Mainstage Season
The Fantasticks
Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harcey Schmidt
Directed by Sarah Summerwell
Musical Direction by Jeremy Gussin
Choreography by Joseph Lyons-Wolf
September 17-20 and 22-26 at 7:30 p.m. | September 27 at 2:30 p.m. | Korsgaard Dance Studio
“Try to remember…” a time when this romantic charmer wasn’t enchanting audiences around the world. The longest-running musical of all time, The Fantasticks endures for a reason: its breathtaking poetry, gentle humor, and theatrical simplicity create a story that feels both intimate and universal.At its heart, this beloved fable follows a boy, a girl, and two fathers determined to keep them apart. Guided by the mysterious narrator El Gallo, audiences are invited into a world of moonlight and imagination, where love is discovered, tested, and ultimately transformed. Bittersweet and timeless, The Fantasticks reminds us that even heartbreak has its purpose—and that love, in the end, finds its way home.
THE FANTASTICKS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
Holmes is Where the Heart Is
By David Taylor Little
Directed by Veronica Santoyo
October 1-4 and 6-8 at 7:30 p.m. | October 3 at 2:30 p.m. | Arts and Journalism Building, Room 225
In postwar London, a sharp-witted private investigator finds herself haunted by voices from her favorite Sherlock Holmes radio broadcasts—clues that may be guiding her toward the truth… or pulling her further from it. As she and her sister race to solve a high-stakes mystery, they must navigate a world that doubts women detectives at every turn. But when instinct, intellect, and imagination collide, the line between inspiration and obsession begins to blur. Suspenseful, witty, and full of intrigue, Holmes Is Where the Heart Is is a clever homage to classic detective stories—reimagined through a fresh and fiercely determined lens.
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
By Nathan Alan Davis
Directed by Dee Dee Batteast
November 12-15, 17-19, and 21-22 at 7:30 p.m. | Arts and Journalism Building, Room 225
Lyrical, imaginative, and deeply moving, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea blends poetry, humor, and ritual into a powerful contemporary myth. Eighteen-year-old Dontrell Jones III feels called to the ocean—to seek out an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage and confront a history that still echoes in the present. As he prepares to embark on this impossible journey, his family struggles to hold him close, caught between love and fear. This haunting and hopeful play explores legacy, identity, and the courage it takes to face the past in order to move forward.
DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Predictor
By Jennifer Blackmer
Directed by Matt Reeder
January 22-23 and 26-30 at 7:30 p.m. | January 24, 30-31 at 2:30 p.m. | Scheumann Studio Theatre
What if a simple idea could change everything? Inspired by true events, Predictor presents the untold story of Margaret Crane, who in 1967 defied expectations to invent the first at-home pregnancy test—quietly revolutionizing women’s autonomy and healthcare.
Told as an inventive, fast-moving “absurdist comic romp,” the play travels through past, present, and future, plunging audiences into the racing thoughts and moral dilemmas inside Meg’s mind. As she weighs the risks of a groundbreaking patent, one question looms: will her invention be suppressed, misused—or become a catalyst for lasting change?
Bold, funny, and deeply human, Predictor explores innovation, sacrifice, and the power of one woman’s idea to reshape the world.
Tartuffe
By Jean-Baptiste Molière, adapted by Richard Wilbur
Directed by Karen Kessler and Kathy Logelin
February 12-13 and 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 and 20-21 at 2:30 p.m. | Performing Arts Center - Proscenium Theatre
Sharp, witty, and bitingly relevant, Tartuffe is a masterclass in comedic satire. When the wealthy Orgon falls under the spell of Tartuffe—a sanctimonious fraud posing as a man of great piety—his entire household is thrown into chaos.
As Tartuffe schemes to marry Orgon’s daughter, seduce his wife, and seize control of the family fortune, the rest of the household races to expose the truth. What follows is a fast-moving comedy of deception, hypocrisy, and willful blindness. With razor-sharp language and enduring insight, Tartuffe reveals the dangers of believing what we want to believe—even in the face of overwhelming evidence.
TARTUFFE (WILBUR) is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service. www.concordtheatricals.com
Men on Boats
By Jaclyn Backhaus
Directed by Carson Crow
Ten explorers. Four boats. One wildly unpredictable journey. Men on Boats reimagines the (mostly) true 1869 expedition of John Wesley Powell and his crew as they set out to chart the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
Fast-paced, irreverent, and unexpectedly hilarious, this ensemble-driven adventure turns history on its head while celebrating grit, determination, and the stories we choose to tell. Equal parts comedy and commentary, Men on Boats invites audiences along for a thrilling ride through both the canyon—and the myths of the American West.
MEN ON BOATS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service. www.concordtheatricals.com
Some Things Must Come to an End…
Directed by Jenn Meckley
Choreographed by Susan Koper, Jenn Meckley, and Audra Sokol
April 10-11 at 7:30 p.m. | April 12 at 2:30 p.m. | Korsgaard Dance Studio
A celebration of legacy, transformation, and new beginnings, Some Things Must Come to an End… marks the final dance performance in Ball Gym Korsgaard Dance Studio. Through an immersive blend of movement, projection, film, music, and theatrical design, this concert honors the generations of artists and creators who shaped our program while looking boldly toward the future.
Blending contemporary, modern, hip-hop, and commercial dance styles, the production features both new work and reflections on past performances, creating a powerful tribute to the program’s history, growth, and evolving artistic vision.