Playhouse Merced reveals 2026-27 schedule. Here’s what’s on tap
Playhouse Merced has announced the lineup for its 33rd season, and it’s filled with popular titles.
The community-based, non-profit theater revealed what’s in store for the 2026-27 season at its season preview on Friday.
Here’s a look at what’s planned for the rest of this year:
- “Come From Away” — a Tony-nominated musical about a Newfoundland town dealing with the aftermath of 9/11 — will be performed in August.
- “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” — a rock musical that won a Tony in 2014 for best revival — will be on the schedule for September.
- “Night of the Living Dead” — a comedic tribute to the 1968 zombie horror movie — is slated for November. It will include a “splash zone” where audience members who sit close to the stage get rained on by fake blood during zombie attacks.
- “Mary Poppins” — based on P.L. Travers’ books and the 1964 Disney film — will be performed in December.
The 2027 season will be filled with popular titles, including “Misery,” “Mean Girls,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Oklahoma!” and “Finding Neverland.”
The Playhouse Merced Young Artists Conservatory also has four productions planned for the 2026-27 season.
The young artists, who range in age from 8 to 17, will perform “The Addams Family” in November and have three performances in 2027: “How to Train Your Dragon The Musical JR.”; “Oklahoma! Youth Edition”; and “Finding Nemo Jr.”
The Young Artists Conservatory presented “Oliver Jr!” last month. It has a presentation of “The Olympians” on June 19-28 and will perform “The Lion King Jr.” on July 16-26 to conclude the 2025-26 season.
The announcement of the new season comes about seven months after the public breakup of the organization’s board. In January, Playhouse Merced — which produces live shows and offers youth arts education programs — announced it had a new board and was cleaning up a financial mess.
RC Essig is Playhouse Merced’s interim executive director. Essig has been involved with Playhouse Merced for more than a decade and also owns The Partisan and The 17th Street Pub on Main Street.
Tickets are available online at www.playhousemerced.com.
