RADIUM GIRLS, URINETOWN and More Set for Beck Center for the Arts to Present 2026-2027 Youth Theater Season

Beck Center for the Arts has announced its 78th Youth Theater season.

The 2026–2027 Youth Theater season opens with Dr. Experimentor and the League of Evil, a hilarious adventure featuring an evil genius and their minions—but not the trademarked kind. This mischievous show will have audiences laughing maniacally from start to finish. Our second production, Mouse in the House, is a fun and furry farce featuring Beck Center's pre-teen students. This charming comedy showcases creative characters, unexpected antics, and plenty of madcap mishaps.

The season continues with the historical fiction Radium Girls where the teens will tell the tale of factory workers poisoned by the miracle cure-all, and their fight for justice.  Concluding the season, students explore the “privilege to pee” with the hysterical and timely Urinetown: The Musical.

Associate director of theater education, Sarah Clare, states “This 2026-2027 season is a wonderful dichotomy of lighthearted humor and hard-hitting drama. We strive to create a safe environment for all young artists to explore their skills in a place they can call home. This season has something for everyone-- hilarious escapism, heart-wrenching history, dystopian satire, and amusing adventures.”

Beck Center Youth Theater alumni include: Michael Chernus (Orange is the New Black; Manhattan); Dee Hoty (three time Tony Nominee); Isabela Merced (The Last of Us, Dora and the Lost City of Gold; Transformers: The Last Night); Rory O'Malley (Hamilton; Tony Nominee, Book of Mormon); and Daniel Reichard (Drama Desk Nominee, Jersey Boys).

Please contact Kelsey Heichel at kheichel@beckcenter.org for group rates and to reserve seats for special student matinee performances. Individual tickets go on sale September 1, 2026 (excluding Mouse in the House). Please call for details at 216-521-2540.

Tickets are $16 Adult/Senior and $14 Children/Student (18 & under). Reserve tickets at BeckCenter.org, call 216.521.2540, or simply stop by Beck Center Customer Service, in person.

Read about the entire Youth Theater Season at BeckCenter.org

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DR. EXPERIMENTOR AND THE LEAGUE OF EVIL

Written by Charlotte Nixon

Directed by Russel Stich

Senney Theater

Student Matinee: Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

Friday, October 23, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Experimentor, a mastermind supervillain, must fight to maintain their membership in the infamous League of Evil.  There's just one problem... maintaining membership means defeating the superhero Extremo, who happens to be Dr. Experimentor's best friend! To make matters worse, Dr. Experimentor faces relentless pressure from Agnes and Abigail Anarchy, ambitious upstart villains eager for the Dr.'s downfall. Armed with an arsenal of ingenious inventions, minions, vegetarian zombies, pacifist ninjas, and robot soldiers, Dr. Experimentor faces an impossible choice: defeat Extremo or suffer at the hands of the League! Directed by Beck Center's own Russel Stich, this show is sure to engage and delight audiences.

MOUSE IN THE HOUSE

Written by Todd Wallinger

Directed by Kiersten Conway

Studio Theater

Jeff and Quinn need to sell their charming Victorian house. Unfortunately, just as their open house is about to start, Quinn spies a mouse in the upstairs hallway. Eek!

Mortified, their real estate agent insists they hire an exterminator before any potential buyers see it. The kindhearted Quinn insists that no traps, cats, or poisons be used, and so, unbeknownst to the others, each of the three call exterminators specializing in “humane” methods. Audience members, young and old, will love the antics of this furry farce.

Fridays, December 11 & 18, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays, December 12 & 19, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Sundays, December 13 & 20, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

Student Matinee Thursday, December 17, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

RADIUM GIRLS

By D.W. Gregory

Direction by Rachel Gold

Studio Theater

Fridays, February 26 & March 5, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays, February 27 & March 6, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.

Sundays, February 28 & March 7, 2027 at 3:00 pm

Student Matinee: Thursday, March 4, 2027 at 10:00 a.m.

In 1926, radium was a “miracle cure,” Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches were all the rage. That is until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary, and former employer, is an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case continues, the battle goes beyond fighting with the U.S. Radium Corporation, and extends to family and friends, who fear that this campaign for justice will backfire. This powerful and engrossing play offers an unflinching look at the obsessions with health, wealth, and the commercialization of science.

URINETOWN the Musical

Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollman

Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis

Direction and Choreography by Sarah Clare

Music Direction by Heidi Herczeg

Senney Theater

Fridays, April 30 & May 7, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays, May 1 & 8, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.

Sundays, May 2 & 9, 2027, at 3:00 pm

Student Matinee: Thursday, May 6, 2027, at 10:00 a.m.

A terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! Urinetown is a hilarious musical satire of capitalism, social irresponsibility, environmental collapse, and musical theater itself! With its outrageous perspective, wickedly modern wit and sustained ability to produce unbridled laughter, Urinetown is much more than an “awful” title.

Students must be enrolled in the same semester that the show performs in to be eligible to participate in the production.  You do not have to be enrolled at the time of auditions.

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