Theatre and Dance 2026-27 Season

The critically acclaimed Department of Theatre and Dance at Muhlenberg College announces its production season for the 2026-27 academic year. Highlights include two full-scale musicals; showcases for student and faculty choreography; an Elizabethan classic with an acrobatic twist; and the return of the ’Berg New Works world-premiere staged readings.

Tickets will be available in August.
 

Doctor Faustus
by Christopher Marlowe
Oct. 1-4, 2026

Aerial choreography will highlight a uniquely staged production of the Elizabethan tragedy, about a man of science whose longing for knowledge and power lead him to make a lamentable deal with the devil.
 

Carrie: The Musical
Book by Lawrence D. Cohen
Music by Michael Core
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Oct. 28 – Nov. 1, 2026

The theatre program will celebrate Halloween with this cult-favorite musical adaptation of Stephen King’s all-time horror classic. Carrie White is an awkward teenage girl whose lonely life is made a nightmare by a domineering mother and bullying classmates. But everything changes when she discovers she has telekinetic powers. An intimate 160-seat performance space lends itself to an immersive theatrical experience.
 

Uncle Vanya
A Staged Reading
by Anton Chekhov
Nov. 21, 2026

A staged reading of Chekhov’s classic will set the stage for the spring production of “Life Sucks,” Aaron Posner’s modern adaptation of the play. Life on a rural Russian estate unravels when a pompous retired professor returns with a beautiful young second wife — triggering explosive desires, unrequited love and bitter realizations about lost potential, set against themes of longing and ecological concerns.
 

Reset: New Dances
Dec. 3-5, 2026

This showcase for Muhlenberg’s advanced choreography students offers exhilarating world premiere works that explore a wide range of subjects, moods, and dance styles. Here, choreographers tell their stories through the transfigurative medium of dance.
 

In Motion
Feb. 4-6, 2027

Muhlenberg’s annual choreographic tour-de-force is the highlight of the dance season on campus, featuring world premiere works by Muhlenberg’s acclaimed dance faculty and nationally recognized guest artists.
 

Life Sucks
by Aaron Posner
Feb. 25-28, 2027

In this brash contemporary reworking of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” a group of old friends, ex-lovers, estranged in-laws, and lifelong enemies gather to grapple with life’s thorniest questions — and with each other. What could possibly go wrong?
 

’Berg New Works
Staged Readings
March 18-20, 2027

Now in its third year, Muhlenberg’s incubator for playwriting talent ’Berg New Works will present a weekend of world-premiere play readings by student and alumni playwrights.
 

FUSE
Dance Concert
April 1-4, 2027

Muhlenberg’s signature dance concert showcases interdisciplinary collaboration between choreographers and other artists and scholars across campus. Past concerts have featured original poetry, live music, and visual artwork, and have explored subject matter ranging from acoustics to neuroscience.
 

Urinetown
Book by Greg Kotis
Music by Mark Hollman
Lyrics by Mark Hollman & Greg Kotis
April 15-18, 2027

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. Guest artist Jessica Bostock will direct.
 

More information about all of these productions and the rest of the Muhlenberg College arts scene can be found at muhlenberg.edu/arts