Olney Theatre Center’s 2026/27 season serves as an inflection point for the 88-year-old regional theater, as it brings new facilities online and expands programming on the four stages across its 14-acre campus in the heart of Montgomery County, MD. Riding the momentum of its $37 million Staging the Future campaign, Olney Theatre will produce and present 11 theatrical productions, in addition to this coming summer’s Olney Outdoors series of concerts, cabarets, drag shows, and family events.
The new Bernard Family Theatre, a radical transformation of Olney’s original 1938 performance space, will open with a production of La Cage aux Folles directed by Artistic Director Jason Loewith (Sep. 18 – Nov. 8, 2026). On the Roberts Mainstage, Les Misérables, directed by Stephen Brackett (A.D. 16), will span the holiday season (Oct. 30, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027). Also, for the holidays, a new solo version of A Christmas Carol (Nov. 27 – Dec. 27, 2026), adapted and directed by Senior Associate Artistic Director Hallie Gordon, will premiere in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. In the new year, the solo show Churchill (Feb. 4 – Mar. 21, 2027) by David Payne will run in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, starring his son, British actor Daniel Payne, in the title role. A currently embargoed, Tony Award-winning musical, to be revealed June 1, will run in the Roberts Mainstage (Mar. 18 – Apr. 25, 2027); likewise, a soon-to-be-revealed play will run in the Theatre Lab (June 2 – 27, 2027). The Bernard Family Theatre will be the site of an immersive production of Peter and the Starcatcher, directed by Benjamin T. Ismail (Apr. 29 – Jun. 6, 2027), who also serves as Olney’s Company Manager. Later that summer, Hunter Foster will direct the popular jukebox musical Million Dollar Quartet in the Roberts Mainstage.
Rounding out the schedule are a trio of co-productions and presentations, beginning with another multi-season collaboration with Round House Theatre: August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom will be co-produced in Bethesda, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, to open the season (Sep. 9 – Oct. 11, 2026). The second half of the co-production agreement (the third such multi-season arrangement between Montgomery County’s two largest theaters over the past decade), a musical to be produced at Olney Theatre Center in the 27-28 season, will be announced in the spring. Synetic Theater Company returns to Olney Theatre for the spooky season, with their wordless adaptation of Sleepy Hollow (Oct. 7 – Nov 1, 2026) running in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. ArtsCentric, the Baltimore-based theater company led by Kevin S. McAllister (he also serves as Olney’s Director of Curated Programs & Artist Advocate), makes its Olney Theatre Center debut with a production of Crowns, set in the round in the Bernard Family Theatre (Jan. 28 – Mar. 7, 2027).
Artistic Director, Jason Loewith said, “WELCOME TO THE NEW OLNEY THEATRE CENTER! Since I came to the theater in 2013, I’ve dreamt of a busy and dynamic four-venue campus that earns our name: we’re the region’s premier Center for the Arts. From immersive productions in the new Bernard Family Theatre, to concerts and cabarets at Omi’s Pavilion, to sharing all our spaces with award-winning companies for plays and musicals, to classes and demonstrations in the gorgeous new Trawick Education Center, and of course, our trademark brand of Broadway-quality productions, we’ve finally become the DMV’s premier destination for live performance and education. I’ve always wanted Olney Theatre Center to be something special for everyone in the community; starting this summer, it truly is.”
TITLES, CREDITS, KEY DATES, VENUES & DESCRIPTIONS
August Wilson’s
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Co-produced with and performed at Round House Theatre in Bethesda
SEP. 9 – OCT. 11, 2026
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
Don’t miss this explosive and thrilling “genuine American masterpiece” (Chicago Reader)—reuniting two Helen Hayes Award winners from Olney’s co-production of Fela!, director Lili-Anne Brown and actor Melody A. Betts in the title role — that takes a searing look at the racial exploitation at the heart of the music industry and celebrates the cathartic power of the blues. Set in 1920s Chicago and pulsing with rousing blues music, wry comedy, and poetic insight, August Wilson’s acclaimed play follows trailblazing singer Ma Rainey and her band during a fraught recording session. As conflicts flare over art, power, and control, the struggle between the musicians and studio executives grows to a shattering finale.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Based on the play by Jean Poiret
BERNARD FAMILY THEATRE
SEP. 18 – NOV. 8, 2026
Directed by Jason Loewith
Choreographed by Karla Puno Garcia
Music Direction by Christopher Youstra
Olney’s first production in the brand-new Bernard Family Theatre is an immersive evening at St. Tropez’s hottest drag club, La Cage aux Folles! It is a big night for club owners Georges and his husband, Albin – their son Jean-Michel has just announced he’s engaged! The only catch is that his prospective father-in-law is an infamous politician from the Tradition, Family and Morality Party. And did we mention that Albin is not only Georges’ husband, but also the club’s biggest star, where they perform as the fabulous Zaza? When Jean-Michel requests that Zaza make herself scarce when his fiancée and her parents come for a visit, chaos and a reckoning ensue. Fierstein’s book and Herman’s songs feel just as relevant today as when the musical first premiered in 1983, or when its movie adaptation The Birdcage came out in 1996. Limited cabaret-table seating available at every show!
