Echo Theater Company Sets Three World Premieres for 2026 Season
The season will feature the world premiere of F**King Strangers, the newest play from Erik Patterson, and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 17, 2026
The Echo Theater Company has revealed a 2026 season of three audacious world premieres. The season opens in April with the world premiere of For Want of a Horse by trans playwright, screenwriter and comic book writer Olivia Dufault. Calvin loves Bonnie, but to move forward, he has to open up their relationship to include his new romantic partner, Q-Tip. One complication: Q-Tip is a horse. Echo associate artistic director Elana Luo is at the helm of this intimate, comedic and complicated look into the world of zoophilia. Opening night is April 18, with performances running through May 25. Previews begin April 15.
Next up, Echo artistic director Chris Fields directs the world premiere of F**King Strangers, the newest play from Erik Patterson. (Audiences might remember Patterson’s deliciously off-kilter comic voice from previous Echo productions of One of the Nice Ones and Handjob). Ru hasn’t left his bedroom in years; Mick can’t stop paying for affection; Julianne mourns the person she never became and the dreams she once had; and Dylan will sell himself to anyone if the price is right. In this dark comedy of love and loneliness, four f**king strangers are about to discover they’re connected in more ways than they realize. The run takes place July 18 through August 24, with previews beginning July 15.
The world premiere of The Peterson Show by Emmy nominated writer Janine Nabors will close out the season in September. Five former child stars reunite in Los Angeles as the legacy of their iconic TV father collapses into scandal. With cameras swarming outside, they hilariously confront old rivalries, buried secrets, and what it took to survive growing up on “The Peterson Show” … asking what happens to a “family” when its hero and cultural patriarch is erased. Directed by Michelle Bossy, performances begin September 19 and continue through October 26. Previews begin September 16.
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