HADESTOWN, KINKY BOOTS And More Set for Appell Center for the Performing Arts 2026-26 Season
Tickets and Appell Center Memberships can be purchased online.
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 06, 2025
Tickets are on sale now for the Appell Center for the Performing Arts’ 2025-26 Centennial Season, celebrating 100 years of the Strand Theatre.
The Centennial Season also offers a number of exclusive celebration events, including a FREE COMMUNITY DAY featuring the incomparable SQUONK along with a variety of local musicians and activities on George Street and throughout the theatres… the one and only Jay Leno… a series of STRAND LEGENDS returning to the stage they have entertained on several times in the Strand Theatre’s long history… and One Night Only with Broadway leading ladies Sutton Foster and KELLI O’HARA, accompanied by the YORK SYMPHONY!
Tickets and Appell Center Memberships can be purchased online at AppellCenter.org or by calling the Box Office at 717-846-1111.
2025-26 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
GLATFELTER INSURANCE BROADWAY SERIES
(Subscription sales only; single tickets go on sale the week of 8/14.)
HADESTOWN • December 8, 2025
COME SEE HOW THE WORLD COULD BE. Welcome to HADESTOWN, where a song can change your fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, HADESTOWN is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
KINKY BOOTS • March 12, 2026
Broadway’s Tony® and Grammy Award®-winning big-hearted musical hit captivates and entertains with a score by Cyndi Lauper, book by Harvey Fierstein, and original direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell. Based on true events, KINKY BOOTS follows the journey of an unlikely pair who discover that you change the world when you change your mind.
Meredith Willson'S THE MUSIC MAN • June 9, 2026
The six-time Tony Award-winning musical follows a traveling salesman as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a band he vows to organize. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain’s fall.
MENCHEY MUSIC FAMILY SERIES
with preshow Discovery Parties – free to all ticketholders!
(Subscription on sale the week of 10/6.)
DOKTOR KABOOM: UNDER PRESSURE! • January 31, 2026
Be amazed by the power of pressure—and what it can teach us. Equal parts interactive science, comedy and personal empowerment messages, Doktor Kaboom illustrates physical science concepts, which are also metaphors for real life mental and emotional pressures, validating what some kids may feel, and shares tools and life lessons to cope with the difficulties that face us all.
STONE SOUP... AND OTHER STORIES | Pushcart Players • March 21, 2026
A charming, well-seasoned blend of folktales from around the world! Based on the book by Ruth Fost & Carole Wechter, Stone Soup…And Other Stories emphasizes the joy of reading and the delight of folk tales. Without a doubt, this familiar brew of favorites will delight audiences from age 4 to 94!
TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA • April 18, 2026
Music for people who take their fun seriously! Trout Fishing in America is an eclectic folk/rock band that performs music for all ages. Bassist/ vocalist Keith Grimwood and guitar/banjo/bouzouki player/vocalist Ezra Idlet have been writing songs and capturing the imagination and hearts of audiences together for over four decades.
STRAND CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
FREE STRAND CENTENNIAL COMMUNITY DAY featuring SQUONK
plus local performers, family activities & more
Presented by Kinsley Enterprise with support from WellSpan Health.
September 13, 2025 l 10am-2pm
Celebrate a century of the Strand Theatre as we close N. George Street and present a day of live performances and activities, self-guided tours and demonstrations, films and singalongs…all things super fun and amazing—all free for the community!
ONE NIGHT ONLY: AN EVENING WITH Sutton Foster & KELLI O’HARA AND THE YORK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Presented by the Powder Mill Foundation in Honor of Josephine S. and Louis J. Appell, Jr.
September 20, 2025
Broadway leading ladies Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara present a tribute to Broadway and beyond. Together with Maestro Lawrence Golan and the York Symphony Orchestra, Foster and O’Hara perform favorites from their collective Tony Award winning and nominated shows and in between, lots of bubbly banter, laughter and stories you’ll love.
STRAND CENTENNIAL SPOTLIGHT: AN EVENING WITH Jay Leno • November 22, 2025
Presented, in part, through the generosity of the Jack Giambalvo Family of Dealerships.
