Her Orange is the New Black character may have spent years unsuccessfully pining for a baby, but Yael Stone has confirmed she's pregnant with her first child.

While it's great news for the Australian actor it's thrown a bit of a spanner in the works for one of Sydney Theatre Company's biggest 2018 productions. Stone was due to play the leading role in a new production of George Bernard Shaw's classic Saint Joan, directed by STC's Imara Savage, but the company has confirmed she'll no longer be appearing alongside cast members John Gaden and Socratis Otto when the show opens in June.

“We’re absolutely thrilled for Yael and wish her all the best for this exciting new chapter of her life,” STC artistic director Kip Williams said.

New casting for the central role of the persecuted feminist icon will be announced in the coming weeks, but Stone leaves big shoes to fill. The performance was going to be a triumphant return for Stone, who hasn't acted in a Sydney Theatre Company show since 2010's production of Honour. Last year she appeared at Belvoir in Australian playwright Stephen Sewell's The Blind Giant is Dancing.

Sydney Theatre Company still has a massive line-up of home-grown and international hits in 2018. See our guide to the season ahead here.

Share the story