Theatre Lawrence unveils 2026-27 season with classics, bonus show

Theatre Lawrence is using its 50th anniversary season to make a practical pitch to Douglas County theatergoers: stay in Lawrence, buy the pass, and get a year of familiar titles, a fall wildcard and a concert staging without the drive to Kansas City. The 2026-27 lineup centers on six musicals and plays, with bonus productions layered in for audiences who want something a little riskier. The likely ticket sellers are easy to spot: Pirates! The Penzance Musical in September, The Wizard of Oz in December and Come From Away in June.

The season opens with Pirates! The Penzance Musical on Sept. 11, 2026, with the run set for Sept. 11-13 and 17-20. Theatre Lawrence describes the show as a reimagined Gilbert and Sullivan work set in 1800s New Orleans, a safe bet for subscribers who want a recognizable title with a fresh angle. After that comes Lizzie, an all-women rock musical about the 1892 Lizzie Borden case, scheduled for Oct. 22-24 as a bonus production and not part of the regular season package.

Holiday ticket buyers get The Wizard of Oz, which opens Dec. 4, 2026 and should be one of the season’s strongest draws for families. The lineup then moves to On Golden Pond on Jan. 29, 2027, The Light in the Piazza in concert on Feb. 19-21, Conscience on March 12, The 39 Steps on April 16 and Come From Away on June 4. Theatre Lawrence’s season page says the company is aiming for a mix of nostalgic classics and fresh favorites, while executive director Jamie Ulmer said the season was built to be well-rounded and to reflect the variety of voices in the community. He also said rights availability can affect when productions can be announced, and that the theater is continuing its fall edgy-show tradition and bringing back the musical-in-concert format after a year away.

For households watching entertainment budgets, the timing matters as much as the titles. Early-bird season tickets are on sale now and discounted through June 7 or June 8, depending on the page, while individual show tickets are scheduled to go on sale Aug. 3, 2026. The standing-reservation pass is listed online at $187 for adults and $176 for seniors, including taxes and fees, with the First Friday package priced at $169.46 before final taxes and fees. Theatre Lawrence, founded in 1977 as Lawrence Community Theatre after a meeting called by Mary Doveton, says its first show was The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild in April 1977. The company has since grown into a 35,000-square-foot home at 4660 Bauer Farm Drive, and this season is being used to signal both staying power and a strategy built around affordable, stay-local nights out.