Previews: SEASON PREVIEW at CAP Theatre

It's always fun seeing what a theatre you have worked for announces for its new season. This last season, I had the honor of directing CAP Theatre's production of "Beetlejuice Junior." During that time, they were starting to dream about what their next season could be. So I was excited to attend their announcement party on January 10 to see what their dream for the next season would be. One of the exciting parts of this announcement is that CAP is celebrating its 20th season at its current location, with its biggest season yet! If the students in attendance respond positively, this will be a fantastic season.

Their season opens with their annual "CAP Classic" production. This summer, they will be presenting William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." When a shipwreck separates two twins, Oliva disguises herself as her brother Cesario. When she meets Duke Orsino, she falls in love with him. Only problem is the Duke is in love with Countess Oliva, who, upon meeting Viola, falls in love thinking she is Cesario. This comedic play will open their season in late July 2026.

A few years ago, CAP started a new tradition of including a radio play, or a series of radio plays, as part of their season. Last season, they presented a series of winter holiday-themed shows. This year, for the CAP Radio Hour, they will be presenting "Poe's Dark Tales." This spooky series of shows is set to arrive just in time for Halloween. The show is slated to open at the end of October.

CAP will be welcoming its audiences to the Renaissance with their fall musical "Something Rotten Jr." Join the Bottom Brothers, Nick and Nigel, as they attempt to write a play that will break out of the shadows of everyone's favorite rockstar, "The Bard." When Nick meets a soothsayer who foretells of something called a musical, he sets out to write the very first musical. This comedic tale will have audiences rolling in their seats with laughter while reminding them to thine own self be true. "Something Rotten Jr." is currently slated to open in November.

They aren't done being rotten yet. In the winter of 2027, CAP students will be "rotten to the core" when they present Disney's "Descendants." This tells the story of Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos, the descendants of the classic villains Maleficent, Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella. Soon to be king, Prince Ben, son of King Adam and Queen Belle, decides his first decree is to give the descendants of the worst villains a chance to attend Auradon Prep. Soon, everyone is faced with choosing who they want to be and whether they will accept the labels everyone has put on them. Disney's "Descendants" opens in February of 2027.

While "Descendants" has a story about the relationship between parents and kids, the next show is all about a kid and her sister. CAP is continuing its tradition of including a play in its growing season. In spring 2027, they will be presenting "Ramona Quimby." When a middle-class family faces the father losing his job, Ramona and her sister Beezus have to realize that, while they may not agree on everything, sometimes it's good to have each other around. This humorous look at family will open in April of 2027.

Something that speaks to the work of CAP Theatre is how excited their students were to get to work on a show they might not be familiar with. They announced they would be doing "Dear Edwina Jr" for their summer show. This show tells the story of Edwina Spoonapple, who directs the kids of her community in production numbers for her weekly "Advice-a-Palooza." The people I know who have done this show before love it, which tells me it could be the surprise hit of the season.

Now, this is where the Cap Season usually ends, but since this is a big celebratory season, they are closing it with a second summer musical. They are closing their season with "The Lightning Thief," and judging by the students' reactions, it may be the show they were most excited about. "The Lightning Thief" tells the story of Percy Jackson, whose world is turned upside down when his Latin teacher turns out to be a Fury. This leads Percy to have to flee to Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods, where he finds out he is the son of Poseidon. When it is rumored that he has stolen Zeus' lightning bolt, Percy has to go on a quest with his friends Annabeth and Grover to clear his name. Is he successful? You'll have to go to the show to find out.