideation, planning and execution of the independent production house’s numerous shows, Naomi also has a hand in Little Red’s client-facing entertainment and event solutions arm, as well as its schools program. She also just came off a two-month stint playing the title role in Calamity Jane for Queensland Theatre
Safe to say, she’s busy.
Right now, though, the QUT graduate and Queensland 40 Under 40 alum is waiting for tickets to go on sale for Little Red’s latest high-voltage concert experience, Taylor Made. Described as the ‘ultimate Swiftie singalong’, Taylor Made follows in the footsteps of Little Red’s other music-driven songbook retrospectives, like the acclaimed Rumour Has it. This time, however, things feel different.
“It’s a different format for something we’ve done before and it’s also a different age group as well, potentially,” says Naomi. “Obviously, there’s the original Swifties who are all my age – 30s and 40s. But then there’s the new generation, which is the teenagers that love her as well.”
“We haven’t historically made work for teens, so I’m really excited to get this out there and to see if it pays off.”
Naomi – and, by extension, Little Red – isn’t afraid of taking creative risks. In fact, bold ideas are the bedrock the company was built on, back when Naomi and co-founder Adam Brunes launched Little Red in 2012. But Naomi feels like now is the time to really swing for the fences, to take a chance on the more ambitious concepts that, in the past, might have seemed too big a risk to pursue for a fledgling outfit.
“You can fall into the trap of starting to play things safe, stop taking risks and stop having that bravery,” says Naomi. “I think something I’ve been really trying to challenge us this year is getting that courage back – to take the steps ourselves and not wait for somebody else to create a space or platform for us.”
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“You have to be extremely brave to be in theatre, because it is basically like glorified gambling – you never know if a risk is going to pay off or not. I just want to start backing our ideas because I think they’re all winners and I’m kind of sick of seeing other people do them before we do. If not now, then when? And if not us, then who?”
Little Red’s daring new era is already in full swing. Earlier this month, the team took its adaptation of Rachel Burke’s Fancy Long Legs (which debuted at La Boite last year as part of Brisbane Festival) to Adelaide, with a view to tour it nationally next year. Later in 2025, Wonder – a celebration of the world’s greatest one-hit wonders – will tour through Queensland, and Matilda Award-nominated Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves will embark on a new state-wide tour later in June.
And then, in the lead-up to Christmas, Little Red’s now-iconic Love Actually-inspired silly-season starter Christmas Actually will return for its seventh sparkling year.
But what about 2026 and beyond? Well, Naomi already has a strategic eye towards Little Red’s programming. In a time where luxury expenses like dining out and theatre excursions are first to be cut from household expenses, Naomi wants to make sure audiences get more bang for their buck.
“They’re going if it feels like it’s going to be an event – it’s got to be something that is going to knock their socks off and they have to go,” says Naomi. “It’s got to be something that’s got a real driving force to it. That’s really where we’ll shape our programming for 26 and beyond – making sure that we’re listening to what audiences want and then aligning our company activity to support that.”
Even with cost of living pressures putting the squeeze on spending, Naomi is bullish on the health of Queensland’s independent theatre industry.
“I think that we are backing our local heroes in a way that we’ve never backed them before,” says Naomi. “I’ve been really excited to see Arts Queensland and the Queensland Government collaborating with commercial companies like Little Red and Shake & Stir, and small to mediums like Dead Puppet Society.”
“I think that the work that’s being made here at the moment is exceptional. The appointment of Daniel Evans (a 2024 Queensland 40 Under 40 winner) at Queensland Theatre will transform that company and will reinvigorate its audience, which is so exciting. Making work at the state theatre company that we can all be extremely proud of and that can hold up on a national and an international stage, that makes me so excited.”
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As for Little Red’s role in pushing Queensland theatre forward, Naomi thinks there are avenues where the company can lead the way – especially when it comes to improving access and inclusion.
“One area that we’ve worked really hard and tirelessly in over the last five years has been how we embed accessible services and practices into the theatre experience from the ground up, as opposed to it being a service that gets tacked on at the end,” says Naomi.
“Fancy Long Legs is a great example of a children’s work, which was created with neurodivergent kids in mind and how they can attend the theatre and have a really supported, inclusive experience.”
From the little theatre company that could to a production juggernaut in its own right, Little Red shows that success doesn’t require conforming to industry standards. Unabashedly committed to celebrating the wondrous potential of musical theatre and the unbridled escapism it affords audiences, Naomi is the perfect example of passion being the most important ingredient of sustained success.
“The company is built on the audacity to try,” says Naomi. “We had never written a show before we created this company. We’d never run a business before we created this company, but we had the bravery and the courage to step out and actually give it a go.”
“Arts and entertainment is worth a lot of money to the economy and to local businesses as well. I feel like this next chapter is about us all stepping into that power and not making apologies for who we are and what we bring to the table, but actually standing up loud and proud and going, ‘Look at what we achieve’”.
Tickets to Taylor Made – taking place at The Tivoli on Friday July 25 – are on sale now.
The search is on for the state’s high achieving young business leaders and entrepreneurs, with nominations open for InDaily Queensland’s 40 Under 40 Awards program for 2025.
Now in its third year, the prestigious awards have become a valuable platform for showcasing the state’s talent. The 40 Under 40 Awards is celebrating the passion, vision and achievements of Queensland’s young entrepreneurs and leaders, who will grow and shape the future of our state.
If you know a great leader, trailblazer or innovator that is deserving of recognition, nominate them for this year’s awards. The nomination period has been extended to Thursday June 5 – click here for more information.