London’s Grand Theatre announces 2026-27 season

iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of the Grand Theatre.

A Dolly Parton musical and the Canadian premiere of a drama by Matthew López are among the productions in the Grand Theatre’s 2026-27 season, announced this morning.

Based in London, Ontario, the Grand will present four musicals and two plays, along with five symphonic rock concerts and a new live comedy series.

Time is the guiding theme of this 125th anniversary season. “One of the joys of the theatre is its ability to play with time,” explained artistic director Rachel Peake in a press release. “Every one of our London-made productions is undeniably a race to opening night. But also, the stories told on stage give audiences the unique opportunity to stop the clock on certain moments, sprint through others, and to sit… within the present.”

*Grand Theatre artistic director* *Rachel Peake. Photo by Dahlia Katz.*

“Through the course of the Grand’s 2026-27 season, audiences will visit 1640, 1897, the late 1940s, 1959, 1979, and even travel forward to the spring of 2035!” she continued. “They will cheer on our heroes as they run out the clock, make up for lost time, and evaluate their legacy. But they will also observe forces (some ominous, and some… very, very, sexy) that defy the limits of time itself.”

The full-scale productions that make up the Grand’s 2026-27 lineup are listed below.

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors

Written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen
Directed by Krista Jackson
October 20 to November 7, 2026

In this campy parody that played off-Broadway, a meek British realtor takes on a new and mysterious client, who happens to be a bloodthirsty monster.

A Christmas Carol

Adapted by David van Belle
Directed by Rachel Peake
Music directed by Stephen Ingram
Choreographed by Genny Sermonia
November 24 to December 27, 2026

Scrooge and the Cratchit family star in a holiday musical spectacular featuring Dickens’ familiar story — now in a new Canadian adaptation set at a 1940s department store.

cicadas

A revival of the NAC English Theatre and Tarragon Theatre co-production
Created by David Yee and Chris Thornborrow
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino
January 19 to February 6, 2027

This eco-thriller features a live orchestra and is set in 2035, when an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a young girl turns up an old, mysterious house that seems to be sinking into the earth.

Somewhere

Written by Matthew López
Directed by Carmen Aguirre
Choreographed by Genny Sermonia
February 23 to March 13, 2027

It’s 1959 and West Side Story is all anyone’s talking about. While her family’s neighbourhood grapples with a coming eviction, Inez Candelaria works as an usher on Broadway, but hopes that her talented and dance-obsessed children will find fame on the other side of the footlights.

Cyrano de Bergerac

In partnership with the Citadel Theatre and Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
Adapted by Jessy Ardern
Directed by Amanda Goldberg
March 30 to April 17, 2027

Written in rhyming couplets and brimming with duels and repartee, Jessy Ardern’s adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic French romance has us rooting once again for the noble Cyrano.

9 to 5

Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton
Book by Patricia Resnick
Directed by Rachel Peake
Music directed by Alexandra Kane
Choreographed by Allison Plamondon
May 4 to 22, 2027

In this musical adaption of the 1980 film, working for a living feels a lot like a rich man’s game, and it’s hard not to think about how good it would feel to get back at the boss — especially when he passes you over for promotion, again.

For more information, including details about the Grand’s concert series, visit the company’s website, where subscriptions are now on sale.

The Grand Theatre is an Intermission partner. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.