On the 20th Century - 1985 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 1

Brand Associates and Brand Library & Art Center will present Brand 54, a national juried exhibition of works on paper selected from over 1,350 submissions, with a free public opening reception in Glendale, CA.

Ed Harris has revealed that he will be returning to the stage this year, starring alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Allison Janney in a production of Jon Robin Baitz's family drama, Other Desert Cities.

Vassar College has announced the lineup for the 40th Powerhouse Theater Season. The artists that join the lineup in 2026 include Drew Droege, Will Roland, and more.

The nominations are here for the 2026 Tony Awards. This year, a high number of titles have onscreen counterparts, and we have rounded up how to watch these versions at home, from The Lost Boys to Schmigadoon!

The Mississippi Museum of Art will present Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985, featuring approximately 150 works by over 100 artists, including Gordon Parks, Carrie Mae Weems, and Dawoud Bey, organized by the National Gallery of Art.

Friendship is nearly always a side element in musicals. From the comic sidekick of the leading character to the backup pals who provide background vocals, friends are part of the fabric of many shows—but rarely are they the main event. 

The Frist Art Museum in Nashville will present An Indigenous Present, an exhibition featuring 15 artists spanning a century of modern and contemporary Indigenous art, co-curated by artist Jeffrey Gibson and curator Jenelle Porter.

The cast has been revealed for The Public Theater’s one-night-only reading of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, including Ben Stiller, Billy Eichner, Ali Stroker and more.

Center Theatre Group has revealed twelve productions for the 2026/27 Season. The eight-show One CTG subscription package includes plays and musicals at the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre, including The Turning world premiere and more.

The San Francisco Symphony has revealed details of the Orchestra’s 115th season. The 2026–27 season features 26 guest conductors, including five making their Orchestral Series debuts, alongside a lineup of returning and debuting guest artists.

The new Broadway season is in full swing, full of exciting new shows and revivals of beloved classics. While many of them are original concepts or based on plays, 12 have related films or series that you can watch from home. If you are seeing any of the below productions in 2026, check out how you can study up beforehand or unpack afterwards!

The George and Nora London Foundation Competition for American and Canadian opera singers will hold its 54th event in 2026, with a public final round at New York's Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center.

Lover, Beloved, the film adaptation of songwriter Suzanne Vega’s one-woman stage show about the life of 20th-century American writer Carson McCullers, is set to make its broadcast debut.

​Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma will open its 2026 Season with an electrifying musical tribute to some of the greatest female voices of the 20th century in Beehive- The 60s Musical!

The Chromolume Theatre has announced its 2026 season of musicals at The Zephyr on Melrose in Los Angeles. Themed as a season of identify and expression, it will kick off in March with The Color Purple

The Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center have announced the full lineup for the 35th annual New York Jewish Film Festival, returning to the Walter Reade Theater in Manhattan.

While different tryout theaters have different relationships to the development of new shows, it’s worth looking at both which commercial rental theaters and which non-profit theaters have had the most Best Musical Tony Award winners come from their stages.

Out of the Archive, in association with Sheffield Theatres, has revealed the cast for the world premiere of GWENDA’S GARAGE. See who is starring and learn how to purchase tickets.

Charles Kirsch is the 17-year-old host of the theater podcast Backstage Babble, where he has conducted over 250 in-depth interviews with some of Broadway’s best. In “Stage Direction,” he will be using material from the podcast and additional interviews to chronicle the career and impact of some of the most influential theater directors. 

Soul Rep Theatre Company will launch its 2025–2026 season this fall, continuing its 30th anniversary celebration with productions that honor legacy, premiere new works, and uplift Black voices.

Experience the unique perspectives of two contemporary guitar masters: Muireann Bradley is an 18-year-old rising star from County Donegal, Ireland at World Music Institute. Learn more!

Darshan Trio will brings to Sierra Madre Playhouse a mosaic of works by contemporary and historical composers, including Pachelbel’s much-loved Canon in D, on Sunday, September 28, 2025, 7:30 pm.

The 2025-26 season of the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers will present the 54th year of the foundation's prestigious annual competition for young American and Canadian opera singers. Learn more!

On August 7, 2025, Stray Dog Theatre will continue its season with the youth opera The Second Hurricane. Composed by Aaron Copland, with a libretto by Edwin Denby, The Second Hurricane premiered in 1937 at The Playhouse in New York City. That original production was directed by a then 21-year-old Orson Welles and starred a young Joseph Cotten. “Audiences are going to want to see this because it is unique and hasn’t been done in St. Louis before,” says Bell. “This is a unique art form that needs to be explored and cherished.” 

Because of its great cultural and intellectual influence, Boston has been known as the Athens of America for centuries. That sobriquet is as true today as ever thanks to the area’s vibrant theater scene featuring pre-Broadway productions and national tours, Tony Award-winning regional theaters, and a host of other theater companies presenting everything from Shakespeare to classic and contemporary plays, musicals and concerts.