Frontmezzjunkies reports: The Shaw Festival Announces Their 64th Season
– Celebration of wit, mystery, music, magic, and shared human connection starts April 2 –
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON — With the announcement of the Shaw Festival’s 64th season for 2026, the new season has me utterly captivated and excited. Taking flight in April of next year, it promises to be a tapestry of stories that will dazzle and intrigue. Under the visionary eye of Artistic Director Tim Carroll, the lineup spills over with boldness and brilliance: a provocative Shavian drama, a haunting tribute to jealousy and genius, mind-bending mysteries, beloved musicals, farcical comedies, timeless family classics, and the daring debut of an experimental new play. I find myself endlessly curious and delighted—what stories will weave their magic into the fabric of the Festival? Next season feels like a profound invitation to explore the rich depths of theatre’s potential, and I can’t wait to step into that Niagara-on-the-Lake wonderland of bold imagination and inspired storytelling.
“This season celebrates theatre itself – illusion, disguise, performance – and all the ways that we delight, mislead, amaze and seduce each other. Life is a theatre, and theatre is life.” said Tim Carroll. “We can’t wait to share the unique thrill of live performance with our amazing audience.”
Kicking off next season is Anthony Shaffer’s acclaimed thriller Sleuth, drawing audiences into a world of deception and mind games. Next, the legendary Broadway musical Funny Girl takes the stage, followed by the sidesplitting Whitehall farce One for the Pot – both at the Festival Theatre.
“With the closure of our beloved Royal George Theatre at the end of December, The Shaw will return to where it all began in 1962 – the Niagara District Court House – affectionately known as the Court House Theatre,” stated Tim Jennings, The Shaw’s executive director. “Sleuth will be the first show in the newly reconstructed Court House Theatre, which, in addition to the delightful comedy Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, will also feature A New Work in Progress – A Special Workshop Presentation of a new play by contemporary American theatre’s critically acclaimed playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.“
The Shaw Festival’s 2026 season begins April 2 and runs until December 23.
FESTIVAL THEATRE
FUNNY GIRL
Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Bob Merrill; Book by Isobel Lennart from an original story by Miss Lennart
Produced for the Broadway stage by Ray Stark; New York production supervised by Jerome Robbins; Original production directed by Garson Kanin
Directed by Eda Holmes (Centaur Theatre’s Sakura – After Chekhov)
Previews: April 24
This touching musical comedy explores Broadway star Fanny Brice’s unlikely rise to stardom and her turbulent love life with gambler and entrepreneur Nicky Arnstein. Featuring one of the most powerful musical scores of all time, Funny Girl showcases unforgettable songs like “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, “I’m the Greatest Star”, and “People”. A celebration of a woman who dared to defy norms and succeed on her own terms.
ONE FOR THE POT
By Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton
Directed by Chris Abraham (Crow’s Wights)
Previews: May 27
A wealthy businessman has decided to give £10,000 to the family of his former partner, and young Billy is the sole living relation. Chaos ensues with the arrival of several previously unknown Hickory Woods relations looking to stake their claim. The team that brought 2024’s One Man, Two Guvnors to the Festival stage reunites to tackle this quintessential over-the-top British farce.
AMADEUS
By Peter Shaffer
Directed by Tim Carroll (Broadway’s Twelfth Night and Richard III, with Mark Rylance)
Previews: July 8
Antonio Salieri is a pious, conscientious man – and the greatest composer in the court of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a young, foul-mouthed show-off eager to make a name for himself. Salieri can hear what no one else can: that this ridiculous oaf is perhaps the greatest musical genius ever to have lived. Consumed with jealousy and envy, he sets out to destroy Amadeus and exact vengeance on God. A dark and dramatic exploration of talent, obsession, and legacy.
COURT HOUSE THEATRE
SLEUTH
By Anthony Shaffer
Directed by Peter Fernandes (Crow’s Theatre’s The Master Plan)
Previews: April 2
When celebrated mystery writer Andrew Wyke invites his wife’s lover to his home in the English countryside, all is not as it seems. What unfolds is a fiendishly high-stakes game of revenge and power. Widely regarded as one of the most ingenious and entertaining psychological thrillers in modern theatre, this production is guaranteed to be an edge-of-your-seat experience right to its heart-stopping conclusion.
