The Life

There is something deeply contrarian about stepping out on a very very hot summer day to watch a very very serious play - I am beginning to think summers belong to humor. Winters can allow some pondering and occasional deep-dives into the horrors of the past. Despite looking for joy, I wound up catching an early evening production of Death and the Maiden at Mumbai’s NCPA, directed by NCPA head Bruce Guthrie, starring Ira Dubey, Neil Bhoopalam and Vivek Gomber. 

Mānoa Valley Theatre has extended its run of Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang's satirical memoir about race and representation, adding two additional performances to its run.

Broadway’s original cast album of “Chicago” is among the selections joining the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2026. Learn more about the full list here!

There were so many magical moments with this show that it is hard to keep track of them all. Teh opening set the stage and With this opening, the show creates a magical bond with the audience, one that would not be broken until long after leaving the theater.

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL will return for a major UK Tour, arriving at Milton Keynes Theatre in 2027. The production will take to the road again next year. Learn more here!

St Martin-in-the-Fields will present a landmark anniversary season featuring the Monteverdi Choir, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, The Sixteen, Tallis Scholars, and soloists including Iestyn Davies and Danielle de Niese.

 The Joyce Theater Foundation will present a one-night-only program of works by acclaimed choreographer Molissa Fenley, featuring State of Darkness and Bardo at The Joyce Theater’s Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium.

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL will embark on a new UK tour, opening at the New Wimbledon Theatre before visiting over 20 cities. The production features direction by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell and music by Bryan Adams.

BAM Rose Cinemas will present FILMAFRICA 2026, a showcase of contemporary and classic Pan-African cinema curated by the New York African Film Festival, featuring world, US, and North American premieres from Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and beyond.

Mānoa Valley Theatre will present YELLOW FACE, David Henry Hwang's semi-autobiographical satire on race and identity, recently revived on Broadway starring Daniel Dae Kim, at its Honolulu stage.

Long Beach Shakespeare Company announced its 2026 NEW WORKS FESTIVAL, featuring staged readings and workshop presentations of original plays across three weekends at the Helen Borgers Theatre.

Everyman Theatre will present Kate Hamill's adaptation of EMMA, directed by Laura Kepley, featuring the theatre's Resident Company in a feminist, contemporary take on Jane Austen's classic.

The tenth edition of its Segal Center Film Festival on Theatre and Performance will include a retrospective of films by and about theater artist Robert Wilson. Learn more about the upcoming program and film lineup.

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at CUNY will present WORLD VOICES, a four-day festival featuring staged readings of new plays in translation by playwrights from Tuscarora/Canada, Austria, France, Senegal, and Germany.

Sondheim's music soars at 54 Below in the final season of the celebrated series, SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED. The show returns 6/28. The late maestro himself would have been proud of this special night of his works!

The Tony Awards Administration Committee will present the 2026 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre to four outstanding contributors to the Broadway industry - 1/52 Project, Jake Bell, Kenn Lubin, and Loren Plotkin.

Cape Rep Theatre has announced its 2026 season, featuring plays and musicals including a world premiere and a Cape Cod premiere. The season will take place in Brewster, Massachusetts and includes both indoor and outdoor programming.

A new revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is set to come to Broadway next year, directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold. Learn more here!

Jekyll in Chains, an original grunge musical set in 1990s Seattle, at the Samaritan Odd Fellows Lodge in Milwaukie, OR, featuring music inspired by Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains.

Center Theatre Group has added ten new members to its Board of Directors: Stephen Cheung, Nancy Dennis, Sutton Foster, Jennifer Lewis, and more, bringing the number up to 56.

Marking the first West End transfer for The Bridge, the multi-award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into The Woods will run in the West End this Autumn.

Out of the Box Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins” opens at Center Stage this Friday night. Expect a rogue’s gallery of America’s presidential assassins (and try-hard assassins) who feel no remorse whatsoever for their crimes. And, in a way that only Stephen Sondheim’s musicals can finesse, it’s a comedy. It also shows the continuity and change of political violence in America. 

The cast has been announced for a brand new adaptation of novelist Barbara Pym's Booker Prize nominated Quartet in Autumn. Learn more about the upcoming production here!

One of Canada's pioneering Black dance companies, Ballet Creole will present Legacy in Motion, a tribute honouring the life, artistry, and enduring influence of its visionary founder, Patrick Parson.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential leaders in the American opera field, Scorca brings decades of experience advancing opera companies, artists, and audiences across the United States.