Previews: 2026 SCHEDULE OF SHOWS at The Abbey Theater Of Dublin
Check out the lineup of shows for 2026!
By: Paul Batterson Jan. 15, 2026
As he enters his sixth season with the Abbey Theater of Dublin, director Joe Bishara is overseeing a lineup of shows that brings elementary school students, high school and college-aged performers, and senior citizens to the stage.
“That’s very important to me,” Bishara said. “It’s my responsibility to provide opportunities on stage for all ages as well as procuring shows I think all ages would like to see.”
After opening the season with a collaboration with Dublin Coffman High School for Shakespeare’s A COMEDY OF ERRORS Jan. 9-18, the Abbey Theater of Dublin will rotate works among its Bound for Broadway (9-14), pre-professional (14-20), and professional groups.
- Feb. 6-15: The pre-professional group will present the teen edition of SIX: THE MUSICAL.
In this Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss-penned production, the six wives of Henry VIII channel their inner pop divas in a singing competition to see which of the six had the hardest life with the monarch.
Each of the queens act out their life story in the style of pop singers like Madonna, Britney Spears, Adele, Beyonce, and more.
- March 6-8: The Bound for Broadway group presents OLYMPUS: THE GREEK ROCK MUSICAL.
This offering is equal parts comedy and rock in which the Greek gods mess with mere mortals to decide who is the greatest god of them all.
- March 20-22: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL.
Based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series, this Kyle Jarrow-penned musical finds the residents of Bikini Bottom threatened by the impending eruption of a volcano. SpongeBob and his troupe of unlikely friends must work together to save the city from destruction.
- April 9-19: THE PUB’S GOT NO BEER.
The Abbey combines forces with Original Productions Theatre for the world premiere of Irish playwright Sean Cooney’s rollicking tale of a Cork City pub that finds itself without any Guinness as President John F. Kennedy returns to his ancestral home of Ireland. This is the fourth collaboration between the Abbey and Cooney after the troupe presented A YANKEE GOES HOME, MOBY DICK’S GONE MISSING, and VAN GOGH’S IN THE ATTIC.
- May 29-31; June 5-7 at the Coffman Amphitheater: 1776.
As America gears up for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Abbey will present the Sherman Edwards (music and lyrics) and Peter Stone (book) epic. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin grapple with writing a document to unite the colonies to revolt against the British.
“I have been saving this one until we hit that (250th milestone),” Bishara said. “I’m excited we have the opportunity to produce this piece.”
- July 10-12: 35mm: A MUSICAL EXHIBITION.
In this Dublin premiere, a cocktail of photography, rock music, and musical theater swishes together to create a catalog of snapshot stories
- July 16-19: NEWSIES JR.
The 2012 musical is pared down to a 60-minute run time. The show, which combines the talents of Alan Menken (music), Jack Feldman (lyrics) and Harvey Fierstein (book), gives a fictionalized account of the New York City news boys strike of 1899 after newspaper publishers raised the price of the daily news.
- August 7-16 – THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL.
After Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen, Percy Jackson must travel to the Underworld, solve the riddle of the Oracle, and return the bolt to prevent a war between the gods.
* Sept. 25-27; Oct 1-4: THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN.
In the regional premiere of this Eric Coble drama, artist Alexandra barricades herself in her Brooklyn Brownstone as she battles with her family over where she will spend her remaining years. The unlikely hero in this drama is Chris, Alexandra’s estranged son. Chris sneaks into her home and eventually becomes a moderator between his mother and the rest of the family.
- November 19-22: FINDING NEMO KID AND JR. VERSIONS.
The Abbey will present two versions of the same play, offering both the junior version and the kids version of FINDING NEMO. In this musical reimagining of the Pixar movie, Marlin and the absent-minded Dory search the ocean for Marlin’s missing son Nemo.
Bishara joked that he catches himself wondering why he’s repeating “the same thing five times in a row” when working with various age groups.
“I need to break things down in a way that puts whoever I’m working with in the best position to succeed,” he added. “It’s challenging, but it's also incredibly gratifying when you see it all come together.”
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