Theatre Lawrence stages The Addams Family, announces holiday Wizard of Oz show

Theatre Lawrence is turning to two of the most familiar titles in family theater, The Addams Family now and The Wizard of Oz for the holidays, as it works to keep seats full and ticket buyers coming back through the end of the year.

The community theater will stage The Addams Family at its 35,000-square-foot home at 4660 Bauer Farm Drive in Lawrence, with performances set for June 5-7, June 11-14 and June 18-21, 2026. The production’s creative team includes director Craig Fisher, music director Patty Ahern, choreographer Meghann Deveroux and stage manager Andrea Beyer.

The theater has already moved to keep the audience engaged beyond the summer run. Its holiday show will be The Wizard of Oz, scheduled for Dec. 4-20, 2026. For a nonprofit arts group that depends on advance sales and recurring support, announcing a recognizable summer musical and a holiday favorite in the same stretch gives families a reason to plan ahead.

That strategy fits the theater’s longer pattern. Theatre Lawrence says it was founded in 1977 and has operated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization since then. It opened its current facility in 2013 after years of growth, and its history page says the organization has staged hundreds of shows and classes.

The scale of the volunteer base helps make that possible. Theatre Lawrence says it works with about 500 volunteers each year, while United Way of Kaw Valley says more than 400 individuals contribute roughly 26,000 documented hours annually onstage, backstage and in committee work. Kansas Commerce documents go further, saying 329 volunteers contributed more than 28,000 hours in the 2022-2023 season.

Those numbers help explain why Theatre Lawrence has become more than a neighborhood playhouse. Kansas Commerce says the theater drew audiences from 47 Kansas counties and 35 states in 2023, and more than 115,800 people passed through its doors that year. Founder Mary Doveton, who led the theater for 45 years, oversaw more than 200 productions and helped build the institution into one of Lawrence’s most visible cultural outlets.

Theatergoers who want to lock in next season do not have to wait for the curtain to rise on The Addams Family. Early-bird 2026-2027 season tickets are on sale now, and prices increase June 8, another sign that Theatre Lawrence is pushing hard to convert interest into advance commitments before the summer run even opens.