Review: HELL'S KITCHEN National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center
by Jeffrey Kare - February 18, 2026
Inspired by the music and upbringing of Alicia Keys. Hell’s Kitchen follows Ali, a 17-year-old girl full of fire, searching for freedom, passion, and her place in the world. Along the way, we meet her dynamic family, a musical mentor who changes her life, and the neighborhood that helps her grow u...
Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center
by Jeffrey Kare - December 17, 2025
Based on Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel of the same name. Water for Elephants follows Jacob Jankowski, a Polish-American college student who during the Great Depression, loses both of his parents in a car accident. As a result, he jumps on a moving train unsure of where the road will take him. Yet, he fi...
Review: Poiema Artistry Theatre Co.'s IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS
by Jeffrey Kare - December 07, 2025
Based on Michael Curtiz’ 1954 Academy Award nomination film musical of the same name. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas follows veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis who have formed a successful song-and-dance act after World War II....
Past Shows
Primary Trust by Eboni Booth
Jan 28 – Feb 15, 2026
When Kenneth’s life of quiet routine— a bookstore job and happy hour mai tais—is suddenly upended, he is confronted by an unfamiliar world of possibility....
You Can't Take It With You
Nov 19 – Dec 7, 2025
Meet the Sycamores, a delightfully eccentric, freewheeling bunch with no regard for social norms. But when their daughter falls for the straight-laced boss’s son, two...
The Wolves
Oct 8 – Oct 26, 2025
As a fierce squad of high school girls navigate soccer drills, secrets, and ambitions, you experience the fire, humor, and heartbreak of growing up all...
The Royale
Sep 10 – Sep 28, 2025
Some fights are bigger than a title.It’s more than a boxing match—it’s a fight for freedom. With propulsive rhythms and poetic storytelling, this gripping drama...
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Jan 29 – Feb 16, 2025
Bear witness to the tragic unraveling of Willy Loman, a weary salesman chasing the elusive American Dream. Amidst family strife and shattered illusions, his journey...
The Shot
Jan 7 – Jan 12, 2025
A tour de force by Emmy-nominated actor Sharon Lawrence, inspired by the story of the most powerful woman in journalism. Before her legendary tenure at...
What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck
Oct 16 – Nov 3, 2024
An exploration of the history of the Constitution turns into a hilarious and heartfelt journey into American identity. From teenage debates to adult reflections, this...
Crumbs from the Table of Joy by Lynn Nottage
Sep 11 – Sep 29, 2024
Explore 1950s Brooklyn with 17-year-old Ernestine Crump in this compelling story that sparkles with charm. Amid social upheaval and family challenges, follow the Crump family's...
PlayMakers Season Kickoff
Aug 24
Get to know your local professional theatre company and help us kick off our 24/25 Season. Live music, food trucks, theatre demonstrations, and more!
The Prom
Jul 17 – Jul 28, 2024
The Summer Youth Conservatory proudly presents The Prom, a heartwarming and hilarious musical that celebrates love, acceptance, and standing up for what is right. The...
Dawn Landes & Friends Perform THE LIBERATED WOMAN’S SONGBOOK
May 4
with special guest Alice Gerrard Lamenting the roll-back on women’s rights around the world, folk singer-songwriter Dawn Landes re-imagines The Liberated Woman’s Songbook. First published...
The Game
Apr 10 – Apr 28, 2024
World Premiere BY BEKAH BRUNSTETTERDIRECTED BY VIVIENNE BENESCH Do you have what it takes to win? Alyssa and Homer are in a marriage that’s hit a glitch. And...
Murder on the Orient Express
Mar 6 – Mar 24, 2024
Adapted by Ken Ludwig Directed by Tracy Bersley A murder mystery gone off the rails A luxurious train ride comes to a halt when a passenger is found...
Fat Ham
Jan 31 – Feb 18, 2024
FAT HAM BY JAMES IJAMES Revenge with hushpuppies on the side Your typical Southern family cookout just got anything but. Juicy gets a visit from his father’s ghost seeking...
Fat Ham
Jan 31 – Feb 3, 2024
FAT HAM BY JAMES IJAMES Revenge with hushpuppies on the side Your typical Southern family cookout just got anything but. Juicy gets a visit from his father’s ghost seeking...
A Christmas Carol
Dec 16 – Dec 17, 2023
A Christmas CarolA beloved tale by Charles DickensAdapted by William LeachBack by popular demand for one weekend only! Bring the whole family for an intimate...
