Goodspeed Musicals to Pause Productions at Terris Theatre for 2026

Goodspeed Musicals will temporarily pause productions at The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. While 2025 was a strong season with nearly sold-out performance runs at both The Goodspeed and The Terris, sharply rising production costs and shifting audience habits, expectations and preferences have made The Terris Theatre’s sole focus on the development of brand-new shows more challenging to accomplish.
 
According to Managing Director Vanessa Logan, “Taking this pause will allow our teams to thoughtfully reimagine how The Terris can best support the organization’s overall financial health. It will give us the time and flexibility to develop an expanded operating model for The Terris, which may include educational programs and programming for young audiences and families like SummerSong, The Youth Theatre program that we recently announced. Other options may include collaborations with other theatres and artists, community events, and additional initiatives alongside the productions of new musicals. This pause is temporary, and we look forward to updating our audience as plans take shape.”
 
Artistic Director Donna Lynn Hilton shared, “In the meantime, we will produce a full season of musicals at The Goodspeed, including the World Premiere of The Snow Goose. Commissioned, nurtured and developed solely by Goodspeed, The Snow Goose will stand as evidence that our commitment to new work and the artists who create it is unwavering. It will make its debut at The Goodspeed Aug. 28 – Oct. 8.”