THE OFF BROADWAY PLAYERS ANNOUNCE 2026 SEASON
by Michael Strawderman
While another successful season has come to a close, The Off Broadway Players are already looking ahead to next year with the recent announcement of upcoming theatrical productions for their 2026 Season.
To kick off their season, The Off Broadway Players’ will be hitting the road with their first-ever touring production, Tuesdays with Morrie. Directed by Terri Hoover and based on the award-winning book by Mitch Albom, this full-length drama is the autobiographical story of the author and his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz. Driven solely by his career, Mitch happens to catch Morrie’s appearance on a television show news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie, and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life. Tuesdays with Morrie will be performed at Court Square Theater (Harrisonburg) on May 20 & 21 @ 7:30 p.m. and March 22 @ 3 p.m. The following weekend, it will be performed at The Sipe Center (Bridgewater) on March 27 & 28 @ 7:30 p.m. and March 29 @ 3 p.m. *Please note that advance tickets will not be sold through The Off Broadway Players’ website, but instead through the respective venues’ websites. Tickets may also be purchased at the door at both venues.
After touring with Tuesdays with Morrie, The Off Broadway Players will return to their home stage for the remainder of the season, starting with Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood. Written by Ken Ludwig and directed by Jeff Obenshain, it’s a full-length rip-roaring adventure about, of course, the legendary Robin Hood. As the story begins, Robin Hood is a young man who believes in nothing but a good time, but quickly comes face to face with the kind of greed and inhumanity that won’t let him sleep at night. In response, he becomes an outlaw hiding in Sherwood Forest where he joins up with a band of followers including Little John, Friar Tuck, and a feisty adventuress, Maid Marian, who steals his heart and won’t give it back. This classic story of courage is based on the English ballads of the 14th and 15th centuries and is filled with thrills, romance, and a deep belief in social justice. Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, will be performed on April 24 & 25 and May 1 & 2 @ 7 p.m. and on April 26 & May 3 @ 3 p.m. at J. Frank Hillyard Middle School.
Continuing upon a new tradition of seasonal musical productions, The Off Broadway Players will present Once Upon A Mattress* (*pending licensing approval), a musical comedy based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea, during the summer. Set in a far-off place many moons ago, Queen Aggravain decrees that no couples can marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, finds a bride. Princesses come from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none can pass the impossible tests given to them by the Queen. That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, shows up. Will she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larken and Sire Harry to the altar? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, written by Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer, and directed by James Kiser, Once Upon A Mattress is, by turns
hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, and a rollicking spin on a classic tale that provides side-splitting shenanigans. Once Upon A Mattress will be performed on July 24, 25, 31, and August 1 @ 7 p.m. and July 26 and August 2 @ 3 p.m. at J. Frank Hillyard Middle School.
Rounding out the 2026 Season will be the full-length comedy adaptation of O.Henry’s classic, The Ransom of Red Chief. Adapted for the stage by Anne Coulter Martens and directed by Michael Strawderman, the story follows the misadventures of two inept crooks, Bill and Sam, who make the mistake of kidnapping a brat known as “Red.” Brought up by a skinflint uncle and mean housekeeper, Red gladly leaves with the two strangers. Little do the kidnappers realize however, that it will be their last moment of peace. Red – or “Red Chief”, as he prefers to be called – considers the kidnappers as his two full-time playmates. While Bill sets about collecting the ransom, Sam must keep Red Chief entertained. But when Sam makes the mistake of getting Red mad, he must face the wrath of Red Chief’s vengeance. In classic O. Henry style, the surprise ending of the show convinces the hapless criminals that crime truly doesn’t pay. The Ransom of Red Chief will be performed on November 13, 14, 20, & 21 @ 7 p.m. and November 15 & 22 @ 3 p.m. at J. Frank Hillyard Middle School.
The Off Broadway Players thanks all who supported them during their 2025 Season and looks forward to providing Broadway and its surrounding communities with another exciting year of theatrical performances and opportunities in 2026. Whether it be to purchase advance tickets (for Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Once Upon A Mattress, and The Ransom of Red Chief) or to learn about how you can get involved onstage or behind the scenes in any of our productions, be sure to visit The Off Broadway Players website at www.offbroadwayplayersva.org.
