Ford’s Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault has announced the Ford’s Theatre 2026/27 season, featuring the Ford’s Theatre return of the Tony Award-winning Come From Away, directed by Kevin McAllister; the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol, with Craig Wallace reprising the role of Ebenezer Scrooge; and the Broadway hit, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by Alan Paul.
The season opens with the Tony Award–winning musical Come From Away (September 10–October 18, 2026), arriving back at Ford’s Theatre a decade after its debut and coinciding with the 25th commemoration of September 11. The acclaimed musical tells the true story of 7,000 stranded airline passengers and the small Newfoundland town that welcomed them in the days following the attacks.
The holidays bring the cherished Ford’s tradition of A Christmas Carol (November 19–December 31, 2026), adapted by Michael Wilson, with DC favorite Craig Wallace returning as Ebenezer Scrooge.
January 2027 will feature the return of A First Look – A Festival of New Plays, the company’s free, ticketed showcase of new works in development.
The spring continues with Broadway favorite The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (March 12–May 15, 2027), alongside the Society’s popular educational offerings, including the actor-led History on Foot walking tours of downtown Washington, DC, and daytime one-act performances of One Destiny.
“The 2026/27 season reflects Ford’s Theatre’s enduring mission to illuminate the American experience — through stories of compassion, courage and community,” said Ford’s Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault. “We are especially proud to welcome back Come From Away ten years after its debut here. The musical returns to the Ford’s Theatre stage, where Washington audiences first embraced its powerful story of kindness in the face of tragedy, following a celebrated world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse. As we mark the 25th commemoration of 9/11, we honor the extraordinary generosity it depicts. From Craig Wallace’s return as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol to the continuation of History on Foot, One Destiny and A First Look, this season celebrates the artists, audiences and stories that make Ford’s such a vital part of Washington’s cultural life.”
Free Preview and Discounts
Ford’s Theatre continues its commitment to offer free and discounted performance tickets to the company’s mainstage productions during the 2026/27 season. Tickets for the first preview performances of Come From Away and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be offered free of charge via a TodayTix ticket lottery, and free tickets will also be made available for a preview performance of A Christmas Carol. The Free Preview initiative seeks to remove price barriers and build audiences in a more inclusive way, by inviting those who live and work in the Washington community who might not otherwise consider participation in the arts. Since the program launched in 2016, more than 11,000 tickets have been provided to Washington, D.C. audiences.
Discounts are available for groups, senior citizens and military personnel. Learn more about discounts and Free Previews here. To purchase tickets for a group, contact Group Sales at groups@fords.org.
Student Matinees and Teacher Preview Workshops
Ford’s Theatre is committed to serving local DC-metro area students and teachers and offers weekday student matinees and accompanying lessons plans. A limited number of free tickets to select weekday matinee performances are available to DC-metro area public and public charter schools, Title I schools and schools that have 40 percent or more students eligible for Free and Reduced Meals. Schools located within the Capital Beltway may also qualify for free bus transportation. Ford’s Theatre offers a free workshop and free tickets to a preview performance of each of the company’s mainstage productions to Washington-area teachers before they bring their students. Since the program launched in 2009, more than 30,000 tickets have been provided to local students. Learn more on Ford’s Theatre’s student matinees webpage.
Accessibility
At Ford’s Theatre, we are committed to ensuring visitors of all abilities can experience the performances, exhibits, history and programs our site has to offer. We offer sensory-friendly, audio-described, ASL interpreted and GalaPro closed captioned performances. Accessible seating and chair rental, assisted listening devices, large print programs and Braille programs are available upon request.
Since 2018, Ford’s Theatre has offered relaxed sensory-friendly performances that are designed for those with sensory sensitivities who might benefit from an adjusted theatrical environment, including individuals with autism or other social, learning or cognitive disabilities. Sensory-Friendly performances are scheduled for Come From Away on Saturday, October 17, 2026; A Christmas Carol on Sunday, November 22, 2026; and for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Saturday, April 24, 2027.
Find all performance dates and learn more about Ford’s Theatre’s accessibility offerings here.
