Grossmont College Theatre Arts Reveals Fall 2026 Season
The San Diego college will open its season with two productions featuring student and faculty performances.
Grossmont College Theatre Arts will launch its 2026–27 season this October with two productions that invite audiences to see the world a little differently: Mary Chase's beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy HARVEY, followed by the family-friendly mystery MAYHEM ON THE OREO EXPRESS.
HARVEY
The season opens on the Performing and Visual Arts Center stage with HARVEY, directed by Walter Allen Bennett. Performances run October 10–17, 2026.
In HARVEY, audiences meet Elwood P. Dowd, a kind-hearted gentleman whose closest companion is Harvey, a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit. While Elwood's family worries about the effect his unusual friendship is having on their reputation, an attempt to have him committed to a sanitarium leads to an unexpected case of mistaken identity—and a wonderfully topsy-turvy series of events.
Beneath its humor and eccentricity, HARVEY offers a tender meditation on kindness, acceptance, and the possibility that perhaps the world is better when we allow ourselves to see it through someone else's eyes.
The production features Timothy Webb as Elwood P. Dowd, Emma Sanabria-Fandiño as Veta Louise Simmons, Victoria Blaker as Myrtle Mae Simmons, Max Patag as William R. Chumley, M.D., Maddi Teel as Betty Chumley, Wesley Hicks as Duane Wilson, Dillon Parker as Lyman Sanderson, M.D., Jadzia 'Zia' Murphy as Ruth Kelly, R.N., Kai Salud as Judge Omar Gaffney, Ethan Rogers as E. J. Lofgren, with Crow Cisneros as Lofgren understudy, Violet Lane as Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet, and Jaye Nicole as Butler Johnson.
MAYHEM ON THE OREO EXPRESS
Just two weeks later, Grossmont College Theatre Arts shifts gears—and climbs aboard a train—for MAYHEM ON THE OREO EXPRESS, conceived and created by Omri Schein and directed by Shana Wride. Performances are October 23–24 in the Stagehouse Theatre.
Who stole Carmine Cannoli's chocolate chips? Detective Bertrand Brioche and Patty Poptart are on the case. As the Oreo Express races toward Pastropolis's main station, a colorful collection of characters joins the investigation. Will the mystery be solved before the train arrives? Audiences will have to grab a whisk and come find out.
Created with young audiences and families in mind, MAYHEM ON THE OREO EXPRESS is a playful theatrical mystery filled with imagination, comedy, and pastry-inspired characters. The production celebrates the joy of storytelling and invites audiences to share in the fun of solving the mystery together.
The cast features Crow Cisneros as Carmine Cannoli and Gary, the Low Fat Gluten Free Vegan Muffin, and Stage Manager; Rhianna Kamel as Patty Poptart; Violet Lane as Frau Strudel; Jaye Nicole as Conductor Corn Cake; Emma Sanabria-Fandiño as Detective Bertrand Brioche; and Skyler Stogsdill as Cherry Pie. Victoria Blaker serves as understudy for Conductor Corn Cake and Assistant Stage Manager.
MAYHEM ON THE OREO EXPRESS is presented with generous support from the Rice Family Foundation.
Together, these opening productions offer a glimpse of what Grossmont College Theatre Arts hopes to bring audiences throughout the 2026–27 season: memorable stories, imaginative worlds, and opportunities for students to grow as artists and theatre-makers while sharing their work with the community.
From Elwood Dowd's invisible companion to a detective chasing a stolen supply of chocolate chips, the season begins with a simple invitation: come see where theatre can take you.
The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department is known for high-energy productions that showcase the next generation of theatre artists. With faculty credits at The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, and even Broadway's Come from Away, students gain professional-level training on stage and behind the scenes.
Performances take place inside the Performing and Visual Arts Center (Building 22) at 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon, CA 92020. Free guest parking is available in Lot #1 South, during the performances.
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