TheatreSquared announced today the full lineup for Season 21, launching a new Family Series alongside five Main Stage Series productions.
The season opens September 9 with the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning masterwork AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES—the first time the towering American classic has been staged in Northwest Arkansas—and includes COWBOYS AND EAST INDIANS, developed at T2's 2025 Arkansas New Play Festival and recently premiered at Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
"If there's one theme that runs through our 21st season, it's that of family," said Bob Ford, Artistic Director. "Whether it's the two stories told through the eyes of teenage daughters entering young womanhood, with LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S LITTLE WOMEN and COWBOYS AND EAST INDIANS; or parents fighting valiantly to protect their children the best way they know how in EUREKA DAY; or a son's aspirations colliding head-on with a father's fears in the powerful AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES, the season explores the explosive—and explosively funny—dynamics that shape families."
Season 21 also marks TheatreSquared's return to its theatre-for-young-audiences roots with the launch of the Family Series—three productions designed to welcome kids, parents, and first-time theatre-goers. The series includes DISNEY’S NEWSIES JR. (July 2026), the return of holiday favorite EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME!) (December 2026), and A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD (April 2027).
"After 20 incredible years, TheatreSquared is what it is because of the amazing community and family that surrounds us," said Shannon A. Jones, Executive Director. "Our Season 21 lineup is a love letter to families of all kinds—the ones we're born into, or the ones we choose—and all of the incredible, complex, meaningful connections that make them special."
Credit: Wesley Hitt
MAIN STAGE SERIES
AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES Directed by Dexter J. Singleton
September 9-27, 2026
In 1950s Pittsburgh, Troy Maxson built fences to protect his family. But what happens when those walls keep dreams out? August Wilson's masterwork—winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award—is an explosively funny and heartbreaking portrait of an American family, following a former Negro League baseball star as his dreams collide with his son's aspirations.
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S LITTLE WOMEN adapted by Lauren Gunderson from the novel by Louisa May Alcott
November 18-December 13, 2026
From the playwright of I and You, The Half-Life of Marie Curie and Christmas at Pemberley, this brilliant adaptation follows the beloved March sisters as they navigate universal coming-of-age issues like sibling rivalry, ambition, and first love. This is Little Women for every generation, so gather your loved ones for a heartwarming experience this holiday season.
COWBOYS AND EAST INDIANS by Nina McConigley & Matthew Spangler
February 3-28, 2027
Following its development at TheatreSquared's Arkansas New Play Festival and subsequent premiere at Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Cowboys and East Indians returns to the community where it was born. Warm, funny, and deeply recognizable, this is a story about being caught between worlds, between generations, and between India and Wyoming.
THE 39 STEPS Adapted by Patrick Barlow, From the novel by John Buchan, From the movie by Alfred Hitchcock
April 7-25, 2027
Imagine Alfred Hitchcock directed by Monty Python—that's The 39 Steps. This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winner is a love letter to spy movies, using a ridiculously talented cast of four playing 150+ characters—heroes, villains, sheep, inanimate objects. Pure romance. Pure magic. Pure fun.
EUREKA DAY by Jonathan Spector
June 2-20, 2027
Winner of the 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, this razor-sharp satire explores what happens when five well-meaning parents try to agree on a solution that's best for everyone. Nobody's the villain. Everybody has a point. Eureka Day asks: What do we owe each other when we can't agree on the facts?
FAMILY SERIES
DISNEY’S NEWSIES JR. music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, book by Harvey Fierstein
July 17-19, 2026
When powerful people won't listen, young people find their voice. Based on the true story of the 1899 Newsboys Strike, Disney's Newsies Jr. is a high-energy musical about kids standing up, speaking out, and discovering their power to change the world.
EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME!) by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez
directed by Emily Tomlinson & Morgan Hicks
December 10-24, 2026
Back by popular demand! Tired of performing Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to take matters into their own hands—staging every Christmas story ever told. From Santa facts to international traditions to the Grinch, buckle up for an off-the-rails sleigh ride through the holidays. Family-friendly performances at 10am and 2pm; adult (18+) evening remix at 8pm.
A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD music by Robert Reale, book and lyrics by Willie Reale, based on the books by Arnold Lobel
April 23-May 2, 2027
Best friends Frog and Toad celebrate the seasons together in this charming musical. From flying kites in spring to telling stories by the fire in winter, these two friends show us that life's best moments happen when you're together—even when you're totally different. The perfect introduction to theatre for young audiences and the families who love them.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Season subscriptions are on sale for $134-$292 now at 479.777.7477 or theatre2.org/subscribe. Subscribers save up to 20% on tickets, receive unlimited free exchanges, and enjoy 20% savings at The Commons Bar/Café on show days.
ABOUT THEATRESQUARED
TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting at 477 W. Spring St in downtown Fayetteville, AR has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theater, offering more than 350 performances annually in an intimate setting. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 70 new plays. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, the Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision: that "theater—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities."
Major funding for TheatreSquared Season 21 is provided by the the Walmart Foundation; the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation; the Windgate Foundation; the Shubert Foundation; the Simmons Family Foundation; the Tyson Family Foundation; the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; Bob and Becky Alexander; Cece Box and Ric Cooper; Barbara Shadden; and Todd Simmons and Melissa Hall Simmons.
Marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 21 is provided by Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, 3W Magazine, CitiScapes, KUAF, 5NEWS, MailCo USA, iHeart Radio, NWA Daily, and ROARK.