Member presale for Come From Away, A Christmas Carol, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee begins April 13, 2026; tickets go on sale to the general public April 27.
The 2026/27 Season
Come From Away
September 10–October 18, 2026
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Music Directed by Clay Ostwald
Choreographed by Katy Tabb
Directed by Kevin McAllister
Ten years after making its Ford’s Theatre debut, Tony Award-winning Come From Away returns to our historic stage and tells the heartwarming true story of how a small Canadian town cared for 6,579 airline passengers stranded there on 9/11. When 38 planes were diverted to its doorstep, the town of Gander doubled in size, playing host to an international community of strangers and offering food, shelter, and friendship. Featuring a rousing score of folk and rock, Come From Away honors the better angels of our nature, revealing hope and humanity in a time of darkness.
A Christmas Carol
November 19–December 31, 2026
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Michael Wilson
Directed by Michael Baron
Featuring Craig Wallace as Ebenezer Scrooge
Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic, with familiar characters, ghosts and a children’s ensemble in the spirit of the holidays. Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Ford’s annual tradition heralded as a “rich visual and vocal treat” (TheaterMania) and “infectiously jolly” (The Washington Post).
A First Look–A Festival of New Plays
January 2027
Free Ticketed Event; Registration Dates and Titles to Be Announced
In its 5th edition, A First Look continues to showcase new plays in various stages of development including plays from the Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions. The commissions seek to amplify lesser-known stories and heroes responsible for changing the course of civil rights, social justice and equality in America. The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions initiative is led by Senior Artistic Advisor Sheldon Epps, Director of Artistic Programming José Carrasquillo and The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions Advisor Sydné Mahone. Learn more about the initiative here.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
March 12–May 15, 2027
Music and Lyrics by Wiliam Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Additional Material by Jay Reiss
Music Directed by Christopher Youstra
Choreographed by Ashleigh King
Directed by Alan Paul
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows six awkward adolescents through their daunting and hilarious championship quest. As they navigate the tournament’s pressures, the eccentric coterie finds a new sense of belonging. Along the way, they learn that there is more to life than winning a trophy. This charming coming-of-age tale also invites four volunteers from the audience to participate in each performance, ensuring new and unexpected comedy every night.
One Destiny
By Richard Hellesen
Directed by Mark Ramont
March–May 2027
Learn about Lincoln’s assassination from two men who were there. This 35-minute stage play at Ford’s Theatre explores the key facts of the assassination while capturing the emotions of that fateful night in 1865, as told through the eyewitness accounts of actor Harry Hawk and Ford’s Theatre co-owner Harry Ford, among others. As they reconstruct the sequence of events, they grapple with the question: Could John Wilkes Booth have been stopped? One Destiny was honored with The Washington Post Award for Innovative Leadership in the Theatre Community in 2011 and celebrated its 1,000th performance in the spring of 2016. Performance times for spring 2027 to be announced at a later date. Learn more about One Destiny.
The One Destiny: On Demand streamed performance, featuring original actors Michael Bunce and Stephen F. Schmidt, continues to be on sale.
History on Foot Walking Tours | Investigation: Detective McDevitt
By Richard Hellesen
Directed by Mark Ramont
March–October 2027
Join Detective McDevitt as he re-visits and re-examines the sites and clues surrounding the assassination of our nation’s 16th president. Performance dates and times for 2027 to be announced at a later date. Learn more about History on Foot.
Ford’s Theatre Society
One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s life and legacy.
Ford’s Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford’s as a living, working theater producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theater-going public have recognized Ford’s for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the Tony-nominated Come From Away and the nationally acclaimed Big River, to the world premieres of Meet John Doe, The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Liberty Smith, Necessary Sacrifices, The Widow Lincoln, The Guard, Grace, Something Moving and The American Five, Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theater landscape. Under the current leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Phebe N. Novakovic and through the lens of Lincoln’s leadership and legacy, Ford’s today endeavors to advance Lincoln’s “unfinished work” with programs and performances that cultivate empathy, encourage dialogue, and bridge divides in American life.
For more information on Ford’s Theatre and the Ford’s Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.
