The Nelda K. Balch Festival Playhouse’s 63rd anniversary season is…
Love is Love
Stories of Power, Pursuit and Passion
Harlem Duet by Djanet Sears
September 10-20, 2026
Produced in collaboration with Face Off Theatre Company
Directed by Dr. Quincy Thomas
A rhapsodic blues tragedy. Harlem Duet could be the prelude to Shakespeare’s Othello, and recounts the tale of Othello and his first wife Billie (yes, before Desdemona). Set in contemporary Harlem at the corner of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X boulevards, the play explores the space where race and sex intersect. Harlem Duet is Billie’s story.
Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne
November 5-8, 2026
Directed by Dr. Miriam Thomas
Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the gay rights movement, Perfect Arrangement merges madcap sitcom-style laughs with provocative drama as two closeted U.S. State Department employees struggle to maintain their cover – and their sanity – in 1950s America.
PERFECT ARRANGEMENT is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
www.concordtheatricals.com
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by Lauren Gunderson
February 25-28, 2027
Directed by Ren Pruis
Nan has decided to teach her abusive husband Kyle a lesson. With the help of her friend Simon (acting as her emotional—and actual—cheerleader), a stripper named Sweetheart, and the words of William Shakespeare, she tapes Kyle to a chair and forces him to watch as they reenact scenes from their painful past. In the piece de resistance, they plan to cover the room in meat and honey so Kyle will be mauled by a bear. Through this night of emotional trials and ridiculous theatrics, Nan and Kyle are both freed from their past in this smart, wonderfully dark yet hopeful revenge comedy.
EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Playscripts.
www.concordtheatricals.com
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
May 20-23, 2027
A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows four Athenian lovers—Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius—who flee into a magical forest, leading to comical chaos as fairy king Oberon and mischievous Puck use love potions to meddle with their affections, causing confusion, jealousy, and unexpected pairings, all while a troupe of amateur actors rehearse a play in the same woods, culminating in resolved relationships and double weddings for the humans, and Puck reversing the magic, all set against the backdrop of Theseus and Hippolyta’s impending nuptials.
Come back soon to learn about the 2026-2027 Senior Performance Series (Theatre SIP Applications are open April 7 – May 26, 2026)!