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Nov 15 – Dec 3, 2023
Beatrice and Benedick bicker all the time… but their friends see a budding romance and decide to play Cupid. Hijinks, heartbreak and hilarity ensue. PlayMakers...
PlayMakers Presents Misery by William Goldman, based on the novel by Stephen King
Oct 11 – Oct 31, 2023
Stephen King's classic thriller comes to life on stage with the chilling stage adaptation by William Goldman...
Clyde's
Sep 6 – Sep 24, 2023
When tough-as-nails sandwich shop owner Clyde offers her formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a shot at redemption, they find purpose and inspiration in their shared quest...
The Drowsy Chaperone
Jul 20 – Jul 30, 2023
Get ready to tap your feet and laugh out loud with 'The Drowsy Chaperone.' This Tony Award-winning musical will transport you to a bygone era...
Hamlet
Jan 25 – Feb 12, 2023
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEAREDIRECTED BY VIVIENNE BENESCHMadness in great ones must not unwatched go.Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. A vivid reimagining of one of the...
Akeelah and the Bee
Mar 31 – Apr 18, 2021
Akeelah has a passion for words, the crazier the better! Under-challenged at school and overwhelmed by her daily life in a tough, Chicago neighborhood, Akeelah...
You Can't Take It With You
Nov 18 – Dec 6, 2020
As the youngest member of the wackiest family in New York, Alice Sycamore is understandably worried about bringing her fianc and his parents to meet...
Steel Magnolias
Sep 9 – Sep 27, 2020
Our Mainstage season opens with a group of gossipy Southern ladies at Truvys beauty shop, gossip, revelations, and witty Southern banter flow like sweet tea...
Bright Star
Jul 18 – Jul 28, 2019
From award-winning screenwriter and playwright Steve Martin (Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Roxanne) and chart-topping singer-songwriter Edie Brickell comes a world premiere American musical inspired...
Life of Galileo
Feb 27 – Mar 17, 2019
Galileo Galilei: father, hero, heretic. When a chance discovery leads to evidence of a seismic shift in scientific thinking, Galileo sparks a dangerous dispute with...
Life of Galileo
Feb 27 – Mar 17, 2019
BY BERTOLT BRECHTADAPTED BY JOSEPH DISCHERDIRECTED BY VIVIENNE BENESCHGalileo Galilei: father, hero, heretic. When a chance discovery leads to evidence of a seismic shift in...
Jump
Jan 23 – Feb 10, 2019
This funny, heartbreaking, and surprising new play takes us on a theatrical journey to a place where lights flicker, things fall from the sky, and...
Songs of Light and Wonder
Dec 13 – Dec 14, 2018
Join Leaving Eden‘s Laurelyn Dossett along with many of her musical friends for a holiday concert like no other. Gather to share the warmth of...
She Loves Me
Nov 14 – Dec 2, 2018
In this romantic musical comedy of mistaken identity, there is no love lost between Amalia and Georg, two perfume clerks who can’t seem to find...
Skeleton Crew
Oct 10 – Oct 28, 2018
As the Great Recession of 2008 begins to decimate industries across America, the once-gleaming “Motor City” has lost its luster. At one of its still-standing...
Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood
Sep 12 – Sep 30, 2018
Comic genius Ken Ludwig brings his rip-roaring romp through Sherwood Forest to PlayMakers, with all the thrills and romance you could ever ask for. We’ll...
Cabaret
Jul 18 – Jul 29, 2018
The Master of Ceremonies bids you to leave your troubles behind as you enter the tantalizing world of The Kit Kat Klub in 1930s Berlin....
Leaving Eden
Apr 2 – Apr 22, 2018
BY MIKE WILEY WITH MUSIC & LYRICS BY LAURELYN DOSSETT DIRECTED BY VIVIENNE BENESCH A NORTH CAROLINA FABLE FOR TODAY Acclaimed playwright Mike Wiley returns...
Tartuffe
Feb 3 – Mar 11, 2018
ADAPTED BY DAVID BALL DIRECTED BY ORLANDO POBATOY A BIG-LITTLE PLAY ABOUT FAITH IN AMERICA The man of the house has lost his mind. He...
The Christians
Feb 4 – Mar 9, 2018
BY LUCAS HNATH DIRECTED BY PRESTON LANE A BIG-LITTLE PLAY ABOUT FAITH IN AMERICA Twenty years ago, Pastor Paul’s church was nothing more than a...
A Christmas Carol
Dec 12 – Dec 17, 2017
ADAPTED BY WILLIAM LEACH AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH A PLAYMAKERS LEGEND In this witty and warm, one man tour de force, longtime company member Ray...
