September
Dance
Whim W’Him: FALL ’26
September 12–20,
Erickson Theatre Off-Broadway and Vashon Center for the Arts
One of contemporary dance company Whim W’Him’s most popular programs, the Choreographic Shindig puts the power of curation into the dancers’ hands. For the FALL ’26 show, they chose three female choreographers—Kayla Farrish, Annie Rigney, and Jessi Stegall—to create fresh works for the company. Each is new to working with Whim W’Him, and each has a unique style and approach to the art form, from Farrish’s work in dance-theater and film to Rigney’s exploration into Gaga, somatic research, and improvisation. Also working in dance-theater, Stegall is interested in questions surrounding memory, responsibility, and what bodies carry.
PNB: Serenade
September 25–October 4
McCaw Hall
The season’s opening rep, Serenade, will include the titular ballet (George Balanchine’s first piece choreographed in America), Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and the world premiere of a new work from Jessica Lang, PNB’s choreographer in residence.
Theater
BLOOD/SUCKER
Through September 20
12th Ave Arts
Washington Ensemble Theatre gets a jump on the spooky season with BLOOD/SUCKER, written by local playwright Anamaria Guerzon. A satiric horror story, the production introduces Ryan, a local high school history teacher trying to keep his students engaged during his Asian American history class. One day, they start acting strangely, thanks to something lurking in the walls. The ensuing play is a sharp commentary on the state of public education through the lens of Filipino mythology.
Courtesy of Theatre Off Jackson
Much Ado About Nothing
September 10–26
Theatre Off Jackson
It’s Shakespeare reimagined at Theatre Off Jackson, with a modernized version of the Bard’s tangled comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Adapted by and co-produced with Jo Jo Stiletto and Noveltease Theatre, the production follows drag king Benny Dick and nightclub femmecee Beatrice in post-Stonewall Seattle as they navigate queer nightlife, relationships, and social expectations.
Conscious
September 16–October 17
Taproot Theatre
Taproot Theatre presents a regional premiere with Conscious, a tale based on true events surrounding Margaret Chase Smith, a pioneering U.S. Senator from Maine who risked her career to speak out against 1950s McCarthyism—and held her party accountable on a national stage.
Courtesy of Seattle Rep
Eureka Day
September 24–November 15
Seattle Rep
At a private elementary school in Berkeley, an outbreak of mumps forces its well-meaning, if out-of-touch, board to reexamine the ultra-inclusive environment for which it’s become known. For the first time ever, the school might have to require vaccines—a move strongly opposed by many parents. Such is the start of Eureka Day, the Tony Award–winning play coming to Seattle Rep. The story descends into chaos as a school-wide town hall provokes emotions, tempers, and opposing views.
October
Dance
Men in Dance
October 2-4
Erickson Theatre Off-Broadway
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Men in Dance continues to champion male-identifying choreographers and artists, expanding to include creatives from the greater United States and abroad.
Out There, A West Coast Experimental Dance Festival
October 1-10
12th Ave Arts
The two-weekend Out There festival, presented through Velocity Dance Center, embraces new work from West Coast movement artists pushing the boundaries of traditional dance, including Seattle performers Akoiya Harris and Vlada Kremenović.
Sensorium
October 23–December 12
Base Camp Studios 2
Sensorium, an immersive dance and art installation produced by Alan O. Rogers, features a lineup with Alana O. Rogers Dance Company, TUSH, Glory Hole, Miss Texas 1988, and more. Rogers notes that the work looks at the “effect of digital saturation on our nervous systems and greater social fabric.”
Theater
Courtesy of Union Arts Center
Table 17
October 24– November 15
Union Arts Center
Who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy? Table 17, by playwright Douglas Lyons, is bringing the drama to Union Arts Center with the story of Jada and Dallas, a pair of ex-fiancés meeting at their favorite restaurant two years after the breakup. What could go wrong? It turns out, a lot. Lyons muses on the complicated dynamics of relationships, the nature of love, and what happens after things fall apart.
November
Dance
PNB: Ghost Stories
November 6-15
McCaw Hall
Ghost Stories features a haunting lineup: George Balanchine’s one-act ballet La Sonnambula, Alejandro Cerrudo’s Silent Ghost and PACOPEPEPLUTO, and a the world premiere of a piece from principal dancer Kyle Davis, created with inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.
Theater
I Am My Own Wife
November 4–22
Erickson Theatre Off-Broadway
Seattle actress Dani Davis is making her Intiman Theatre debut in the inspiring one-actor play, I Am My Own Wife. Based on the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German trans woman who survived both the Nazis and the repressive East German Communist regime, this demanding performance asks Davis to bring to life more than 40 characters—single-handedly holding the audience’s attention the entire time.
Come From Away
November 10–December 20
Village Theatre Issaquah
A hometown favorite, Come From Away (co-produced by Seattle Rep in 2015) returns to the region, landing at Village Theatre for an emotional recounting of a true story. Based on the experiences of nearly 7,000 airline passengers who were unexpectedly diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, this Tony Award–winning musical is both laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreakingly raw. In response to the influx of strangers, Gander residents open their doors, lend their clothes, and share their food in a testament to the power of empathy, compassion, and community.
The Wizard of Oz
November 27–December 27
5th Avenue Theatre
L. Frank Baum’s classic tale of self-discovery, adventure, and wonder comes alive this season with the 5th Avenue Theatre’s presentation of The Wizard of Oz. Directed by the organization’s executive and artistic director Bill Barry, this heartwarming adaptation will take audiences along with Dorothy on a magical journey to the Land of Oz and remind them that there really is no place like home—regardless of what that looks like to you.
