The Elizabethan Theatre will again offer three plays in repertory

By Jim Flint for Ashland.news

From enchanted forests and 9/11 airport runways to Pittsburgh backyards and Shakespearean battlegrounds, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s newly announced 2026 season delivers 10 powerful productions that span centuries and genres. Each explores what it means to rise, connect and move forward in uncertain times.

Three Shakespeare classics, a musical, Jane Austen, August Wilson, urgent new works and the return of Rodney Gardiner’s “Smote This” highlight a lineup built on resilience, reflection and joy.

“Our 2026 season reminds us that theater is a place where we come together to reflect, to celebrate and to find courage,” said OSF Artistic Director Tim Bond.

“These plays center characters who are asked to rise — sometimes for themselves, sometimes for others — and who discover that the path forward is rarely walked alone,” he said. “It’s a season for audiences to see the possibility of what happens when we meet the moment.”

At the Bowmer

Opening the 2026 season is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Shakespeare’s beloved comedy of entanglement, enchantment, and romantic folly. Directed by Marcela Lorca, this fresh production promises to reimagine the Bard’s sylvan dreamscape with original music by Justin Huertas. Four young lovers chase liberty and affection through a world where reality slips and slides. The play reminds audiences that the path to love — like identity itself — is rarely linear.

Moving from ancient Athens to modern Newfoundland, the stage shifts to “Come From Away.” The musical from Irene Sankoff and David Hein has proved an international sensation. Directed by Laurie Woolery, the story recounts true events of 9/11, when 7,000 stranded passengers found unexpected refuge in the small Canadian town of Gander.

OSF will be performing the musical with full orchestration. Bond noted that OSF strives to include a musical each season.

“That said, we’re not just checking boxes,” he said. “Whether it’s a musical, an August Wilson play or a new work, we’re always looking for the right mix of stories — ones that are in conversation with each other, that showcase the depth of our acting company.”

The spring also marks the return of a landmark of American drama: “A Raisin in the Sun.” Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking work portrays a Black family navigating generational dreams and systemic barriers on Chicago’s South Side. Directed by Bond, this revival arrives with heightened urgency. Hansberry’s play interrogates equity, ambition and the American promise in a time of renewed national reckoning.

“I’m excited to direct what is arguably one of the greatest American dramas ever written,” Bond said. “It’s powerful, it’s poignant and it speaks to people of all ages. I can’t wait to see what our phenomenal acting company brings to this piece.” 

Completing the Bowmer lineup is “Yellow Face,” David Henry Hwang’s audacious and irreverent exploration of identity politics and theatrical representation. Under the direction of May Adrales, the semi-autobiographical satire peels back the layers of public persona and private contradiction with sharp wit and self-aware humor.

In the Thomas

OSF’s Thomas Theatre opens with a bang — and an invitation to the apocalypse: “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World.” A new work by Keiko Green, directed by Zi Alikhan, the play brings climate dread, terminal illness and familial dysfunction into sharp, comedic focus.

Next, OSF continues its commitment to August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with “King Hedley II,” directed by Bond. Set in 1985 Pittsburgh, the play follows a man determined to reclaim his future in a world stacked against him.

“We still have a couple more of his brilliant stories to tell,” Bond said. “His plays speak to the heart of the American experience, and they deserve a lasting place on our stages.”

Completing the Thomas lineup is the triumphant return of “Smote This, a Comedy About God … and Other Serious $H*T.” OSF veteran Rodney Gardiner created and performs the play, directed by Raz Golden. A breakout solo show blending biting wit and heartfelt storytelling, Gardiner’s piece takes audiences on a personal journey through faith, identity and life as an undocumented teenager in 1980s Miami.

“Back from our 2024 season with a few updates, this piece struck a real chord with audiences,” Bond said. “Rodney is such a singular talent. We’re thrilled to bring it back later in the season this time around so audiences who missed it the first time have another chance to catch it.”

Under the stars

For the first time since 2019, OSF’s Allen Elizabethan Theatre will host three productions in rotating repertory. This marks a long-awaited return to tradition that celebrates the scale, spirit and spectacle of outdoor theater.

Leading the charge is “The Taming of the Shrew,” directed by Shana Cooper. OSF promises a bold and brisk staging of Shakespeare’s controversial comedy, reimagined through a contemporary lens and probing power, gender and social expectation with heat and humor.

Joining it in the repertory is “Henry IV, Part One,” helmed by OSF associate artistic director Rosa Joshi. With its sweeping arcs of rebellion and redemption, the play charts the coming-of-age of Prince Hal amid political upheaval and paternal expectation.

Rounding out the lineup under the stars is “Emma,” Kate Hamill’s vivacious adaptation of the Jane Austen classic. Directed by Meredith McDonough, this version bursts with wit, charm and romantic detours. It invites audiences to experience the beloved matchmaker’s journey of self-discovery anew.

“I’m thrilled to share this remarkable season with our audiences,” Bond said. “These are the kinds of stories we yearn for — in our communities, our country, and our world.”

The 2026 season will run from March 13 through Oct. 25. Tickets will go on sale in late November, with early access available for OSF members.

The full season calendar, casting, and additional production details will be announced this fall. For more information, visit osfashland.org.

Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at jimflint.ashland@yahoo.com.