Psychotherapist, author and podcast host Esther Perel will return to Australia in December 2026 with a new live production exploring modern relationships, following her previous sold out Australian tour.
by Paul Cashmere
Esther Perel will tour Australia this December with a new live presentation titled Strangers, Friends, and Lovers: A Night Out with Esther Perel, performing in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The Belgian born psychotherapist, bestselling author and host of the podcast Where Should We Begin? will debut the new production in Australia, with tickets going on sale from 31 July following a series of presales.
Perel’s return comes four years after her sold out 2022 Australian appearances and coincides with the 20th anniversary of her influential book Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence. Since its publication in 2006, the book has become one of the defining works on contemporary relationships, challenging long held assumptions about the relationship between intimacy, commitment and desire.
The new stage production examines how relationships are changing in an era shaped by digital communication, shifting social expectations and increasing isolation. According to the tour announcement, the event is designed as an immersive audience experience exploring the ways strangers become friends, partners and communities.
Perel said the concept grew from the importance of human connection.
“Every meaningful relationship begins with someone we didn’t yet know,” she said.
“Whether they remain a stranger, become a friend, or even a lover, what connects these beginnings is the human capacity to relate to one another. At a time when so many people are searching for belonging, this tour is an invitation to reconnect with one another, with our communities, and with the parts of ourselves that come alive in relationships with others.”
The live production asks audiences to consider how changing cultural expectations are affecting friendships, romantic partnerships and family life. It also examines whether increasing convenience and technology have altered people’s ability to navigate uncertainty in relationships and whether communities can rebuild stronger personal connections.
Perel has become one of the most recognised international voices on relationships during the past two decades. Born in Belgium to Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors, she studied educational psychology and French literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before completing a master’s degree in expressive art therapy at Lesley University in Massachusetts. She later taught for 13 years as a clinical instructor at New York University School of Medicine while building an international psychotherapy practice.
Beyond her books, Perel has reached a global audience through her TED Talks, viewed more than 50 million times, and through her podcasts Where Should We Begin? and How’s Work?. Both series examine the dynamics of relationships, with one focusing on couples and the other on workplace partnerships and business relationships.
Her second bestselling book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, expanded her work beyond intimacy to explore trust, commitment and changing attitudes towards monogamy. She has also advised organisations including Fortune 500 companies on workplace relationships and organisational culture.
The Australian tour continues Perel’s long running schedule of international speaking engagements and reflects the growing popularity of live events centred on psychology, wellbeing and human behaviour, an area that has attracted increasing audiences alongside traditional author tours and public lectures.
Tour Dates
Friday 11 December, Sydney, Darling Harbour Theatre, ICC Sydney
Sunday 13 December, Melbourne, The Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Thursday 17 December, Brisbane, Great Hall, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Ticket Details
Esther Perel Fan Presale: Wednesday 29 July, 1.00pm local time
TEG Dainty Presale: Thursday 30 July, 1.00pm local time
General Public On Sale: Friday 31 July, 1.00pm local time via Ticketek
https://www.tegdainty.com/tour/ep26web/
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