Sneak peek at new theater season

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | September 2026

Each of downtown’s playhouses will host performances in September to kick off the new theater season. Here’s what’s on tap in 2026-27:

History Theatre
“Fancy Dancer,” Sept. 12-Oct. 4. Growing up in South Dakota, Lara/Larissa is half Lakota and half white but feels like an outsider everywhere she goes. When a problem with her legs lands her in a beginner ballet class for physical therapy, she hates it – until the story of Osage prima ballerina Maria Tallchief inspires her to pursue a professional dance career.

“Raw Stages Festival,” Oct. 10-11. The festival is an opportunity to get an inside look at the script development process of new plays and provide feedback for the playwrights. Following each reading, audiences will be invited to join a discussion with the artistic team and cast.

“Beyond the Rainbow,” Nov. 21-Dec. 20. This stirring musical tribute tells Judy Garland’s story, from her childhood in Grand Rapids, Minn., to the glitz of Hollywood and beyond.

“Toni Stone,” Jan. 30-Feb. 21, 2027. This is a new play about the first woman to go pro in the Negro Leagues. Toni Stone is a teenager growing up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, Minn. She’s an encyclopedia of baseball stats. She’s got a great arm. And she doesn’t understand why she can’t play with the boys.

“Café Au Lait: Nellie Francis Battles the Big, Bad Book of History,” April 3-25, 2027. Nellie Francis, a Black suffragist from St. Paul in the 1920s, appeals to “History” to have her story forever etched in “his” book. But to see her mission through, there is one rule she cannot break: thou shalt not be mean to History. With the help of the History Players, Nellie tries to straddle the line between making History happy and protecting her own truth.

“America’s Very First Play! (And the Immediate Trial Thereafter),” May 22-June 13, 2027. Three early American colonists stand trial on the charge of wickedness for a play they’ve written and performed, the very first play to be staged in the American colonies.

“Love on a Stick: The State Fair Musical,” July 24-Aug. 15, 2027. A kaleidoscopic musical revue that spans 100 years of Minnesota State Fair history.

Ordway Center
“Dirty Dancing: The Musical,” through Sept. 6. A story of secret encounters, the allure of forbidden romance, and the summer that changed everything for Baby and Johnny. It features electrified dancing and music from the original film.

“Mystic Pizza,” Oct. 6-11. Friends Kat, Daisy and Jojo navigate the complexities of friendship and romance – all while slinging slices at a small-town pizza joint. This new musical is based on the beloved rom-com and features musical hits of the ’80s and ’90s.

“The Music Man,” Dec. 8-27. This classic musical follows a fast-talking con man salesman who gets his heart stolen by the town librarian.

“Oh, Mary!” Jan. 6-17, 2027. A dark comedy about a miserable Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

“Legally Blonde: The Musical,” Feb. 19-21, 2027. Witness the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, sexism, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Based on the hit film.

“Waitress,” June 15-20, 2027. Jenna is a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county – and a satisfying encounter with someone new – offer a fresh start, but she must find the courage to seize it. Features original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles.

Park Square Theatre
“On the Razzle,” Sept. 30-Oct. 25. When their employer departs for a reckless romantic escapade, two young shop assistants seize their moment. They abandon their provincial responsibilities and head to Vienna for a spree that quickly spirals into a whirlwind of mistaken identities, romantic misfires, elaborate lies and breathless pursuit.

“Appropriate,” Feb. 24-Mar. 21, 2027. The estranged Lafayette siblings reunite at their late father’s deteriorating Arkansas plantation home to settle his estate. What begins as a practical sorting of possessions soon becomes an excavation of long-buried resentments, inherited narratives and unsettling secrets. As Toni, Beau and Frank sift through decades of accumulated debris, they confront not only their father’s legacy but their own complicity in preserving it.

“The Ostentatious Outlaws of Neehai Valley (World Premiere Musical),” June 2-27, 2027. Religion, queerness, absurdity and community collide into a genre-bending musical comedy. Beneath lies a story about belief, belonging, repression and the courage required to question the narratives that shape us.

“Rope,” July 28-Aug. 29, 2027. A murder has been committed. The body is hidden in plain sight and the killers have invited guests to dinner. The play examines arrogance, power, morality and the dangerous seduction of believing oneself above consequence. The 1929 psychological crime thriller is based on a true story and was adapted for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 film.

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