Beloved for its perfect blend of science fiction, comedy, and adventure, and universal themes of family, personal responsibility, the story’s timelessness is as enjoyable now as it was 40 years ago.
Back To The Future’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to spark curiosity about the past and inspire contemplation about one’s own choices and their potential impact on the future – and it’s probably why the critically acclaimed theatrical version Back To The Future: The Musical has been seen by nearly three million people worldwide since its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House on March 11, 2020.
Opening in Sydney on September 26, based on the original film, the stageshow continues to be relevant thanks to its heartwarming themes of ambition, courage, self-belief that people of all generations and backgrounds can relate to.
“Fans of Back to the Future will be happy to hear that the musical stays true to the original film,” executive producer Paula McKinnon tells EducationHQ.
“There’ve been some changes to help the show better suit a modern audience and its stage format, but all of the fan-favourite moments are still in there – the Delorean car, the skateboard, the kiss and the guitar solo performance by Marty!”
Two complimentary Q&A sessions for schools, post-show on Wednesday, October 22 and Wednesday November 26, will pull back the curtain and reveal what goes on behind-the-scenes. PHOTO: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
While musically there are some changes to the original, most of what made the movie so memorable remains.
“Given it has been adapted for the stage by the creators of the original movie trilogy, fans can rest assured the musical is authentic and true to the film including all your favourite scenes and moments,” McKinnon says.
In great news for teachers and schools, the stage version also has an accompanying comprehensive education program, including materials adapted to align with the Australian curriculum inclusive of Years 4-10.
They cover Drama, Music, History, Media Arts, Design and Technologies, Personal and Social Capability, and Critical and Creative Thinking, and can be adapted for different age groups.
The materials are divided into four sections and incorporate pre- and post-show content, covering a range of themes including failure before success, adaptations from screen to stage, and the historical context of the show.
Educator/writer/director Nick Waxman has put the education program together, having developed education resources for a number of Australian touring companies previously and productions of Harry Potter, Annie and Wicked: the Musical.
The head of drama and theatre at Geelong Grammar in Victoria has long been involved in professional theatre and says he relishes the opportunity to develop live theatre-based education resources for school-age students.
“Basically I try to be the middleman between the artists who are creating this amazing work and the teachers and students who have to interpret it,” Waxman tells EducationHQ.
Themes covered in the show's education materials include adapting screen to stage, overcoming failure, and historical context, ideal for inspiring critical and creative thinking in the classroom. PHOTO: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
While the education program was originally put together for the London production of the show, Waxman has taken those “fabulous” resources and created brand new lesson plans for them, aligned to our curriculum.
“That’s the joyous bit. It’s a fun creative opportunity to see how teachers can engage with this in English, or in history, or through drama, or using drama across different subject areas, because drama doesn’t have to be a standalone subject – it can just be a tool for teaching and exploring content.”
The materials are separated into four sections – ‘Back In Time’ (pre-show), ‘Screen to Stage’ (post show), ‘Live Performance Review’ and ‘Roles in Theatre’.
“Back In Time is an exploration of the period of time that Marty McFly goes to,” Waxman says.
“So, we really want students to understand the time and place that they’re returning to. We want them to understand that that was a different time. The ’80s were a really different time to the ’50s – different technologies. To young people, it may seem like just the olden days full stop.
“By getting them to compare and contrast those two different time periods, they’re getting a sense of what this play’s about, the themes of the play, like rights for women even changed a lot within that small period of time.”
“We align that to the experiences of Eddie Marbo in Australia and about ... so we try to connect it to the Australian context to be like, there are people in Marty’s world who are campaigning and fighting for equal rights.”
Screen to Stage is about the challenges and joys and opportunities of transforming a movie onto the stage, the live performance review students’ understanding and writing about theatre.
“So what you saw, what you experienced, being able to analyse it in detail and discuss it and speak about it, developing evaluation skills and being able to give your opinion about how effective something was, how you felt about something – not just what happened – but also about clarifying your experience of it.”
Lastly, Roles in Theatre is a deep dive for students who are perhaps going to be interested in pursuing theatre in the future, or just to have a deep dive into the wonderful different people that make something work.”
Waxman says students lucky enough to see the production will remember it for the rest of their lives.
“I think the big takeaway from my perspective is about appreciating and holding dearly the things that you have, that we want to be in the here and the now, we want to appreciate what we have, that if anything was different, how different our life would be, that if we take the right path or the left path, or if we could go back in time and change things would we?
“… Marty realises that really important lesson, that it’s about cherishing the things we have and to make sure that we protect them and take care of them because, you know, roll the dice any other way and it might not work out.”
McKinnon says audiences – students and teachers – can expect an electrifying theatrical experience from the moment the lights go down.
“The show is incredible, from the sound design to the illusions, and of course the beloved DeLorean…”
“Back To The Future is a cultural icon in the world of entertainment; it is one of the most successful film franchises ever in motion picture history and to be able to see it on the stage as a big Broadway production is a night out that you’ll never forget.”
For now, the production is at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, with hopes it will hit the road sometime in the future.
NSW teachers and students can go behind the scenes with a comprehensive education program and post-show Q&A sessions with cast and crew for two special matinee performances – on Wednesday, October 22 and Wednesday, November 26, 2025. For details click here.