SYNETIC THEATER COMPANY PRODUCTION OF
SLEEPY HOLLOW
MULITZ-GUDELSKY THEATRE LAB
OCT. 7 – NOV. 1, 2026
Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili
Choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili
Adapted by Nathan Weinberger
Audiences were blown away in 2025, when Olney invited Synetic Theater to perform their award-winning, wordless version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Now they’re back, but this time they’re tackling a story with classic American roots in the intimate confines of Olney Theatre Center’s 150-seat Theatre Lab. This adaptation of Sleepy Hollow pulls together all the elements that made Synetic famous: gothic horror, iconic characters and imagery, and an emphasis on the surreal. The production explores and deconstructs the ideas of legend and myth, illuminating the story of a terrifying and well-known villain in a way that only Synetic’s physical lexicon can.
Appropriate for ages 13+
LES MISÉRABLES
A musical by Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schönberg
Based on a novel by Victor Hugo
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer
Original French Text by Alain Boubil and Jean-Marc Natel
Adapted and originally directed by Trevor Nunn and John Card
ROBERTS MAINSTAGE
OCT. 30, 2026 – JAN. 31, 2027
Directed by Stephen Brackett (A.D. 16)
Choreographed by William Carlos Angulo
Music Direction by Christopher Youstra
Modern classics don’t come any bigger than Les Misérables, and Olney Theatre celebrates it for the first time in honor of the show’s 40th anniversary. Based on Victor Hugo’s sweeping 19th-century novel of redemption, revolution, and love, the songs of Les Miz conquered Broadway in the 1980s and continue to resonate in this third decade of the 21st Century. Follow Jean-Valjean from his beginnings as convict #24601 to life in hiding, to protector of Cosette, pursued all the while by the relentless Javert, culminating in the revolutionary passions of the 1832 Paris uprising. Join us at the barricade this holiday season, and be stirred by a musical unmatched by its lyrical humor, its calls for justice, and its portrayal of the sacrifices one can make in the name of love. Featuring: Kevin S. McAllister as Javert, Alex De Bard as Eponine, Tracy Lynn Olivera as Madame Thénardier, Jordan Friend as Thénardier, Stephanie Waters as Fantine, Ben Clark as Marius, and more to be announced soon.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
MULITZ-GUDELSKY THEATRE LAB
NOV. 27 – DEC. 27, 2026
Adapted and Directed by Hallie Gordon
This season, Ebenezer Scrooge gets a refreshed look in Olney’s brand-new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic that practically invented our modern understanding of the meaning of Christmas. The one-person performance stays true to the original’s vision of a singular storyteller bringing ghosts, memories, and visions of the future to vivid life.
THE ARTSCENTRIC PRODUCTION OF
CROWNS
By Regina Taylor
Adapted from the Book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry
BERNARD FAMILY THEATRE
JAN. 28 – MAR. 7, 2027
Directed by Kevin S. McAllister
Music Direction by Cedric D. Lyles
Choreographed by Shalyce Hemby
Generations of Black women in the American South, through good times and bad, at weddings and funerals, on regular Sunday mornings and at festive holiday services, have adorned themselves with a hat for each occasion. Yolanda arrives in the South from Brooklyn to stay with family and encounters a world full of traditions that she initially regards with skepticism. However, in this play by Regina Taylor, through music and movement, the stories of the women beneath these “crowns” become a usable heritage for Yolanda as she seeks to heal from her own trauma.
