#CHARLOTTESVILLE to Open Philadelphia Season at Azuka and Simpatico

Following a first full co-produced season that earned four 2026 Barrymore Award nominations, Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre return to The Drake this fall for the second year of their collaborative producing partnership. The 2026-27 season begins October 14 with the Philadelphia premiere of Priyanka Shetty's award-winning solo work #CHARLOTTESVILLE, directed by Yury Urnov, followed in the spring by the world premiere of Quinn D. Eli's Play On!, April 22-May 9, 2027.

Both plays examine the systems shaping contemporary life: from the machinery of extremism and white supremacy to the literal machinery of an A.I.-influenced future. Together, the plays ask audiences to consider how these systems take hold, who benefits from them, and what happens when we allow them to shape the way we see one another.

'These plays are not interested in easy answers, and neither are we. Both of these plays leave us with something more to talk about,' said Heishman. 'They ask big questions about power and the systems shaping our lives, but they're also surprising, theatrical, and deeply interested in people. I love that we get to bring these two very different voices to our audiences this season.'

The 2026-27 season marks the second full season of collaboration between Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre. Sharing artistic leadership while retaining their distinct missions and identities, the companies are continuing to build a producing model centered on ambitious new work, artist support, shared resources, community connection, and broad audience access.

The collaboration's first full season received four nominations for the 2026 Barrymore Awards. Class C earned nominations for Rebecca Wright for Outstanding Direction of a Play, David Pica for Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play, and playwright Chaz T. Martin for Outstanding Original Production. 1 Pound 4 Ounces, written and performed by Khalil Munir and directed by Amina Robinson, was nominated for the Philadelphia Award for Social Insight.

#CHARLOTTESVILLE

Written & Performed by Priyanka Shetty
Directed by Yury Urnov
Philadelphia Premiere | October 14-November 1, 2026
Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake

Co-produced by Azuka Theatre, Simpatico Theatre, and Richard Jordan Productions in association with The Pleasance, #CHARLOTTESVILLE is a tour-de-force solo performance about the power of witnessing. Constructed verbatim from more than one hundred firsthand interviews with Charlottesville residents, court transcripts, and news reports, the play chronicles the events surrounding the deadly 2017 'Unite the Right' rally and examines the systems and ideologies that sustain white supremacist movements.

Winner of the 2025 Scotsman Fringe First Award for Outstanding New Writing, #CHARLOTTESVILLE played to a completely sold-out run at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe before its Philadelphia premiere.

Play On!

By Quinn D. Eli
World Premiere | April 22-May 9, 2027
Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake

In a future full of mystery and magic, where technology has replaced music as the 'food of love,' a Black musician and his formidable wife battle a white chanteuse attempting to steal his legacy. Their struggle intensifies when Cambridge, a manipulative A.I., infiltrates their home, inciting racial mischief and marital strife and forcing a reckoning between man and machine.

Produced by Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre, the world premiere continues the companies' shared commitment to developing and producing bold new work that engages urgent contemporary questions through unexpected theatrical worlds. Additional casting and creative-team information will be announced.

Pay What You Decide

For an 11th season, Azuka will offer Pay What You Decide ticketing for every performance, allowing audiences to reserve without an upfront ticket cost and decide what to pay after attending. Audiences may also choose from two Quick Pay Now options if they prefer to pay in advance.