Feature: SEASON PREVIEW at Tallgrass Theatre

Over the years of seeing theatre, one of the things I've enjoyed is watching a theatre company grow. Sometimes they try something new, and it fails; other times it becomes a successful part of their season. As Tallgrass Theatre Company announced their 2025/2027 season, I was thrilled to see how some of the programs they have offered have continued to grow and become staples of their season. When you hear what they have coming up, I'm sure it will excite you, too.

They will be opening their season with a show that is a partnership that began during the pandemic and has grown into one of the exciting opportunities Tallgrass offers each year.  That is their outdoor summer musical.  This season, they will be opening with the musical "Side Show." The story centers on two conjoined twins, Violet and Daisy Hilton, during the Great Depression. Both sisters dream of very different lives. This leaves us to ask, is there a way they can both be happy? "Side Show" will be presented at the Jamie Hurd Amphitheatre July 11-13, 2026.

Their season continues by highlighting another of its growing programs, the Seedlings program. They will be presenting "She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition." What I find especially exciting is that some of the work in their summer camps may be featured in this production. "She Kills Monsters" tells the story of Agnes Evans, who is forced to move after her sister Tilly's death. She reconnects with her sister through playing a campaign of "Dungeons and Dragons" that Tily had written. This show will play from September 11-27, 2026.

Right in time for election season, Tallgrass presents another of its yearly traditions, the Sarah Frank & Jack Balcombe Dream Project. This tradition started in 2013 and continues each season. This year, they will be presenting "POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive." When the President spins a PR problem into a global crisis, it takes the 7 women he relies on to keep him out of trouble. "POTUS" opens on November 13, 2026, and runs through November 22, 2026.

Right in time for Valentine's Day, Tallgrass will present a romance, "Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise." If you recognize the name Ken Ludwig, you will come into this expecting a comedic farce. This play is a two-actor story about how his parents met in World War 2 and fell in love. What starts as long-distance letters ends up becoming anything but expected. "Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise" runs February 12-28, 2027.

If you're looking for a show that will have audiences in stitches, then you will want to catch "The Cottage." This show centers on Sylvia and Beau, who meet at a cottage in the English countryside for their yearly rendezvous. When their spouses arrive, Sylvia decides to expose their love affair. What happens after, you will have to see when Tallgrass presents "The Cottage" from April 16 to May 2, 2027.

In the summer of 2027, Talgrass returns to the Jamie Hurd Amphitheatre for a show that actors have been dreaming of being part of for years. They will be presenting "Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street-Concert Version." Attend the tale of Sweeny Todd, a barber who is falsely accused of a crime and sent away. When he arrives back in London, he sets out to take vengeance on those who wronged him. The question is, what to do with the bodies? Featuring some of Stephen Sondheim's greatest songs, this will be a production that will have you saying, "God, that's good!" "Sweeney Todd" runs from June 10-12, 2027.