Sarasota Jewish Theatre Announces 2026–27 Season

Sarasota Jewish Theatre has announced its 2026-27 season, a lineup of productions united by a compelling central theme: survival. Through stories of displacement, family, identity, redemption, memory, and artistic perseverance, the season examines what it means to endure, as well as what helps us carry on.

From Holocaust survival and generational trauma to surviving violence, fractured families, and even the chaos of show business, the season explores the resilience of the human spirit through bold new works, regional premieres, comedy, music, and emotionally rich storytelling.

"I am excited about what's ahead for us next season for so many reasons," says Artistic Director Carole Kleinberg. "As always, I look forward to hearing our patrons opinions after they've seen the plays."

The season opens with Kaddish for the Barrio by Gabriel Ortiz, a gripping new drama about a haunted young Latino gang member and an aging rabbi who form an unlikely connection inside a struggling East Los Angeles synagogue. Directed by Preston Boyd, the play explores survival amid violence and isolation while asking whether broken souls can still find healing and hope.

In November, Sarasota Jewish Theatre reprises its acclaimed educational production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly by Celeste Raspanti. This time presented as a tour to schools, reaching more than 3,000 middle and high school students. Based on the poetry and artwork created by children imprisoned in the Terezín concentration camp, the production stands as a testament to the survival of creativity, memory, and hope even in humanity's darkest moments.

The Howard J. Millman Performance Series begins in January with Sing in the Season: Jewish Broadway, a joyful musical celebration honoring the resilience, humor, and cultural legacy of Jewish artists on the American stage.

The spring season continues with the regional premiere of We Had A World by Joshua Harmon, directed by Gus Kaikkonen. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, the play follows a writer confronting the complicated legacy of the grandmother who both nurtured and wounded him, exploring the ways love and pain survive across generations.

Next comes the fast-paced comedy Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson, directed by Peter Amster. Chronicling producer David O. Selznick's desperate race to save Gone With the Wind, the play offers a lighter but equally spirited look at survival under impossible pressure - and the glorious madness of creation itself.

The season concludes with Kindertransport by Diane Samuels, directed by Vickie Daignault. This moving drama follows a young Jewish girl rescued from Nazi Germany and the lifelong emotional aftermath of survival, exile, and identity. Poetic and profoundly human, the play closes the season with a powerful meditation on memory, loss, and resilience.

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