CHURCHILL
by David Payne
MULITZ-GUDELSKY THEATRE LAB
FEB. 4 – MAR. 21, 2027
In the spirit of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, we’re thrilled to present another dramatic encounter with a titan of 20th-century leadership. It is 1963, and Winston Churchill has just been awarded honorary American citizenship by President John F. Kennedy. In this one-man show, Daniel Payne plays Churchill in a role written and created by his father, David. The former two-time Prime Minister reflects on what this newest honor means to him, along with recounting his storied life, from the Boer War, to his relationships with a pair of powerful women, his wife, Clementine, and Elizabeth II. Charismatic, witty, and occasionally risqué, you’ll really feel like you’re spending a special evening with “The Old Lion” of Great Britain.
TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL TBA
ROBERTS MAINSTAGE
MAR. 18 – APR. 25, 2027
The title of this production cannot be shared until after June 1, 2026. Until then, rest assured that like Olney’s productions of Waitress and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, this award-winning, female-centered musical is one you won’t want to miss.
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
A Play by Rick Elice
Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
BERNARD FAMILY THEATRE
APRIL 29 – JUNE 6, 2027
Directed by Benjamin T. Ismail
Choreographed by Nikki Mirza
In this enchanting, immersive production, discover how Peter became Pan. Audiences of all ages will be whisked across the seas aboard the HMS Neverland with the brave and clever Molly, daughter of the mysterious Lord Aster, while on a secret mission for the Queen. When things go unexpectedly awry, Molly teams up with a nameless orphan boy in a fight to save the day from bloodthirsty (and often hilarious) pirates. Silly and serious, Peter and the Starcatcher harnesses the universal power of storytelling itself to create a totally unique theatrical experience that’s perfect for kids or anyone who ever was a kid.
PLAY TBA
MULITZ-GUDELSKY THEATRE LAB
JUNE 2 – 27, 2027
Artistic Director Jason Loewith is soon to announce the perfect play to produce in the intimate confines of the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. Will it be a US Premiere of bold new voices, like Red Pitch? An innovative staging of a modern classic, like Appropriate? Or a heart-warming comedy like Kim’s Convenience? Whatever it is, you’ll want to be there.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET
Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux
Original Concept and Direction by Floyd Mutrux
Inspired by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins
ROBERTS MAINSTAGE
JUN. 30 – AUG. 22, 2027
Directed by Hunter Foster
Music Direction by Sam C. Jones
On December 4, 1956, one man brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley to play together for the first and only time. His name was Sam Phillips… The place was Sun Records… That night they made Rock ‘n’ Roll history – history you get to relive in this rollicking juke box musical jam-packed with hits like “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “That’s Alright,” “Long Tall Sally,” “I Walk The Line,” and “Great Balls of Fire,” to name only a few. Summer nights in the Roberts Mainstage promise to deliver a slice of rock ‘n’ roll heaven.
ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
Mission
Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences in our community, and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers.
Vision
Olney strives to become an arts and culture powerhouse, redefining the American regional theater movement by cultivating and sharing the creativity of our community.
History
Founded in 1938 as a summer playhouse, Olney Theatre Center now produces world and American premieres of plays and musicals, and reimaginings of familiar titles year-round; presents the work of leading companies and artists; tours nationally and locally; teaches students of all ages; and mentors a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. For more than 8 decades, Olney Theatre has brought impactful theater performance and education to our community, helping to grow the vibrancy and vitality of our home in the Washington, DC region.
Over the years, some of the biggest names in theater and film have appeared on Olney stages, including Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Bob Fosse, Phillip Bosco, Eve Arden, Eva Gabor, Burl Ives, Jose Ferrer, Carol Channing, Olivia d’Havilland, Tony Randall, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jane Seymour, Anne Revere, Frances Sternhagen, Arthur Treacher, James Broderick, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen, Marcia Gay Harden, John Colicos, Uzo Aduba, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, and Bernadette Peters, among many, many others.
Olney Theatre is now the cultural anchor of a rapidly changing region and serves one of the most diverse, best-educated, and wealthiest counties in the country. Situated on the unceded land of the Piscataway-Conoy people, the Olney area was once a rural farming community with a unique Quaker heritage. Now the area is occupied by every kind of family that makes up 21st-century America, along with major corporations, shopping districts, civic associations, nonprofit organizations, and a diverse collection of houses of worship. Montgomery County’s 1 million residents play a dynamic role in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and are a driving force behind the region’s creative economy.
