The Old Globe Announces a Special Lineup of Theatre Including Originals and Classics for its 2026 Season

This new season features original and classic plays, North American and San Diego premieres, two exciting Shakespeare favorites, and a new musical.

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 29, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Old Globe proudly announces its 2026 Season, a special lineup of theatre filled with original and classic plays, North American and San Diego premieres, two exciting Shakespeare favorites, and a new musical. The season features three world premiere plays including the previously announced Henrik Ibsen’s "Hedda Gabler," in a new version by Erin Cressida Wilson (the films "Secretary," "The Girl on the Train"), starring Katie Holmes (Broadway’s "Our Town," The Roundabout Theatre Company’s "The Wanderers"), and directed by The Old Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein (The Old Globe’s "Henry 6," The Roundabout Theatre Company’s "The Wanderers"); the Globe-commissioned, Fiasco Theater Company’s "Bartleby," adapted for the stage by Noah Brody (The Old Globe’s "Into the Woods," "The Imaginary Invalid") and Paul L. Coffey (The Old Globe’s "The Imaginary Invalid," Fiasco Theater’s "Twelfth Night") and directed by Emily Young (Ohio Northern University’s "Spring Awakening," Fiasco Theater’s "The Lucky Chance"); and the heartfelt comedy "Alien Girls" by Amy Berryman (West End’s "Walden," "The New Galileos"), and directed by Jaki Bradley (Berkeley Rep’s "Mother of Exiles," Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ "Mama Metallica").

The thrilling season also includes direct from England, the North American premiere of "North by Northwest," adapted and directed by Emma Rice (Theatre Royal Bath’s "Blue Beard," Berkeley Rep’s "Wuthering Heights"), and based on the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, plus two San Diego premieres, the award-winning comedy "Kim’s Convenience" by Ins Choi (CBC and Netflix’s “Kim’s Convenience,” Young Centre for the Performing Arts’ "Subway Stations of the Cross") and directed by Weyni Mengesha (Soulpepper Theatre’s "‘Da Kink in My Hair," Geffen Playhouse’s "Power of Sail") and the profoundly funny "The Hombres" by Tony Meneses (The Old Globe’s "El Borracho," Loft Ensembles’ "La Cocina") and directed by James Vásquez (The Old Globe’s "American Mariachi," "Under a Baseball Sky").

The Globe will also produce three classics including the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, August Wilson’s "Fences" directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg (The Old Globe’s "Deceived," "Trouble in Mind"); the romantic comedy "Cyrano" by Jason O’Connell (The Old Globe’s "Twelfth Night," "Two River's Noises Off" ) and Brenda Withers (Off Broadway’s "Matt & Ben," Harbor Stage Company’s "The Deer and the Antelope"); and the Pulitzer Prize–winning modern classic "Topdog/Underdog" by Suzan-Lori Parks (Off Broadway’s "The Harder They Come," Guthrie Theater’s "Sally & Tom") and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III (The Old Globe’s "Appropriate," Broadway’s "Thoughts of a Colored Man"). The Old Globe’s 2026 Summer Shakespeare Festival features two plays by the Bard, "Measure for Measure," a timeless tale of power and hypocrisy, directed by Vivienne Benesch (PlayMaker’s "The Game," "Hamlet") and the witty and delightful "Much Ado About Nothing," directed by Barry Edelstein (The Old Globe’s "The Winter’s Tale," "Henry 6").

The Old Globe’s fifth production of the 2026 Season, which will play on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, will be a new musical to be announced at a later date.

“While continuing to celebrate our 90th Anniversary, The Old Globe is thrilled to announce the wonderful theatre productions that will launch our 91st year in high style,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “A rich and varied season that ranges across the classic and the original, the comic and the dramatic, the daring and the refined, our 2026 slate spans an impressive range of genres and themes. The stories we’re telling next season are moving and meaningful, and as always at the Globe, they take on the big ideas that American culture is working through at this moment: the individual’s relationship to society, the tension between tradition and innovation, and the redemptive powers of family, community, and love. They do all this while delivering vivid, beautiful, fun, and skillful evenings of entertainment. The artists making theatre in San Diego this season are the directors, writers, composers, designers, and actors who shape American entertainment and chart the future course of our artform. Katie Holmes sets a high bar for the year in February by taking-on one of the great roles in world drama, and the works that follow 'Hedda Gabler' are all equally exciting. This is a very special lineup of theatre, and I’m honored and delighted to share it with our many communities and supporters.”

Additional programming will be announced throughout the season.

Tickets for The Old Globe’s 2026 Season are currently available by subscription only. Five-play subscription packages start at $234. For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit TheOldGlobe.org or call at (619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623).

Bios and photos of all participants can be found at www.TheOldGlobe.org/Press-Room.

Financial support for The Old Globe is provided by The City of San Diego. The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund provides leadership support for The Old Globe’s year-round activities.

Click HERE for a biography on The Old Globe.

Patty Onagan
The Old Globe
+1 818-600-8092
email us here

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.