THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA and Two World Premieres Set for Palm Beach Dramaworks Reveals 2026-27 Season
Hershey Felder returns with a new solo show as PBD stages Pinter and Strand alongside two premieres.
Palm Beach Dramaworks has revealed its 2026-27 season, featuring five productions and a special limited engagement of Hershey Felder's newest one-man show.
The season will include two world premieres: Alejandro Rodriguez's Alba, inspired by Federico García Lorca's La Casa de Bernarda Alba, and Jennifer Maisel's Provenance. Also on the lineup are Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel's Tony Award-winning musical The Light in the Piazza, Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party and Richard Strand's Ben Butler.
Felder will return to Palm Beach Dramaworks for a limited engagement of The Piano & Me, his new play with music in which, rather than portraying one of history's great composers, he takes on the role of himself.
The 2026-27 season is sponsored by the Perlberg Family Fund.
ALBA
October 9–25, 2026
Written by Alejandro Rodriguez and directed by KJ Sanchez, the world premiere is inspired by Federico García Lorca's La Casa de Bernarda Alba and relocates the story to working-class Miami.
The play follows a strong-willed Cuban matriarch attempting to maintain control of her household amid new technology, impatient debtors and a young suitor with questionable motives. Narrated by her grandchild, Alba examines the unspoken secrets surrounding a tragic family event while bringing humor to its contemporary reimagining of Lorca's story.
The play was previously presented at PBD as part of the 2025 Perlberg Festival of New Plays.
Hershey Felder: THE PIANO & ME
October 30–November 22, 2026
Hershey Felder will bring his newest work, The Piano & Me, to Palm Beach Dramaworks for a special limited engagement.
Known for his theatrical portrayals of composers, Felder turns the focus on his own life and career in this new play with music. Felder portrays himself as well as many of the people who helped make his artistic career possible, looking back at more than 30 years onstage.
The production features music by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and others.
PROVENANCE
December 9–27, 2026
Jennifer Maisel's Provenance will receive its world premiere in a co-production with Asolo Repertory Theatre, directed by Casey Stangl.
The play traces the life of an unusual portrait from its creation in early 20th-century German society through its theft by the Nazis and subsequent journey around the world, exploring the impact a single work of art can have across generations.
Provenance was first presented at PBD during the 2026 Perlberg Festival of New Plays. The production is pending rights.
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
February 5–21, 2027
Palm Beach Dramaworks will present its first musical since the 2018-19 season with The Light in the Piazza, featuring a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel.
Directed by Bruce Linser and presented in a co-production with Riverside Theatre, the musical follows Margaret Johnson and her daughter, Clara, during a trip to Italy in the summer of 1953. When Clara falls in love with a young Florentine named Fabrizio, Margaret must decide whether to allow her daughter to pursue the relationship while confronting the realities of her own unhappy marriage.
The Light in the Piazza received six Tony Awards following its 2005 Broadway premiere.
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
April 2–18, 2027
William Hayes will direct Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, the playwright's classic comedy of menace.
Set in a ramshackle boarding house run by Meg and Petey, the play follows their only boarder, Stanley, whose unwanted birthday celebration takes an ominous turn with the arrival of two mysterious strangers.
Ben Butler
May 21–June 6, 2027
The season will conclude with Richard Strand's Ben Butler, directed by Belinda "Be" Boyd.
Inspired by an event in the life of Union Army Major General Benjamin Butler, the historical comedy is set in 1861, when three escaped enslaved people arrive at Fort Monroe, Virginia, seeking sanctuary. Butler must decide whether to follow the law and send them back or follow his conscience, with potentially history-changing consequences.
Perlberg Festival of New Plays
Palm Beach Dramaworks' annual Perlberg Festival of New Plays will return March 5–7, 2027.
The festival will feature professional readings of five developing plays, with each reading followed by a discussion giving audience members the opportunity to provide feedback to the playwrights.
Readings will take place at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6, with a final 3 p.m. reading on Sunday, March 7.
Subscriptions to all five readings are $100, with individual tickets priced at $35.
Tickets for regular season productions are $97, with opening night tickets priced at $117 and preview tickets at $77. Discounts are available for students, patrons under 40, educators, active military members and groups.
Tickets for The Piano & Me range from $105 to $135 depending on seating location.
Palm Beach Dramaworks performs at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre, located at 201 Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach.
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