Alabama Shakespeare Festival announces productions for 2025-2026 season
The Alabama Shakespeare Festival has announced its list of productions for the 2025-2026 season.
This is its 54th season, and the first for new artistic director Quin Gresham.
He said he wants to make the season exciting for everyone.
“This is not a culturally elite experience,” Gresham told Action 8 News. “This is storytelling for everyone, and even better than that, you get to experience it with New York community members. You’re going to laugh at the same jokes, even though you may not agree on anything in real life.”
The season runs from October until August.
Here is the list of productions:
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express
OCTOBER 2 – OCTOBER 26, 2025
By Agatha Christie Adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig
Festival Stage | Ages 12+
A luxury locomotive, a confounding murder, and Agatha Christie’s most famous sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the fabled Orient Express in its tracks. By morning, an American businessman lies dead in his compartment, his door locked from the inside. Isolated by the snow and with a killer in their midst, world-famous detective Hercule Poirot must solve the case before the murderer strikes again. Book your passage now for this wickedly funny thrill ride.
Disney’s Frozen
NOVEMBER 26, 2025 – JANUARY 4, 2026
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Book by Jennifer Lee
Festival Stage | Ages 5+
Disney’s magical, musical hit that took Broadway by storm. Anna, the princess of Arendelle, sets off on an epic journey to find her sister, Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped their kingdom in eternal winter. With the help of Kristoff, his adorable reindeer
Sven, and the silly snowman Olaf, can Anna bring her sister home? Based on the Academy Award-winning animated film,
Disney’s Frozen includes the film’s beloved songs such as “Let it Go” and “For the First Time in Forever.”
The Lehman Trilogy
JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 15, 2026
By Stefano Massini Translated by Ben Power
Octagon Stage | Ages 12+
A sweeping theatrical adventure, tracing the rise and fall of an immigrant family from Montgomery, Alabama, to Wall Street.
From a small general store on Montgomery’s Commerce Street to unimaginable wealth on Wall Street, the Lehman Brothers epitomized the American Dream. Together they built a firm that would shape — and later shake — the very foundation of global finance. The Lehman Trilogy explores ambition, identity, and the price of unchecked success.
Special Event – Not included in Subscription Series
Unforgettable: John-Mark McGaha Sings Nat King Cole
FEBRUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 15, 2026
Festival Stage | Ages 14+
An unforgettable concert honoring legendary crooner Nat King Cole. The genius and warmth of Montgomery’s own Nat King Cole is brought to life by acclaimed singer, storyteller, and multi-instrumentalist John-Mark McGaha (The Ray Charles Legacy, Smokey Joe’s Cafe). In this romantic and heartfelt concert, McGaha leads a lush jazz ensemble as he reflects upon Cole’s trailblazing career with an intimate charm. With an extraordinary voice that Broadway World calls “crystal-clear perfection,” McGaha croons classics such as “Unforgettable,” “Route 66,” “L-O-V-E,” “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” and “Mona Lisa.”
Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
MARCH 19 – APRIL 5, 2026
By William Shakespeare
Festival Stage | Ages 12+
A sparkling comedy where hearts are won, masks are dropped, and love triumphs — though not without a fight. The war is over, but the real battle is just beginning in this whimsical comedy. With wit as their weapon of choice, Beatrice and Benedick spar with relentless charm, unaware that love is quietly taking aim. Friends plot to bring them together, secrets threaten to tear others apart, and Shakespeare’s surprisingly modern romantic comedy delivers a whirlwind of romance, deception, and laugh-out-loud mischief.
World Premiere
ReCON$truXion
APRIL 23 – MAY 3, 2026
By Robert Schenkkan
Octagon Stage | Ages 14+
The unbelievable, true story of Mississippi’s first Black Speaker of the House. In the searing aftermath of the Civil War, a man born into slavery challenges the broken promises of Reconstruction. John Lynch rose to become the first Black Speaker of Mississippi’s House of Representatives, a United States Congressman, and chair of the Republican National Convention. Commissioned by Alabama Shakespeare Festival for its New Southern Canon, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (All the Way, The Kentucky Cycle) introduces us to an inspiring writer, attorney, military officer, and politician who embodied the strength and the struggles of a rapidly changing America.
Chicken and Biscuits
JUNE 4 – JUNE 21, 2026
By Douglas Lyons
Octagon Stage | Ages 12+
A hilariously dysfunctional family and a funeral you’ll never forget. Laughter and chaos collide in this uproarious Broadway comedy, as sisters Baneatta and Beverly reunite at their father’s funeral. Surrounded by their wacky relatives, the homegoing turns into a feast of family drama when a shocking revelation bursts into the room. Past wounds resurface, tempers flare, and sibling rivalry reaches a fever pitch, but this fast-paced farce ultimately dishes up a healthy serving of humor, heart, and healing.
Beautiful: the Carole King Musical
JULY 16 – AUGUST 16, 2026
Book by Douglas McGrath Words & Music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Festival Stage | Ages 14+
A smash Broadway musical packed with pop hits that defined a generation. Before she was world-renowned singer-songwriter Carole King, she was Carole Klein — a Brooklyn girl with a piano, a dream, and a sound all her own. From writing chart-toppers for music’s biggest stars to becoming one herself, Carole King’s rise to fame is as powerful as the music she created. Bursting with timeless hits, including “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Natural Woman,” “Locomotion,” and more, this high-energy musical celebration takes you from the songwriting rooms of the Brill Building to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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