The Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s 2026-27 Season, with the theme “Becoming,” features nine productions that examine moments of change and the question of who we are, who we are told to be, and who we choose to become.

“Theatre is, at its core, an act of becoming,” said Kirk Domer, Interim Chairperson of the Department of Theatre and Professor of Scene Design. “Students arrive as performers, artists, technicians, writers, designers, managers, educators, and researchers. During their time at MSU, they develop the skills, confidence, discipline, and imagination necessary to become professionals, collaborators, and leaders. That process of growth inspired our 2026–27 season theme: ‘Becoming’…Whether through comedy, tragedy, contemporary drama, improvisation, or new work, each production examines what it means to become.”

The 2026-27 productions explore characters who discover who they are, challenge expectations, confront impossible choices, resist pressure to conform, and imagine new futures for themselves and others.

“Theatre is uniquely suited to the exploration of change. Every production begins with possibility and ends with a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.”

Kirk Domer, Professor and Interim Chairperson of the Department of Theatre

“Theatre is uniquely suited to the exploration of change,” Domer said. “Every production begins with possibility and ends with a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Along the way, students learn the craft of theatre and the value of curiosity, collaboration, and lifelong learning. The stories in this season remind us that becoming is rarely simple, but it is always meaningful.”

The following are the productions included in the Department of Theatre’s 2026-27 Season. For more information on each production or to buy tickets, visit the Wharton Center for Performing Arts website.

Discovery: A New Musical

• Dates: Sept. 24-27, 2026
• Location: Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center

“Discovery: A New Musical,” with book and lyrics by Alex Higgin-Houser and music by Dan Gibson, tells the story of the NASA astronaut corps after the 1986 Challenger tragedy and the lead-up to the 1988 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. Following Dr. Sally Ride on her journey from iconic astronaut to queer outsider speaking truth to power, along with the NASA astronaut corps’ rocky journey back to space, “Discovery” dives deep into how catastrophe and grief can catalyze self-discovery, reinvention, and healing.

This New Musical Laboratory production is a collaboration between MSU’s Department of Theatre and Wharton Center. It offers a unique educational experience for students as they work alongside Broadway-caliber professionals.

Midnite

• Dates: Oct. 9-18, 2026
• Location: Arena Theatre, MSU Auditorium

Directed by Rob Roznowski, Professor in the Department of Theatre, “Midnite” by Reina Hardy and Rory Leahy follows a group of college film students as they venture into the woods to make an ill-advised horror movie and encounter supernatural forces of love and madness in this contemporary, dark comedy based on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

A unique mix of horror and humor, “Midnite” invites the audience into a world where reality blurs with fantasy, and the unexpected is always just around the corner. It also features sharp dialogue, modern cultural references, and a playful edge that captures the essence of youthful ambition and creativity.

Antigone

• Dates: Nov. 6-15, 2026
• Location: Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center

Directed by Ann Folino White, Associate Professor of Theatre, “Antigone” is the freely adapted version by Emily Mann of the ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles where two brothers fight for the royal kingship of Thebes. Both men die in battle and their sister, Antigone, tries to bury one brother’s corpse against the dictates of her uncle, Creon, the King of Thebes.

In this ancient story, Antigone is usually seen as the righteous heroine while Creon is the hated villain. However, this adaptation shows that Antigone’s own rigidity is an equal contributor to the story’s devastating ending.

Rhinoceros

• Dates: Nov. 18-22, 2026
• Location: Studio 60, MSU Auditorium

Co-directed by Andrew Keller and Nick Torres, “Rhinoceros” by Eugene Ionesco and translated by Derek Prouse is set in a small town besieged by one roaring citizen who becomes a rhinoceros and proceeds to trample on the social order. As more citizens become rhinoceroses, the trampling becomes overwhelming until only one sane man, Berenger, remains, refusing to surrender his identity.

“Rhinoceros” is part of the MSU Department of Theatre’s Storefront Series, which challenges students to create dynamic productions with limited resources and shorter rehearsal periods, prioritizing devising, acting, directing, and stage management.

MSU UnScripted

• Dates: Dec. 3-6, 2026
• Location: Studio 60, MSU Auditorium

Directed by Sarah Hendrickson, Academic Specialist in the Department of Theatre, “MSU UnScripted” is the annual new student showcase of improv comedy that places first-year Theatre students and transfer students in front of a live audience with no script and no rehearsed material — just quick thinking, fearless collaboration, and spontaneous comedy.

This fast-paced, high-energy night has student performers building scenes from audience suggestions where no two shows are alike. Each performance features a different cast and everything is created on the spot.

Mean Girls

• Dates: Feb. 19-28, 2027
• Location: Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium

“Mean Girls” is a musical comedy that follows teenager Cady Heron who moves from the African savanna where she was homeschooled to suburban Illinois and public high school. Co-directed by Dan Smith, Associate Professor of Theatre, and Brad Willcuts, Associate Professor of Musical Theatre and Choreography, with book by Tina Fey, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and music by Jeff Richmond.

Nothing prepares Cady for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home. To rise to the top of the popularity pecking order, she takes on “The Plastics,” a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. When Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a queen bee without getting stung.

The Wolves

• Dates: March 26-April 4, 2027
• Location: Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center

Directed by alum Dennis Corsi, who graduated from MSU with a BFA in Acting and a B.A. in Media Art and Technology in 2013, “The Wolves” is a one-act play by Sarah DeLappe that centers on the experiences of a high school girls’ indoor soccer team during their weekly pre-game warm-ups.

As they gather around in a circle for their stretching routine, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors, in a portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.

Sleeping Giant

• Dates: April 7-11, 2027
• Location: Studio 60, MSU Auditorium

Directed by Deric McNish, Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre, “Sleeping Giant” by Steve Yockey begins when a firework-filled marriage proposal goes very wrong, waking up something very old that has been sleeping in a nearby lake for thousands of years. What follows are intimate, darkly comic, and sometimes startling vignettes about the lengths people go when they desperately want something to believe in.

“Sleeping Giant” is part of the MSU Department of Theatre’s Storefront Series, which challenges students to create dynamic productions with limited resources and shorter rehearsal periods, prioritizing devising, acting, directing, and stage management.

Night, by Ghostlight

• Dates: April 23-May 2, 2027
• Location: Arena Theatre, MSU Auditorium

“Night, by Ghostlight” by Randy Jackson-Alvarenga was written for the MSU Department of Theatre’s MFA in Acting cohort and will make its world premiere at MSU. The production was developed through MSU’s Creative Catalyst Commission, a collaboration between MSU’s MFA in Acting and Design program and the MFA in Playwriting program at the University of Iowa, which brings playwrights and actors together to create new theatrical works exploring questions of social change. The three-year project began when the current MFA in Acting cohort first arrived at MSU and will culminate with this production serving as their capstone project before graduation.

Co-directed by Ji Won Jeon, Assistant Professor of Directing, and Ryan Welsh, Associate Professor of Media Acting, the world-premiere production follows a fractured theatre company that gathers for an emergency late-night rehearsal with a simple plan: fix the show before it all falls apart. But as tensions rise and the theatre’s ghosts begin to stir, the company is forced into a night none of them bargained for.
Haunting and heartfelt, “Night, by Ghostlight” explores what theatre demands of its artists and why they keep returning to the stage, night after night.

By Austin Curtis and Kim Popiolek