London’s Grand Theatre announces 2026-27 season
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of the Grand Theatre.
A Dolly Parton musical and the Canadian premiere of a drama by Matthew López are among the productions in the Grand Theatre’s 2026-27 season, announced this morning.
Based in London, Ontario, the Grand will present four plays and two musicals, along with five symphonic rock concerts and a new live comedy series.
Time is the guiding theme of this 125th anniversary season. “One of the joys of the theatre is its ability to play with time,” explained artistic director Rachel Peake in a press release. “Every one of our London-made productions is undeniably a race to opening night. But also, the stories told on stage give audiences the unique opportunity to stop the clock on certain moments, sprint through others, and to sit… within the present.”
“Through the course of the Grand’s 2026-27 season, audiences will visit 1640, 1897, the late 1940s, 1959, 1979, and even travel forward to the spring of 2035!” she continued. “They will cheer on our heroes as they run out the clock, make up for lost time, and evaluate their legacy. But they will also observe forces (some ominous, and some… very, very, sexy) that defy the limits of time itself.”
The full-scale productions that make up the Grand’s 2026-27 lineup are listed below.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen
Directed by Krista Jackson
October 20 to November 7, 2026
In this campy parody that played off-Broadway, a meek British realtor takes on a new and mysterious client, who happens to be a bloodthirsty monster.
A Christmas Carol
Adapted by David van Belle
Directed by Rachel Peake
Music directed by Stephen Ingram
Choreographed by Genny Sermonia
November 24 to December 27, 2026
Scrooge and the Cratchit family star in a holiday musical spectacular featuring Dickens’ familiar story — now in a new Canadian adaptation set at a 1940s department store.
cicadas
A revival of the NAC English Theatre and Tarragon Theatre co-production
Created by David Yee and Chris Thornborrow
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino
January 19 to February 6, 2027
This eco-thriller features a live orchestra and is set in 2035, when an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a young girl turns up an old, mysterious house that seems to be sinking into the earth.
Somewhere
Written by Matthew López
Directed by Carmen Aguirre
Choreographed by Genny Sermonia
February 23 to March 13, 2027
It’s 1959 and West Side Story is all anyone’s talking about. While her family’s neighbourhood grapples with a coming eviction, Inez Candelaria works as an usher on Broadway, but hopes that her talented and dance-obsessed children will find fame on the other side of the footlights.
Cyrano de Bergerac
In partnership with the Citadel Theatre and Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
Adapted by Jessy Ardern
Directed by Amanda Goldberg
March 30 to April 17, 2027
Written in rhyming couplets and brimming with duels and repartee, Jessy Ardern’s adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic French romance has us rooting once again for the noble Cyrano.
9 to 5
Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton
Book by Patricia Resnick
Directed by Rachel Peake
Music directed by Alexandra Kane
Choreographed by Allison Plamondon
May 4 to 22, 2027
In this musical adaption of the 1980 film, working for a living feels a lot like a rich man’s game, and it’s hard not to think about how good it would feel to get back at the boss — especially when he passes you over for promotion, again.
For more information, including details about the Grand’s concert series, visit the company’s website, where subscriptions are now on sale.
The Grand Theatre is an Intermission partner. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
Liam Donovan
Liam is Intermission’s senior editor. He lives in Toronto. His Substack newsletter is available at loamdonovan.substack.com.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Tracey Nepinak and Teneil Whiskeyjack in 'Strife.' Photo by Jae Yang.
REVIEW: Punctuate! Theatre’s Strife opens up perspectives on grief, activism, and the oil industry
Playwright Matthew MacKenzie and director Yvette Nolan have crafted a drama in which every character is worth hearing. What follows is my attempt to listen — perspective by perspective.
iPhoto caption: Shira Leuchter in 'The Haunting' at Tarragon's Greenhouse Festival in 2024. Photo by Matt Hertendy.
REVIEW: One-on-one play considers the hidden meanings behind ghost stories
Shira Leuchter’s The Haunting feels less like attending a seance and more like flipping through the encyclopedia of a self.
iPhoto caption: Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova in 'First Métis Man of Odesa' at Soulpepper Theatre in 2024. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
Theatre Calgary unveils 2026-27 season
Theatre Calgary has announced its 2026-27 lineup, including new productions of the musical Little Shop of Horrors and Sam Shepard’s drama True West.
iPhoto caption: Tara Sky and Emily Anne Corcoran in 'Julie.' Photo by Sandro Pehar.
REVIEW: Eros overpowers logos in Icarus Theatre’s Julie
Director Jordan Laffrenier focuses on atmosphere, delivering a heightened production that takes more from 1990s erotic thrillers than it does from naturalistic tragedy.
iPhoto caption: Photo Tarragon Theatre by Teagan McCanny.
Tarragon Theatre reveals premiere-packed 55th anniversary season, including return of Yaga and MONKS
Tarragon Theatre’s 2026-27 season features world premieres by Anahita Dehbonehie, Katherine Gauthier, Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho), and Luke Reece, plus four other Canadian works.
iPhoto caption: 'Une Traversée' puppet design by Natacha Belova et Tita Iacobelli. Photo by Pierre-Yves Jortay.
REVIEW: Montreal in March? Bring on the puppets.
The 21st annual Festival International de Casteliers featured an energizing series of Quebecois and European productions that took the medium of puppetry in surprising directions.
Comments