The Public Theatre in Maine Reveals 2025-26 Season Lineup

The Public Theatre will open its 35th season with an adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery playing Oct 24-Nov 9. Maine is Stephen King Country, and his best-selling psychological thriller and Oscar-winning film Misery is now a spine-chilling Broadway play! Truth is stranger than fiction when a famous romance novelist veers off the road in a winter storm and wakes up incapacitated in the home of his “number-one fan”. A heart-pounding life or death game of cat and mouse ensues as unexpected events turn his number-one fan into his number-one enemy. Public Theatre policy requires you to pay for your entire seat - even though you’ll only be using the edge.

Next up, in time for the holidays, The Public Theatre’s acclaimed and beloved adaptation of A Christmas Carol takes the stage Dec 12-14. Six actors and a fiddler perform the Dickens out of this family friendly holiday story told in a way you’ve never imagined and will never forget! Don’t miss this unique adaptation originally created at The Public Theatre, now published and performed all over the world! All children 18 and under only $15!

The New Year brings the Maine premiere of Still by Lia Romeo playing Jan 30 - Feb 8.  Lost love is rekindled in this funny, heartbreaking, sexy and smart story when a couple who broke up in their 30s reunite in their 60s. But can a “new you” ever live up to an old expectation? What happens when you love someone but hate what they believe? Second chances are given, secrets revealed, and an avocado goes flying in the Maine premiere of this recent Off-Broadway hit and Outer Critic’s Circle nominee for Best New American Play. Timely and compelling, you’ll be talking about this play all the way home.

Spring brings The Public Theatre’s favorite Canadian playwright, Norm Foster, back to The Public Theatre with the US premiere of Whit’s End playing March 20- 29. From the author of Lunenburg and last season’s hit Halfway There comes this hilarious and heartwarming new comedy about love, family and getting married. When a widowed father summons his grown children home to share some “big news”, they arrive in tears assuming he must be dying - why else would he pay for their plane tickets? But dad has good news – he’s fallen in love and wants everyone to meet her! Whether you’re a parent or a child, this laugh-out-loud comedy about the people we love and the people they love, is for you.

Just in time for Mother’s Day comes the new play Grandma Gatewood Took A Walk, playing May 8 -17. Based on a true story about Emma “grandma” Gatewood - a legend among hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, this inspiring story is also the subject of a Pulitzer Prize nominated novel and multiple film documentaries.

In 1955 at the age of 67, Emma “Grandma” Gatewood told her children she was “going for a walk” and set out with her duffel bag, shower curtain (to keep dry) and a pair of Keds sneakers to walk the Appalachian Trail. Two thousand miles later, she became the first woman to solo hike 14 states from Georgia to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Don’t miss the New England premiere of this true and inspiring adventure celebrating the resiliency of the human spirit and the courage required to walk into the unknown.

The season closes on Sat, May 30th with a family friendly production of Hansel and Gretel, a magical version of the classic fairytale performed by the award-winning Tanglewood Marionettes.

The Public Theatre continues its educational outreach program for Maine schools, offering special morning matinee performances for all of the above productions at reduced prices. Read more about Educational Programming at thepublictheatre.org/student-matinees.