The Centennial celebration continues with a special performance by “the hardest working man in show business.” Jay Leno presents his hilarious take on the world with his trademark brand of everyman humor that has made him one of America’s favorite comedians.
STRAND LEGENDS
Three featured artists return to the Strand Theatre where they have performed and entertained countless times over the past 45 years.
BLACK VIOLIN: FULL CIRCLE TOUR • September 27, 2025
Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste return to the Strand Theatre stage where they have performed regularly over the years, merging string arrangements with modernbeats and vocals, bringing new songs and other favorites.
DEL McCOURY BAND • October 24, 2025
York County bluegrass icon, Del McCoury stands as a living link through a century of musical evolution, from hillbilly honkytonks and the Grand Ole Opry to viral streams, remaining a torchbearer for bluegrass history.
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH Wynton Marsalis • January 24, 2026
Wynton Marsalis and his famed orchestra are back on the Strand Theatre stage to celebrate Duke Ellington and his most iconic works influenced by the Duke’s travels in Africa, nearly 60 years later.
LIVE MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
THE WALLFLOWERS • September 25, 2025
Jakob Dylan returns with one of rock’s most dynamic and purposeful bands—continually honing a sound that meshes timeless songwriting and storytelling with a hard-hitting and decidedly modern musical attack.
YES – FRAGILE TOUR 2025 • October 11, 2025
Progressive rock pioneers, YES, featuring Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davidson, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen, make a tour stop at the Strand Theatre performing its hit album Fragile in its entirety, along with other greatest hits. Public onsale 6/13.
BLACKBERRY SMOKE – Rattle, Ramble and Roll Tour 2025 • October 12, 2025
An unforgettable night of Southern rock as Blackberry Smoke makes its Strand Theatre debut with gritty vocals, blazing
guitars and a sound steeped in rootsy soul. Rolling Stone calls them “one of America’s last great rock ‘n’ roll bands.”
TOMMY EMMANUEL • October 22, 2025
Tommy Emmanuel makes his Strand Theatre debut with his multidimensional arrangements flawlessly performed on the acoustic guitar, all with a smile of authentic, unbridled delight in the music.
I’M WITH HER • November 9, 2025
Singer/songwriters Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins have each performed at the Appell Center in recent years, and this Fall they bring their luminous harmonies together for the first time in the Strand Theatre with favorite folk tunes and new material exploring themes of ancestry, lineage and the collective human experience.
COLIN HAY • November 12, 2025
The legendary voice of famed 80’s rock group Men at Work brings his signature wit, charm and unmistakable voice to the Strand Theatre for a memorable performance of Men At Work hits and deeply personal solo works.
SCOTT BRADLEE’S Postmodern Jukebox – Magic, Moonlight & Mistletoe • November 15, 2025
In this special seasonal performance, Postmodern Jukebox’s throwback styles shine through the already-nostalgic classics of the Thanksgiving and holiday season. This exceptional group’s signature renditions of all your favorites will get everyone in the holiday spirit.
HOME FREE – Let Me Come Home Tour • November 21, 2025
All-vocal country sensation Home Free invites you to celebrate the season with their heartwarming holiday tour. Known for their jaw-dropping harmonies, signature country charm and a uniquely festive spirit, Home Free will bring audiences a seasonal experience like no other.
A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS • November 23, 2025
This powerful family-oriented show combines Motown’s greatest hits with everyone’s favorite holiday classics, featuring those famous Motown trademarks: dazzling choreography and unforgettable harmonies all performed in that memorable, soulful Motown style.
THE WOOD BROTHERS • December 3, 2025
Dubbed “masters of soulful folk,” The Wood Brothers have evolved into one of roots music’s most revered acts, playing sold out shows across North America. They arrive during the Strand Theatre’s Centennial season with audience favorites and new tracks from their forthcoming release, Puff of Smoke, out August 1.
“Our 2025-26 Centennial Season offers the very best talent from across the globe and around the corner... thrilling live concerts, Tony Award-winning Broadway productions, hilarious comedy, interactive family productions, blockbuster motion pictures and so much more,” President & CEO, Todd Fogdall shares. “Join us in commemorating this extraordinary moment in time as we highlight the past, celebrate the present, and look confidently toward the brilliant future of the Strand Theatre and the Appell Center for the Performing Arts.”
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