Jeeves and Wooster in PERFECT NONSENSE
A play adapted from the works of P.G. Wodehouse by Robert Goodale and David Goodale
Directed by Brendan McMurtry-Howlett (Shakespeare in the Ruff’s Two Gents)
Previews: May 7
Bertie Wooster is a young aristocrat who is forever getting himself into frightful scrapes. Thank goodness he has a butler – the legendarily unruffled Jeeves – to come to his rescue, usually without his even noticing. A celebration of theatrical virtuosity and pure silliness based on the 1938 novel by P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters.
A NEW WORK IN PROGRESS
A Special Workshop Presentation of a new play
Created and Directed by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Purpose)
Presentations Start: August 1
Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning playwright, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will debut a world premiere workshop presentation at the Shaw Festival. Next season, Jacobs- Jenkins will be embedded at the Festival, creating a new play inspired by Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones, in collaboration with members of the Ensemble. The Shaw Festival has previously staged two of his acclaimed works: An Octoroon (2017) and Everybody (2022).
JACKIE MAXWELL STUDIO THEATRE
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
Based on the play Toad of Toad Hall by A.A. Milne
Adapted and Directed by Fiona Sauder (Bad Hats Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland)
Previews: May 22
Young, impressionable Mole heads to the riverbank and meets the resourceful Rat, the grumpy Badger, and the irrepressible Mr. Toad. When Toad’s passion for fast cars gets him in trouble, the other three must save him. A tale about friendship, loyalty, and the joy of getting into trouble based on the adored 1908 children’s novel.
HEARTBREAK HOUSE
By Bernard Shaw
Directed by Tim Carroll (Shaw’s My Fair Lady)
Previews: June 20
The shadows of war may be gathering, but for most of the weekend guests at Heartbreak House, the big questions are about love and marriage. As couples waltz in a dance of ever-changing partners, only the enigmatic old sea dog Captain Shotover seems to see what is coming towards them. One of the greatest plays of all time, this brilliantly layered drama is Shaw at his most entertaining and enigmatic.
OHIO STATE MURDERS
By Adrienne Kennedy
Directed by Philip Akin (Shaw’s The House That Will Not Stand)
Previews: July 19
Suzanne, an acclaimed Black author, returns to her alma mater, Ohio State University, to give a speech on the violent nature of her writing. Confronted with dark memories of her past, she unravels the painful truth of what happened in 1949 during her time as a student. Written by prolific playwright Adrienne Kennedy, this hauntingly powerful one-act play is a poignant exploration of race, identity, and grief. Mature content.
HOLIDAY SEASON
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA – Festival Theatre
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II; New Book by Douglas Carter Beane; Original Book by Oscar Hammerstein II; Orchestrations by Danny Troob; Music Adaptation and Arrangements by David Chase
Directed and Choreographed by Kimberley Rampersad (Shaw’s Anything Goes)
Previews: November 8
An enchanting and cheeky stage adaptation of the timeless fairy tale and holiday treat for the whole family. The story of Cinderella, a girl forced to live among the ashes, whose gentle spirit and unwavering kindness lead her, nonetheless, to a life of joy and happiness. Featuring some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner”, “Impossible”, “Ten Minutes Ago”, and “Stepsisters’ Lament”.
A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD – Court House Theatre
Music by Book and Lyrics by ROBERT REALE WILLIE REALE, Based on the books by Arnold Lobel; Originally presented on Broadway by Bob Boyett, Adrianne Lobel, Michael Gardner, Lawrence Horowitz, and Roy Furman; World Premiere at The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Directed by Jonathan Tan (Shaw’s The Orphan of Chao)
Previews: November 5
Join two charming amphibious friends on a journey through the seasons in this whimsical musical inspired by Arnold Lobel’s beloved books. Frog is happy-go-lucky and Toad is an endearing grump, but they get along famously, navigating the ups and downs of friendship with warmth, laughter, and song. An enchantingly whimsical production for both the young and the young-at-heart.
More details about the Shaw Festival’s upcoming 2026 season, casts, and creative team will be announced in the coming weeks. For the latest updates, visit shawfest.com.
The Shaw Festival’s 2025 season continues with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Anything Goes, Wait Until Dark, Tons of Money, Major Barbara, Murder-on-the-Lake, Gnit, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Dear Liar, La Vie En Rose, Ella and Louis, May I Have the Pleasure?, The Roll of Shaw – Through the Wardrobe, Coffee Concerts, Speakeasies, What’s In Your Songbook, Gospel Choir, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and A Christmas Carol.
