theater

Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans more than four decades in Broadway, television, film, recordings, and concert appearances with premiere conductors and orchestras.Brain Stokes Mitchell will be at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center tomorrow night with the Philadelphia Orchestra for ‘American Dreams with Brian Stokes Mitchell’ at 7:30 pm.

A New Play by Mark St. Germain, 'Amchitka,' is being produced Chester Theatre Company, directed by Julianne Boyd and running through Aug 8th. The production is taking place in the Chester Town Hall Theatre.In a monitoring station at Amchitka, a volcanic island 170 miles off the coast of Alaska used for underground nuclear testing in the 1960s, three scientists find themselves cut off from the outside world as an event seems to be underway. But what? A new philosophical thriller by Mark St. Germain, author of 'Magdalene' and 'Freud’s Last Session.'

Heather Headley is known for her prolific career on Broadway, in music, and in TV and film. Headley has a multifaceted career, which she considers a blessing.Headley in 1997 made her breakthrough by being cast as the titular role of Nala in the Tony Award Winning Musical ‘The Lion King.’ She then starred as the leading role of Aida in Elton John’s and Time Rice’s ‘Aida’ where she won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress. She also has been in the West End’s “The Bodyguard,’ the Broadway Revival of ‘The Color Purple,’ and Encores ‘Into the Woods.’Heather Headley will be at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Friday July 31st with 'An Evening with Heather Headley' at 8pm.

The creator of NBC's Smash and the author of more than 20 plays - including 'Seminar,' 'Bernhardt/Hamlet,' 'Dig and Seared' - Theresa Rebeck is also the longtime resident playwright at Vermont's Dorset Theatre Festival. This summer she's returning to direct her own acclaimed backstage comedy, 'The Understudy,' running through Sunday.Set in the rehearsal room of a Broadway production of a long-lost Kafka play, 'The Understudy' follows an overlooked actor, a Hollywood star, and a frazzled stage manager as old rivalries, bruised egos, and dreams of success collide. It's a funny, fast-paced look at ambition, jealousy, second chances, and the wonderfully chaotic world behind the curtain.

Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s summer season is underway in its first permanent home, the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center. Designed to immerse audiences and actors in the rich landscape of the Hudson Valley, its unique indoor-outdoor setting for the company’s open-air productions offers an unparalleled theater experience.The 2026 Season includes Shakespeare’s 'As you Like It' and 'King Lear' this month, and in August, a production of 'Les Mis.' Davis McCallum is the Artistic Director and joins us for a preview this morning.

Ancram Center for the Arts announced its 2026 season with five ambitious works that explore the themes of our times: polarization but yearning for de-escalation, finding love in an age of anxiety, art’s capacity to hold grief and remembrance, the human ethics of scientific advancement, and the psychic damage of war, even when soldiers return without a scratch. Co-Director Paul Ricciardi says “The times we are in call for questioning conventions and creative courage.” He adds, “We also lean in on the unique shared experience that theater offers to take stock and reflect on what keeps us open and humane while living in uncertain times.” To tell us more about this work, we welcome Paul Ricciardi - a Professor of Theatre Arts at the City University of New York - Kingsborough Community College - to the RT to tell us more.

For more than three decades, the Chester Theatre Company has been a Berkshire summer tradition, known for intimate productions that spark big conversations. Today, we’re joined by Co-Artistic Directors Christopher Baker and Michelle Ong Hendrick.Together, they’ve crafted a 2026 season that looks toward the future through four distinctive works: a portrait of visionary Buckminster Fuller, a musical celebration of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer, the world premiere thriller 'Amchitka,' and the East Coast premiere of Liz Duffy-Adams’ 'Dear Alien.'

Martha Banta has returned to the Adirondack Theatre Festival. Martha was ATF’s founding Artistic Director for its first 13 seasons, where she directed numerous premieres that went on to be produced in New York City and across the country.She directed the first of many ATF productions in an empty Woolworth’s storefront on Glen Street and later helped spearhead its transformation into the Wood Theater. Most recently, Martha directed Mamma Mia! for its return to Broadway and the national tour.

The Sharon Playhouse, in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut, is proud to announce its 2026 Season - a lineup of musicals, special events, and YouthStage productions that celebrate resilience, community, and the stories that define the American spirit.As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the 2026 season looks to reflect the heart of America - stories of hope in hard times, generosity in moments of crisis, and joy created through music, laughter, and community. From Golden Age Broadway classics to contemporary favorites, the season invites audiences to come together for live theater experiences.

With 10 premieres, returning festivals, and artists from around the world, PS21’s 2026 season turns its Chatham campus into a living laboratory for contemporary performance.These artists are interrogating the role of American culture and history reflected around the world; engaging PS21’s landscape in ever bolder ways; and seeking out community members to help co-author place-based work. Groundtone and Commonground return for the second year—two festivals on each end of the summer, each featuring unexpected performances across the grounds.