ANNIE, STEEL MAGNOLIAS Included in Franklin Performing Arts Company 2025-26 Season

The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) has announced its 2025-26 season of musicals and plays in their home venue THE BLACK BOX. The exciting lineup will include Annie, Peter and the Starcatcher, Steel Magnolias, Into the Woods, and Once. Additionally, FPAC Holiday Productions will present holiday favorites The Nutcracker and Humbug! A Christmas Carol Musical with a twist at the Franklin High School Auditorium. 

FPAC will open its season with Annie October 17-26 at THE BLACK BOX. Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, features some of the greatest musical theatre hits ever written, including "Tomorrow." Annie will be directed by FPAC Artistic Director Raye Lynn Mercer with choreography by Broadway’s Clay Rice-Thomson (Moulin Rouge, Matilda, Newsies, King Kong), and Music Direction by Hallie Wetzell. Featuring “Sandy” the dog from Bill Berloni Theatrical Animals.  

The season continues with the Tony-winning play Peter and the Starcatcher November 21-23 at THE BLACK BOX directed by NYC’s Ali Funkhouser. The play upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure. Featuring a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable characters, Peter and the Starcatcher uses ingenious stagecraft and the limitless possibilities of imagination to bring the story to life.

FPAC Holiday Productions will mount their annual production of The Nutcracker December 6 and 7 featuring live orchestra, special guest artists, and more than 100 area dancers. The holiday magic will continue on December 20 and 21 with Humbug! A Christmas Carol Musical with a twist. With musical hits of every genre and live accompaniment by a 10-piece band of professional musicians, Humbug! transports audiences from Dickensian England to contemporary America as the novel’s iconic characters and storyline are cleverly reimagined with modern setting and dialogue. FPAC Holiday Productions are presented at the FHS Auditorium.

After the holidays, FPAC will present Steel Magnolias directed by NYC’s Robbie Rescigno January 23-25 at THE BLACK BOX. Before the iconic 1989 film broke box office records nationwide, Louisiana salon owner Truvy first set up shop on the stage. The colorful cast of regulars and employees that frequent her establishment include a mother-daughter duo planning a wedding, a woman who’s “been in a bad mood for 40 years,” and a mysterious newcomer. Through laughter, tears, and a thick fog of hairspray, these women face trials and triumphs armed with their greatest strength: each other.

The 2025-26 season will continue with FPAC presents James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s timeless, yet relevant, Into the Woods March 13-22 at THE BLACK BOX directed by FPAC Artistic Director Raye Lynn Mercer. The story follows a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results. 

FPAC’s season will conclude with the Broadway musical Once June 5-7 at THE BLACK BOX directed by Raye Lynn Mercer. This emotionally captivating musical is the only show to have music that won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Olivier Award, and a Tony Award. On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story, underscored by emotionally charged music. Featuring all of the magical songs from the critically acclaimed film, including the Oscar-winning "Falling Slowly," this achingly beautiful, joyously uplifting show strikes an unforgettable chord in audiences and speaks to the power of music to connect us all. 

FPAC is an Actors’ Equity Small Professional Theater company based at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin. Each season, FPAC produces musicals, plays, ballets, and more featuring Broadway stars, professional actors, local artists, and students of the arts. Tickets for the 2025-26 season will be on sale soon. Follow Franklin Performing Arts Company and THE BLACK BOX on Facebook and Instagram for updates on programming.