Olney Theatre Center, Maryland’s largest regional theater, produces Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables in the Roberts Mainstage (October 30, 2026 – January 31, 2027) in celebration of the musical’s 40th anniversary. This continues Olney Theatre’s tradition of providing popular musicals with multi-generational appeal to local audiences and visitors over the holiday season. This year, Tony Award-nominated director Stephen Brackett returns to direct the production, having last directed Cinco Paul’s critically acclaimed A.D. 16 at Olney in 2022. Trent Saunders, who garnered critical acclaim for his performance in the Broadway company of Dead Outlaw, stars as Jean Valjean, opposite Kevin S. McAllister, a veteran of multiple Broadway and Olney musicals, who recently directed Ford’s Theater’s heralded production of Come From Away. Christopher Youstra, Olney’s Associate Artistic Director of Music Theatre, again serves as Music Director, and William Carlos Angulo is the choreographer.
Says Olney Theatre’s Artistic Director Jason Loewith, “It’s not often that Les Misérables becomes available for regional theaters to produce, so I leapt at the opportunity when it arose. Like any great classic, Les Miz feels up-to-the-minute relevant, with vital truths to tell about the struggle for freedom, the lengths we’ll go to for those we love, and the power of mercy and humility when combined with passion. And this production finally gives our region’s best actors their shot at iconic roles: our own Kevin S. McAllister, who tackles one of his bucket-list roles in Javert; Alex De Bard returning for her third holiday musical (Frozen and Hello, Dolly!) as Eponine, and who isn’t excited to see Tracy Lynn Olivera tear it up as Mme. Thenardier?”
The cast also features Stephanie Waters as Fantine. Ms. Waters is returning after almost a decade away from the stage; before raising her three children, she starred as Cosette on Broadway and in the National Tour of Les Misérables. Quynh-My Luu (Beauty and the Beast) steps into the role of Cosette for the Olney production, and Ben Clark stars as the love-struck Marius. Jordan Friend joins Olivera as M. Thenardier, while Tyler Dobies (Frozen) leads the Paris uprising as Enjolras, along with Dylan Arredondo (Fiddler on the Roof) as Grantaire, Matt Acquard as Combeferre, Jonah Gavi Schwartz (Little Miss Perfect) as Joly, Matthew Thomas Provencal as Feuilly, and DeCarlo J. Raspberry (A Gentleman’s Guide) as Courfeyrac. Levi Gerstenblith and Grayson Lewis share duties as Gavroche/Young Eponine; while Sage McClure and Zoey Ottaviano alternate performances as Little Cosette. The ensemble includes Azaria Oglesby, Brigid Wallace Harper (Appropriate), O’Malley Steuerman, Ariel Friendly, and Odette Gutierrez del Arroryo. Alexandra Lopez and Walker Vlahos swing the production. The production stage manager is Karen Currie, along with Assistant Stage Managers Rebecca Talisman and recent Olney Theatre apprentice Sydney Enthoven.
Brackett, Youstra, and Angulo are joined on the creative team by the Tony-nominated set designer Arnulfo Maldonado (Buena Vista Social Club), lighting designer Abby Hoke-Brady (Little Miss Perfect), costume designer Sarah Cubbage (A Gentleman’s Guide), longtime Olney Theatre sound designer Matthew Rowe, wig designer LaShawn Melton, and Fight and Intimacy Consultant Casey Kaleba. Also working on the production are Ricardo Blagrove (Assistant Director), Joe Burt (Assistant Scenic Designer), Cody Von Ruden (Assistant Costume Designer), and Sage Green (Assistant Lighting Designer).
Les Misérablesruns October 30, 2026 – January 31, 2027 in the Roberts Mainstage at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD. Tickets range from $57 – $118 and are available online or by calling the box office at 301-924-3400.
Discounts for teachers, active military, and first responders are available at: olneytheatre.org/discounts
Performance Schedule
Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday matinees at 1:00 pm.
Select Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm.
Additional performances will take place around Thanksgiving and Winter Break.
See the full schedule at: https://tickets.olneytheatre.org/overview/lesmiz
Accessible Performances
Audio-Described Performance – Wednesday, November 11 at 7:00 pm
ASL Interpreted Performance – Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 pm
ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
Mission
Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences in its 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 its 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 its community, helping to grow the vibrancy and vitality of its 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.
