2026 Mainstage Season

Our 2026 Season 

A Season of Truths

As we enter the second quarter of the first century of the new millennium, many of us feel a mounting unease. So much has happened just in the United States over the past 25 years that we must still process – increasing terrorist attacks, regular school shootings, the advent of social media, a major financial collapse, a global pandemic, and an insurrection. We certainly live in interesting times, and much is being made of how we define the time we are living in. That requires an honest and deep observation of reality and facts. Over the last decade, some prominent people began discussing the idea of “alternative facts”, and many families encountered an unusual amount of turmoil and challenge due to disagreements over reliable information and sources. Objective truth is becoming subjective and political truth has been subverted. Logic, data, and integrity are seemingly reviled, while feelings for unverified statements that align a person’s strongly held beliefs are the new barometer for what is “true”. Sadly, we are once again in the midst of a swell of differing narratives and confusion. Chaos seems to be the order of the day, and it can be exhausting trying to parse through all of the noise.

With our 2026 season of shows we would like to explore the ways that theatre can shine a light on truth. It may seem somewhat antithetical to an art form which relies on representation; something that is inherently false. The mirror is not always reality. But, like the Fool that is allowed to speak truth to power, with art and artifice we can put a spotlight on what is going on in captivating and compelling ways. Our art can reach the heart of the matter by telling intimate stories with live performers in a collective environment. Sometimes we can even catch the conscience of a king! It is a willful and necessary truth that theatregoers accept to enter the world of the play. We are asking our audiences to join us on this journey as we explore how we discover truth. We hope you enjoy the show! 

An estranged biracial couple must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident. Their disparate histories and backgrounds inform their assumptions as they try to find out what happened to their son.

“Unrelentingly high tension on every level.” – The New York Times

“This play elicits gasps from the audience.” – NY1

“Playwright Demos-Brown is a clever phrase-maker, and he delights in using language that vividly illustrates the social and educational gulf.” – Variety

“With its unrelentingly high tension on every level – maternal, marital, societal – it’s more like a slice of a nightmare.” – The New York Times

It’s 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap classic sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two “All-American” couples are forced to stare down the closet door.

“[A] clever canapé of a comedy... Mr. Payne is a deft and witty writer.” – The New York Times

“The best thing about Topher Payne’s fabulous Perfect Arrangement is its pitch-perfect capture of the 1950s comic voice, and its application to the dreadfully serious drama.” – DC Theatre Scene

“Usually a playwright has to choose between writing a laugh-out-loud comedy and a very serious drama. Topher Payne has written both with Perfect Arrangment.” – TheaterMania



“As hiding gets harder, pitch-perfect comedy ensues: slamming doors, strange disguises, preposterous excuses... Eventually, the four must decide whether face-saving domestic lies are worth it, or whether ostracism beats living in fear. In our own era of surveillance and paranoia, their mid-century problems don’t feel so far away.” – The New Yorker

When clever con artists Flo and Roscoe arrive in a kingdom obsessed with fashion, they spot the perfect mark – a style-obsessed Emperor. Claiming to weave magical cloth invisible to fools, they set the kingdom spinning with excitement and anxiety. No one dares admit they can’t see the clothes until the Emperor’s grand reveal leaves the crowd howling with laughter. A witty, timeless tale about vanity, deception, and the courage to speak the truth.

“[Mason’s version of] Andersen’s timeless story does something more pointed than speak truth to power; it speaks truth to the powerless in a democracy frequently intimidated by a credentialed few…. kids who are captivated by live theater at such an early age will have witnessed a performance of this profound fable so fast-paced and ornately produced, they’ll carry a tiny insurrectionist kernel with them into adulthood.” - Dallas Observer

Winner of three Tony Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and two Obie Awards, Urinetown is a hilarious musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, environmental collapse, privatization of natural resources, bureaucracy, municipal politics, and musical theatre itself! 

In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-year drought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!

“Hollman’s music and lyrics are undeniably skillful and witty…” – The New York Observer

"zesty and full-bodied original" — The New York Times

 "For anarchic, first-rate comic relief, get thee to Urinetown."  – Time Out

Two rakish young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, opt to navigate Victorian-era expectations of courtship simply by evading them. Plus, being sensible can be excessively boring. At least Jack thinks so. While assuming the role of dutiful guardian in the country, he lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy takes on a similar facade. Unfortunately, living a double life has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to love. This “trivial comedy for serious people” reveals the absurd lengths that humans will go to in pursuit of acceptance, love, and truth.

“A joyous romp of endlessly quotable lines and fizzling farce.” – London’s Sunday Express

“Immensely enjoyable.” – Financial Times