Tony Award–Winning Acting Company Brings Two January Productions to Asheville

The Diana Wortham Theatre will host the Acting Company for two performances in late January, bringing a national touring troupe to Asheville’s downtown arts district. The company, based in New York and recognized with a Tony Award, will stage an accessible, crowd-pleasing production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream followed the next night by the world premiere of Nikki Massoud’s reimagining of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.

Both performances are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., with A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Friday, Jan. 23 and Great Expectations on Saturday, Jan. 24. Each evening will feature a pre-show discussion with artists, providing audiences a chance to hear from the company and creative team about staging choices, adaptation decisions and the development of the new work.

Wortham Center materials describe the Midsummer staging as intentionally accessible and geared toward broad audience appeal. The Great Expectations adaptation is presented as a high-energy reinvention that blends humor and drama, an approach that positions the piece as both a literary reworking and a theatrical event for local patrons. Presenting a world premiere gives Asheville residents a direct connection to contemporary theatermaking and an opportunity to witness a production before it circulates nationally.

Tickets are available through the Diana Wortham Theatre box office and the Wortham Center’s online ticketing portal. The presentations are likely to draw both regular theatergoers and visitors to downtown Asheville, reinforcing the Wortham’s role as a cultural anchor and contributing to evening economic activity in nearby restaurants, parking facilities and retail establishments.

For local civic leaders and cultural planners, hosting a Tony Award–winning company and a world premiere underscores the value of investing in arts infrastructure that can attract touring talent and stimulate community engagement. The pre-show discussions create a space for civic dialogue about arts access, adaptation of classic literature for modern audiences, and opportunities for local schools and arts organizations to connect with visiting artists.

Asheville residents interested in attending should plan ahead given limited seating at the Diana Wortham Theatre and the expected draw of a prominent touring company coupled with a premiere production. The two-night engagement offers a concentrated cultural moment that brings national theatermaking to Buncombe County and expands local options for live performing arts.