Writers Theatre Celebrates 35th Anniversary with New Season Lineup

Writers Theatre has announced the 2026/2027 Season. This vibrant and diverse five-play series marks the 35th Anniversary of the celebrated theater company.

The season opens with Matthew Libby's Sisters, a remarkable and thought-provoking new play about artificial intelligence and the future of family, directed by Jessica Thebus. The season continues with the explosive, historical boxing drama The Royale from Marco Ramirez (Orange is the New Black, Buena Vista Social Club) and directed by Tyrone Phillips. Next for all the Valentine's Day romantics, one of the greatest love stories of all time – Noël Coward's Brief Encounter – will be brought to dazzling life with songs, movement and theatrical magic, in this new musical adaptation by Emma Rice, directed by Shana Cooper with music direction by Matt Deitchman (Once; Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812). Then a married couple and a magnetic stranger find themselves trapped in an intricate web of deception, seduction and revelation in a new version of the Strindberg thriller Creditors, written by Jen Silverman and directed by Braden Abraham. Finally, Hershey Felder recounts his illustrious career in his brand-new work The Piano and Me, a poignant and profoundly touching portrait of the power of music.   

“Next season reaffirms Writers Theatre's commitment to the classics and to the most exciting playwrights working today,” comments Braden Abraham.  “Directors Jessica Thebus, Tyrone Phillips, and Shana Cooper — some of Chicago's most thrilling artists — will bring their visions to our stages, and audiences will encounter bold new work from Writers favorites Jen Silverman and Hershey Felder. Every production will feel intimate and immediate in our theatres, and in an innovative new shift, we'll present two productions in our Gillian space.” 

The Royale, Brief Encounter, and Hershey Felder: The Piano and Me will be performed in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre. Sisters and Creditors will be held in The Gillian Theatre. Both spaces are in Writers Theatre's award-winning building at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe, designed by Studio Gang Architects.

Writers Theatre 2026/27 Season includes:

Sisters

Written by Matthew Libby
Directed by Jessica Thebus
The Gillian Theatre

August 13 – November 8, 2026

Press Opening: Friday, August 21, 2026

Matilda and Greta have always been there for one another, through joy and grief and homework and boyfriends. They're as close as sisters can be—even if Greta is artificial intelligence. As Matilda ages and Greta longs for independence, their relationship begins to be tested like never before. Told over the course of 90 years, Sisters is a riveting and thought-provoking new play about the future of family. 

The Royale

Written by Marco Ramirez
Directed by Tyrone Phillips

Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre

October 22 – November 29, 2026

Press Opening: Friday, October 30, 2026

Jay is a really good boxer, so good they call him “The Sport.” He's won his last seventy-six fights and has his sights set on being crowned the next heavyweight champion. But it's 1905, and in the Jim Crow era, a Black man doesn't get to fight a reigning white champion. When a surprising chance at the title appears, Jay gears up for the fight of his life—where the stakes are staggeringly high inside the ring and out. Inspired by real-world boxer Jack Johnson, this adrenaline rush of a play by Marco Ramirez (Orange is the New Black, Buena Vista Social Club) is a kinetic and poetic portrayal of what it takes and what it costs to make history. 

Noël Coward's Brief Encounter

Adapted for the stage by Emma Rice

Adapted from the play Still Life and the screenplay Brief Encounter, both by Noël Coward
Directed by Shana Cooper
Music Direction by Matt Deitchman

Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre

February 11 – March 28, 2027

Press Opening: Friday, February 19, 2027

An ordinary commute becomes a whirlwind instant of once-in-a-lifetime possibility. Laura, a suburban housewife, and Alec, a married doctor, meet by chance in a busy railway station. As their weekly encounters continue and they fall more passionately and wildly in love, the pair is forced to reconsider their settled lives and decide if this romance is undeniably hopeless or worth risking everything for. Based on the beloved Noël Coward film, this critically acclaimed stage adaptation features live performances of an indelible selection of Coward's best songs. You won't want to miss one of the greatest love stories of all time brought to dazzling life with music, movement and theatrical magic.

Creditors 

By August Strindberg 

Adapted by Jen Silverman 
Directed by Braden Abraham 

The Gillian Theatre 

April 8 – July 3, 2027 
Press Opening: Friday, April 16, 2027 

Adi, a struggling painter, is on holiday at the seaside with his glamorous wife, Tekla, who has recently published a wildly successful book. Left alone at the hotel while his wife is celebrated, Adi strikes up a conversation with a magnetic stranger, Gustav. As the two talk into the night, their budding friendship enters darker waters when Gustav becomes fixated on Tekla and Adi's relationship. This classic psychological thriller by August Strindberg, newly adapted with biting wit by Jen Silverman (Witch, The Roommate), is an electrifying portrayal of three souls trapped in an intricate web of deception, seduction and revelation. 

Hershey Felder: The Piano and Me

A new play with music

Book by Hershey Felder

With music by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Bartok, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin and Williams

Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre

May 5 – June 27, 2027
Press Opening: Friday, May 7, 2027

Hershey Felder, known for his hit portrayals of musical geniuses in his beloved composer series, now takes the stage as a different musical artist: himself. In this deeply moving new play, Felder pulls back the curtain on his own story. Growing up in Montreal as the child of Polish and Hungarian immigrants, a young Felder discovers the piano, its captivating music connecting him to his unsuspected heritage, while opening up a remarkable new world full of adventure, possibility, heartbreak, and connection.

Featuring performances of beloved compositions by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Bartók, and more, Hershey Felder: The Piano and Me recounts the inspiration behind Felder's illustrious career of more than 6,000 performances across the globe and offers a poignant and profoundly touching portrait of the power of music.

SEASON PACKAGES

Writers Theatre is offering a variety of subscriptions with an option for every theatregoer. Each subscription includes a deeply discounted ticket price, ranging from $275-$385 for one ticket to the five-play series, Flex subscriptions, with options for either four tickets ($280) or five tickets ($350), are available.

Season package subscribers receive the new Writers Theatre concierge service for ticket exchanges and questions. Exclusive subscriber benefits include: complimentary ticket exchanges (upgrade fees may apply), special “subscriber-rate” prices on additional tickets, advance access to special events and programs, easy, free parking, exclusive discounts in bar items and merchandise, discounts on rental of Writers Theatre event spaces on Writers Theatre merchandise, event rentals, and more. For a complete list of benefits visit writerstheatre.org.

Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.

Single tickets will go on sale for each show approximately two months prior to first preview. Single ticket prices start at $35.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

Writers Theatre offers Open Captioning and ASL-interpretation on select dates for each production. Please visit writerstheatre.org/accessibility for more information.