Actors’ Theatre of Columbus Reveals 45th Season Lineup

Actors’ Theatre of Columbus has announced its 2026 summer season, marking the company’s 45th year and the first season programmed by Artistic Director Beth Josephsen. The lineup of four plays showcases the direction of some familiar Schiller Park faces putting their own spins on classics by Shakespeare, J.M. Barrie, and Agatha Christie. The season will also include a co-production with Imagine Productions, the continuation of the education program with offerings for all ages, and the launch of a community book club hosted by Artistic Director Beth Josephsen.

The Taming of the Shrew

The season opens with a Shakespearean classic, The Taming of the Shrew, reframed with a cast of all women and nonbinary characters to center the dynamics of power exchange in relationships. Under the direction of Susan Wismar, this production will explore how power inversions can lead to happy endings.  

Peter and the Starcatcher

Peter and the Starcatcher, a Story Theater-style adaption of the bestselling novel of the same name based on J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan, will be directed by Brandon Boring, ATC acting veteran and Artistic Director of Imagine Productions of Columbus. From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, this Tony-winning story brings music and comedy to a timeless tale about friendship, duty and love.

Othello

The bard is back for the summer’s third show, Othello, directed by David Glover. A fresh take on the classic tragedy will transport audiences to an America caught between post-Korean War hope and the looming anxieties of the Vietnam War, where glossy conformity masks deep social rifts. Against a backdrop of government secrets, racial tension, and mounting paranoia, Iago manipulates the era’s fears with chilling precision. Love, ambition, and trust unravel in a world where suspicion is currency and betrayal is never far behind.

And Then There Were None

Beth Josephsen, in her first bow as Artistic Director, Will Close the summer with Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the author’s death. A haunting mystery of justice and secrecy unfolds under the evening sky as ten strangers in a mansion start dying one by one. Will there be any survivors? One of Christie’s most foreboding tales and a masterpiece of dramatic construction, the growing sense of dread and unfaltering tension will keep you guessing to the very end.

Off the stage, ATC’s long-running education program, led by veteran Artist Educator Ashton Brammer as the new Education Director, will offer students of all ages a safe place to explore all aspects of theater from performing, improv, technical elements, and more. On the program, Brammer says: “Theatre education is at the heart of ‘why I do theatre.’ It allows for us to connect diverse communities, the young and the old, to the power and truth of the Performing Arts. I’m excited for the opportunity to further support and continue the education initiative.”

Camp registration begins February 1, 2026. For more information, visit www.theactorstheatre.org.

Another addition to ATC’s programming will be a year-round book club, hosted by Artistic Director Beth Josephsen. Subscribers will meet quarterly to discuss books across genres exploring Shakespeare, classics, culture, and creativity. The first meeting will be January 25, 2026, from 3-5pm, discussing She Speaks! What Shakespeare’s Women Might Have Said by author and Olivier-winning actress Dame Harriet Walter. April, July, and October dates to be announced later. Information about subscriptions and how to sign up will be available on our website. 

Audiences are invited to join this journey seeing some of the canon’s finest works through fresh eyes and to support Actors’ Theatre of Columbus’s dedication to bringing socially, culturally, or historically significant stories that engage audiences beyond perceived or discovered barriers.

Full details for each show, including casting, will be announced closer to the dates of production. For more information, visit www.theactorstheatre.org.

Columbus Awards - Live Stats

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1. 42ND STREET (Gahanna Lincoln Summer)

15.7% of votes

2. THE LITTLE MERMAID (Sunbury Performing Arts)

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3. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Weathervane Playhouse)

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