NEW SEASON ANNOUNCED! at Texas Performing Arts

Austin audiences will have plenty of opportunities to travel the world without leaving their seats during Texas Performing Arts' newly announced 2026/27 season.

Celebrating its 45th anniversary, Texas Performing Arts has assembled a lineup that spans continents, cultures, and artistic disciplines, bringing together internationally acclaimed musicians, innovative theatre makers, celebrated dance companies, and immersive storytelling experiences from around the globe. The season features artists from New Zealand, Japan, Belgium, Morocco, Guinea, the United Kingdom, and across the United States, reinforcing TPA's role as one of Austin's most significant gateways to the performing arts.

"Texas Performing Arts was founded 45 years ago to bring the best of the arts to Austin," said Executive & Artistic Director Bob Bursey in the season announcement. "To mark this anniversary, we're welcoming inventive theatre and dance makers, celebrated musicians, and acclaimed storytellers for a creative passport to the best of American and international performance."

While six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald's January appearance will undoubtedly be one of the season's most anticipated events, the broader season reveals a thoughtfully curated collection of performances that invite audiences to experience stories, traditions, and artistic perspectives from around the world.

Music lovers will find much to celebrate. McDonald returns to Austin with an evening that promises selections from Broadway, the Great American Songbook, and beyond, showcasing the warmth, storytelling, and vocal artistry that have made her one of the most celebrated performers of her generation. NEA Jazz Masters and Grammy Award winners Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves will join forces for a special tribute honoring the centennial of John Coltrane's birth, celebrating the enduring legacy of one of jazz's most influential voices.

The season's international reach is perhaps most evident in productions such as Kodo's LUMINANCE. The world-renowned Japanese taiko ensemble returns to Austin after more than four decades of performances around the globe, offering audiences the thunderous rhythms and extraordinary physicality that have made the company legendary. Likewise, New Zealand's Indian Ink Theatre Company will make its Austin debut with MRS. KRISHNAN'S PARTY!, an immersive theatrical experience that transforms the stage into a vibrant community gathering where audience members become guests at the celebration.

Theatre offerings throughout the season embrace both classic and contemporary storytelling. Actors From The London Stage return with MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, bringing Shakespeare's beloved comedy to life through the company's signature approach of five actors playing every role. Meanwhile, illusionist Scott Silven's THE LOST THINGS blends theatrical storytelling with astonishing magic and illusion in an exploration of memory, mystery, and human connection.

Several productions also push beyond traditional artistic boundaries. WHO TURNS OUT THE LIGHT brings together Sō Percussion, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, and Ringdown in a multimedia performance that blends music, visual design, and theatrical storytelling. Fusebox collaborations continue to expand the season's adventurous spirit with Suzanne Bocanegra's world premiere MOTHERHOOD, a performance lecture exploring the cultural and personal dimensions of raising children, and ALL MY RELATIONS COLLECTIVE's SKELETON CANOE, a visually inventive coming-of-age story that combines puppetry, music, and multimedia design.

Dance audiences will also find compelling offerings throughout the season. The influential LIMÓN DANCE COMPANY returns with a program celebrating the enduring legacy of modern dance pioneer José Limón, while Belgium's Rosas Dance Company presents IL CIMENTO DELL'ARMONIA E DELL'INVENTIONE, a striking reimagining of Vivaldi's THE FOUR SEASONS that reflects on humanity's evolving relationship with the natural world.

Adding another layer to the season is the inaugural Terrence McNally FESTIVAL. Presented in partnership with the Terrence McNally Foundation, Rattlestick Theater, and the University of Texas' Harry Ransom Center, the festival will honor the legacy of the Texas-born playwright while introducing audiences to a new generation of theatrical voices through staged readings and scholarly conversation.

Taken together, the season feels particularly well suited to this moment in Austin's cultural life. Rather than focusing solely on marquee names, the lineup emphasizes curiosity, conversation, and connection. Whether through the communal joy of MRS. KRISHNAN'S PARTY!, the global rhythms of Kodo, the athletic artistry of CIRQUE KALABANTÉ, or the timeless storytelling of Shakespeare, the season invites audiences to encounter perspectives that extend well beyond their own experiences.

Forty-five years after its founding, Texas Performing Arts continues to bring the wider world to Austin's stages—and this season may be one of its most globally minded yet.

Need more Austin Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...