Dot
Nov 22 – Dec 10, 2017
BY COLEMAN DOMINGO DIRECTED BY VALERIE CURTIS-NEWTON A DIZZY, DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY REUNION TO REMEMBER As Dotty and her three grown children gather for the holidays,...
Sense and Sensibility
Oct 18 – Nov 5, 2017
BY KATE HAMILL based on the novel by Jane Austen DIRECTED BY TAIBI MAGAR A GOSSIP-DRIVEN COMEDY OF REASON AND ROMANCE Playwright Kate Hamill gives...
The Cake
Sep 13 – Oct 1, 2017
BY BEKAH BRUNSTETTER DIRECTED BY JERRY RUIZ WHEN A CAKE IS NO LONGER JUST A CAKE Della makes cakes, not judgment calls. But when the...
Count
Aug 23 – Aug 27, 2017
Step into the stark, fluorescent otherworld of death row, where the reality of execution causes condemned inmates to re-envision what it means to truly live....
The Count
Aug 23 – Aug 27, 2017
Over the course of a single day on death row, six men unpack their personal inheritances of violence, racism, mental illness, poverty, and unexpected love....
Draw The Circle
Aug 24 – Aug 28, 2016
Redefining the limits of unconditional love The funny, deeply moving story of a bewildered immigrant Muslim family coming to terms with a child who defies...
Violet
Jul 20 – Jul 31, 2016
discovering who you are is the greatest journey of all A girl with a disfiguring scar sets out from her home in Spruce Pine, NC...
Disgraced
Sep 16 – Sep 4, 2015
one dangerous dinner party An upwardly mobile Pakistani-American lawyer has achieved success while distancing himself from his Muslim heritage. When he and his wife host...
Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam
Aug 26 – Aug 30, 2015
A Vietnamese boy and his family barely escape the fall of Saigon and the horrors of a Viet Cong re-education camp to become refugees, at...
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Nov 1 – Dec 7, 2014
Perhaps the theatre’s first “fairy tale”, Shakespeare’s lyrical comedy weaves together a trio of stories set in a magical wood. During the course of a...
INTO THE WOODS
Nov 1 – Dec 7, 2014
The Brothers Grimm hit Broadway with an epic fairytale where worlds collide. James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone's favorite storybook characters and brings them together for a timeless yet...
VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE by Christopher Durang
Sep 17 – Oct 5, 2014
Join PlayMakers Repertory Company in kicking off its 2014/15 Mainstage Season with a brilliant new comedy by Christopher Durang, the 2013 Tony Award-winner for Best...
RODNEY KING written and performed by Roger Guenveur Smith
Sep 2 – Sep 7, 2014
PlayMakers’ PRC2 Series presents Roger Guenveur Smith’s poetic rhythm-charged look at the flawed everyman behind the myth. King endured police brutality, the glare of an...
Assassins
Apr 2 – Apr 20, 2014
John Weidman; lyrics: Stephen Sondheim; music: Stephen Sondheim; dir: Mike Donahue....
Hold These Truths
Jan 8 – Jan 12, 2014
Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre:Jeanne Sakata; dir: Lisa Rothe....
The Tempest
Nov 2 – Dec 8, 2013
Paul Green Theatre:William Shakespeare; music: Emma Nadeau, Ari Picker; dir: Joseph Haj, Dominique Serrand....
Metamorphoses
Nov 3 – Dec 7, 2013
Paul Green Theatre:Mary Zimmerman; music: Emma Nadeau, Ari Picker; dir: Joseph Haj, Dominique Serrand....
Surviving Twin
Sep 4 – Sep 8, 2013
Loudon Wainwright III; music: Loudon Wainwright III; dir: Joseph Haj....
SWEENEY TODD
Jul 18 – Jul 21, 2013
The rare instance of a musical thriller, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barber-ism and culinary crime tells the infamous...
Urinetown
Jul 19 – Jul 22, 2012
The 2012 Summer Youth Conservatory presents the Tony Award-winning Urinetown: The Musical. An uproariously funny and earnest tale of love, greed and revolution in a...
PENELOPE
Apr 25 – Apr 29, 2012
NOISES OFF
Apr 4 – Apr 22, 2012
HENRY IV (Parts 1 & 2)
Jan 28 – Mar 4, 2012
HENRY V
Jan 28 – Mar 4, 2012
NO CHILD...
Jan 11 – Jan 15, 2012
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
Nov 30 – Dec 18, 2011
IN THE NEXT ROOM (or the vibrator play)
Sep 21 – Oct 9, 2011
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