Ensemble Theatre of Cleveland to Present 2026-2027 Season With World Premiere and Cleveland Debuts

Ensemble Theatre of Cleveland has announced its 2026–2027 season, featuring 2 Cleveland Premieres and a World Premiere, that include an award-winning contemporary drama, a classical adaptation, a world-premiere new play, and a powerful exploration of American history.

The season reflects Ensemble's ongoing commitment to producing thought-provoking theatre that sparks conversation, and deepens community engagement.
All performances are Fridays, Saturdays @7:30 and Sundays @ 2:00 for 3 weekends, unless indicated otherwise.

THE FERRYMAN By Jez Butterworth


Cleveland Premiere

Directed by Ian Wolfgang Hinz and Rebecca Moseley :: October 2–18, 2026

Northern Ireland, 1981. Former IRA man Quinn Carney has built a new life on a remote farmhouse in County Armagh, surrounded by a sprawling, boisterous family on the eve of the harvest. But when a long-buried body surfaces from a bog, the past comes knocking — and with it, dangerous men who refuse to let old loyalties die. What unfolds is a sweeping, mythic collision of family, secrets, and violence that reaches all the way back through Irish history and folklore. The Ferryman is a breathtaking, unforgettable epic that questions whether any of us can ever truly outrun where we come from.

THE BURIAL AT THEBES By Seamus Heaney

Directed by Rebecca Moseley :: February 5–21, 2027

Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney's powerful adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone explores the timeless conflict between individual conscience and state authority. Antigone has defied the king. When Creon, ruler of Thebes, decrees that her brother's body shall rot unburied as punishment for treason, Antigone chooses loyalty to the gods and the dead over obedience to the state — and pays a devastating price. Heaney's searing translation of Sophocles' ancient tragedy strips the play to its blazing moral core: what do we owe the living, and what do we owe the dead? Written in the shadow of the Iraq War, its themes of power, dissent, and human dignity feel as urgent today as they did in fifth-century Athens. A spare, fierce, and deeply human work — essential theatre. In this outstanding translation, commissioned by Ireland's renowned Abbey Theatre to commemorate its centenary, Seamus Heaney exposes the darkness and the humanity in Sophocles' masterpiece, and inks it with his own modern and masterly touch. Originally produced by Ensemble Theatre in the Brooks theatre in 2006 directed by the late founding artistic director Lucia Colombi. Join us for this timely re-examination of this classic tale translated by one of the greatest poets of the day.

2027 COLOMBI NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY By Jeanne Madison


World Premiere

Directed by Celeste Cosentino:: World Premiere! March 11–21, 2027

Set in a very different Garden of Eden than the one we might recognize, Lilith and Eve —Adam's first and second wives—go head-to-head and toe-to-toe on a woman's true power, the nature of knowledge, and humanity's eternal desires. Told with humor, magical realism, and sharp insight, She Walks in Beauty explores both everyday concerns and existential questions, including what to do with all the plastic invading Eden. Audiences may find themselves rethinking some of their most closely held beliefs.

**Performances run Thursdays through Sundays for two weekends.  

**This full length world premiere signals a recommitment to premiering new works that have been developed through Ensemble Theatre's Stagewrights Unit and presented as readings during the Colombi New Plays Festival by local Cleveland playwrights. The Stagewrights unit meets virtually bi-weekly. More information about participating in the Stagewrights Unit is available on our website.

THE RECLAMATION OF MADISON HEMINGS By Charles Smith


Cleveland Premiere

Directed by Ian Wolfgang Hinz :: May 28th, 2027-June 13th, 2027

With “Reclamation” Ensemble welcomes back playwright Charles Smith to our stage. Originally commissioned by Indiana Repertory Theatre and inspired by historical events, Charles Smith's compelling drama offers a deeply human look at the complexities of American history and the stories that continue to shape our nation. It's 1866, one year after the end of the Civil War. Madison Hemings, son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and Israel Jefferson, formerly enslaved footman, return to their birthplace of Monticello in hopes of reuniting with Israel's brother. Finding the formerly majestic estate near ruin, Madison attempts to claim what's rightfully his by stripping the architectural features of the house he helped build. Both men are confronted with their conflicting feelings about the man who wrote “all men are created equal.” Israel advises Madison to consider the memories of the other families, hundreds of people, who were enslaved at Monticello, rather than loading down the wagon they need to carry them back to Ohio. When their wagon collapses under the weight of the salvaged load, they are forced to carefully consider the main question of the play—what do we need to keep with us as we move through this world, and what should we leave behind?

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best New Musical - Top 3

1. The Lost Boys

32.1% of votes

2. Schmigadoon!

24.5% of votes

3. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

21% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats