LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD to Open TheaterWorks Hartford's New Season

TheaterWorks Hartford has announced details for its production of LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD, written by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale). The 2025 Tony Nominee for Best Play is set to kick off TheaterWorks Hartford's 26/27 season.

Set on the remote edge of a small Idaho town, this gripping new play reunites a razor-tongued aunt and her long-estranged nephew, when circumstances suddenly force them back into each other's lives. With a crumbling house to sell and years of unresolved history between them, sparks fly, tempers flare, and buried wounds resurface. Bitingly funny and quietly explosive, Little Bear Ridge Road explores the complicated, deeply human urge to reach across the void that separates us, even when doing so threatens to break us open. Directed by TheaterWorks Hartford's Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, this production runs October 8 - November 8, 2026 at TheaterWorks' 233 Pearl St. location.

“When I saw Little Bear Ridge Road on Broadway this past year, I knew instantly it was a play I wanted to bring to TheaterWorks,” says Rob Ruggiero. “It's one of the most beautiful and compelling pieces of writing I've encountered in recent years. I was immediately drawn to its exploration of connection, family, and LGBTQ+ identity—and to the humor and humanity at its heart. I can't think of a better way to begin our 41st season. It's a play that makes you laugh, catches you off guard, and ultimately reminds us how deeply we need one another.”

The cast of Little Bear Ridge Road includes Denise Cormier (Broadway's Oedipus, The Minutes, Linda Vista), Mishka Yarovoy (TWH's Sanctuary City), Janelle Anne Robinson (TWH's Circus Fire), and Travis Anderson (HBO's The Gilded Age).

The creative team for Little Bear Ridge Road includes Michael Schweikardt (Set Design), Risa Ando (Costume Design), Matthew Richards (Lighting Design), Minjae Kim (Sound Design), Billy Bivona (Original Music), and Tenley Pitonzo (Stage Manager). Casting by Paul Hardt.

Performances are Tuesdays - Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Saturdays - Sundays at 2:30pm. Special performances include Saturday, 10.31 at 12pm and 4pm, Tuesday 11.3 (closed for Election Day - no performances), and Thursday, 11.5 at 1pm and 7:30pm. The run time is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are priced between $25 - $70 (fees not included). All tickets can be purchased online at twhartford.org, or by calling 860.527.7838.

Theater Week is back thanks to the Greater Hartford Arts Council. TheaterWorks Hartford is offering buy one get one tickets from October 13 - 18 and FREE Pizza and beer Tuesdays. Join TWH at 6:30 for Pizza and Beer + Little Bear Ridge Road + a Talkback with cast and creatives. For more information on Theater Week, please visit The Greater Hartford Arts Council's website.

About the Artists:

Samuel D. Hunter (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and producer whose deeply human stories explore faith, family and the American experience. In 2025, Hunter made his Broadway debut with the critically acclaimed play Little Bear Ridge Road, starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock, following its run at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, where it received the Jeff Award for Best New Work. He simultaneously made his West End debut with Clarkston, starring Joe Locke, which received a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for Best New Play.

Hunter's works include The Whale (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award), A Case for the Existence of God (New York Drama Critics' Circle Award), A Bright New Boise (Obie Award), Greater Clements, Lewiston/Clarkston and Grangeville, among others. His film adaptation of The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser, earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the film received two Oscars as well. On television, Hunter was a writer and producer on all four seasons of FX's Baskets. Hunter is a MacArthur Fellow and Whiting Award recipient, and his plays have been produced on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. A native of Moscow, Idaho, he holds degrees in playwriting from NYU, the Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and Juilliard.

Rob Ruggiero (Director) is in his 15th season as Artistic Director at TheaterWorks Hartford. He has directed dozens of local premieres and award winning favorites including Sweeney Todd, The Counter, Fever Dreams, The Garbologists, Fun Home, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Next to Normal, Relativity (starring Richard Dreyfuss), and Christmas on the Rocks, which he also conceived. Broadway: Looped (starring Valerie Harper); High (starring Kathleen Turner, premiered at TWH). Rob conceived and directed the musical revue Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn which ran off-Broadway, and conceived and directed the musical Ella, which saw sold out runs in 24 regional theaters and a National Tour. His work can also be seen across the country at Goodspeed, The Muny, St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, among other regional theaters.

About the Cast:

Travis Anderson (James/Kenny) is thrilled to be working on this feast of a play at TWH. Credits: The Gilded Age (HBO), Mega Brands (The History Channel), Austen's Pride (National Tour), Cats (National Tour), Theater Aspen, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, The Lex, North Shore MT, Stages St. Louis. Texas native, University of Michigan BFA MT '22. Endless gratitude to Rob, Paul, the TWH production team, Judy & Jenna at BWA, Telly Leung, Jess Cummings, Evan, Amanda, and family in Texas. Honored to be working alongside such a brilliant cast and creative team.

Denise Cormier (Sarah) TheaterWorks Hartford debut. Broadway: Oedipus, The Minutes, Linda Vista; National Tour: To Kill A Mockingbird, The Graduate. Recent Credits: Peterborough Players: Boeing Boeing; Palm Beach Dramaworks: The Dresser, The Little Foxes; Merrimack Repertory Theater: A Woman Of The World; Asolo Repertory Theater: Good People, All The Way, The Great Society, Ah Wilderness, Born Yesterday. Also Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Cleveland Play House, Actors Theater of Louisville, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Repertory Theater. TV: The Gilded Age, Law & Order, Search Party, Law & Order: CI. 2017 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow and a company member of The Actors Center.

Janelle Anne Robinson (Paulette/Vickie) made her TWH debut in Circus Fire. Broadway: Mary Poppins (original Mrs. Corry), Oklahoma!, Showboat. 1st National Tours: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Ms. Flannery), Showboat (Queenie). Regional: Virginia Opera, Opera Omaha, Connecticut Opera, Hartford Opera Theater and Opera Company Philadelphia, Papermill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theater, Maine State Music Theater, The Cleveland Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Penobscot Theatre, Playhouse on Park & Summer Theater of New Canaan (CT Critics' Circle Award). Trained at The Hartt School, The Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute, and the School for Film and Television in NYC. Currently on the faculty at Hartt and WCSU. Favorite moment: sharing the stage with her daughter and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Member AEA, SAG-AFTRA.

Need more Connecticut Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...