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ENCORE MICHIGAN


World Premiere Hits the Stage at Detroit Repertory Theatre
SPIT IN YOUR FACE Opens Friday, May 8 The Detroit Repertory Theatre closes out its 69th Season with the World Premiere of Spit in Your Face by Paul Heller and Alberto Lomnitz. The production opens on Friday, May 29, 2026 at 8pm, with a Champagne Afterglow, and runs through June 28, 2026, with four shows weekly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Spit in Your Face is a bombastic new work that is a hilarious look at modern politics and absurd theatre. When an idealistic America
May 262 min read


An Arthur Miller's Classic at the Stratford Festival This Summer
Death of a Salesman Opens May 28 Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize–winning classic Death of a Salesman takes the stage at the Stratford Festival, immersing audiences into the fragile, deeply human world of Willy Loman. Directed by Dean Gabourie and starring Tom McCamus as Willy alongside Lucy Peacock as Linda Loman, the production remains one of theatre’s most piercing explorations of ambition, identity and the cost of the American dream. In this searing portrait, an aging sa
May 142 min read


Fairy tales told. Lessons learned. Magic and music at Farmers Alley
(Kalamazoo, MI) Farmers Alley Theatre is set to produce an enchanting small-cast version of INTO THE WOODS by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, running May 28th-June 14th. It’s the stories you know, with the music you love, told in magical and inventive ways.
May 134 min read


Satire Takes Center Stage at Planet Ant with FRAT RAT
Planet Ant invites audiences to experience an immersive and silly theatrical event with FRAT RAT, an original satirical one act, written and directed by Helen Rose Consiglio III. Running May 29th–June 13th at the Planet Ant Black Box, the show explores what happens when a poorly behaved co-ed fraternity has to successfully elect their next chapter president and avoid being banned from campus…forever!
May 122 min read


A Juneteenth Presentation of the Opera TANGLED ROOTS at the Festival Playhouse
Kalamazoo, Michigan — The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, Face Off Theatre Company and Authentic Opera Company announce the Juneteenth performance of Tangled Roots, an opera in one act with music composed and arranged by Rufus Ferguson, Jordan Hamilton and Carmen Bell. This marks the first time the work will be presented at The Festival Playhouse. Tangled Roots draws from Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers Project, 1936 to 1938, using first
May 72 min read


A Tom Petty Tribute at Tibbits Opera House
Tibbits Opera House welcomes The Insiders: A Tribute to Tom Petty for a concert on Thursday, July 2 at 7:30 pm. COLDWATER – Get ready to run down the dream! Experience the sound, the soul and the songs that shaped a generation when The Insiders: A Tribute to Tom Petty come to Tibbits Opera House on Thursday, July 2 at 7:30 pm! Close your eyes and you won’t know the difference. Open them and you still might be fooled! The Insiders bring the ultimate Heartbreakers tribute to li
May 62 min read


A Storm Unleashed: THE TEMPEST at the Stratford Festival
Ashley Dingwell as Miranda, Marissa Orjalo as Ariel, Dakota Jamal Wellman as Ferdinand and Geraint Wyn Davies as Prospero, The Tempest. Stratford Festival 2026. Photo: Dariane Sanche. A theatrical event of rare scale and emotional resonance has arrived. The Tempest, directed by Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino in his final Shakespeare production before concluding his tenure at the end of the 2026 season, is now on stage at the Stratford Festival, captivating audiences with i
May 52 min read


Laugh Along with the Homicidal Hilarity of A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER at Avon Players
Avon Players’ 79 th season ends with the knock-‘em-dead, uproarious hit musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, running May 22-June 6.
May 52 min read


Broad British Comedy Bounds into Open Book Theatre
Lettice and Lovage Opens May 8 at The Open Book Theatre Company Kez Settle (left) as Lotte Schoen and Wendy Katz Hiller (Right) as Lettice Douffet. Photo by Jan Cartwright All Photos by Jan Cartwright TRENTON, MI – History is about to get a dramatic makeover at Open Book Theatre Company (OBTC). From May 8 to 31, 2026, OBTC presents Lettice and Lovage, the witty and heartwarming comedy by Peter Shaffer, the legendary playwright behind Amadeus and Equus. Lettice and Lovage fo
Apr 293 min read


An Intimate Epic Takes Stage at The Ringwald
Cider House Rules, a two-part play, opens May 15 Josiah Martelle (left), Rashna “Rashi” Sarwar (center), and Nick Easterling (right). Photo by Joe Plambeck FERNDALE, MI - April 27, 2026 – The Ringwald Theatre is thrilled to present their next production, the epic, two-part play The Cider House Rules. Based on John Irving’s beloved, bestselling novel, The Cider House Rules is an epic examination of family, reproductive rights, and what it means to call a place home The play
Apr 282 min read


British Artist Labrinth to Present "Undoing Tour" at Detroit Opera
DETROIT, April 23, 2026 –Detroit Opera House will present Labrinth on September 3, 2026, as the final stop of his seven-city U.S. tour entitled Undoing Tour Presented by the cosmic opera. This special orchestra performance will feature Labrinth performing his acclaimed catalog and new material from Cosmic Opera Act II alongside the Detroit Opera Orchestra. Blending cinematic composition, emotional storytelling, and live symphonic production, this unique concert experience bri
Apr 282 min read


All Bets Are On: GUYS AND DOLLS Launches at the Stratford Festival
Place your bets and roll the dice! From the electric streets of New York City to the sultry rhythms of Havana, the Stratford Festival ignites its 2026 season with the irresistible musical Guys and Dolls.
Apr 272 min read


The Rundown | April 23, 2026 - Now Playing!
Welcome to THE RUNDOWN, a quick hit highlight of the plays, musicals, concerts, and cabarets now playing on stages in Michigan. This week's Rundown is JAM PACKED with new plays, musicals, film screenings, and concerts. And, as always, we have discounts available ONLY to Encore Subscribers! Come on now, you know what we're gonna say,.. Get On Up and Go See A Show! I Have Often Walked, Down This Street Before. But The Pavement Always Stayed Beneath My Feet Before. PLACES PLEA
Apr 2314 min read


Stratford Says Goodbye to Legendary Artistic Director with an Intimate Documentary Film
This Above All: The Theatrical Life of Antoni Cimolino celebrates the Outgoing Artistic Director The Stratford Festival is delighted to announce that This Above All: The Theatrical Life of Antoni Cimolino, a film by Melbar Entertainment Group, will make its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival this month. Directed by Barry Avrich and produced by Mark Selby, the documentary follows Antoni Cimolino as he prepares for his final season a
Apr 222 min read


An Historic Operetta Debuts in an Historic Local Venue
The How Well We Live Foundation, in association with SLK Media Group, and in cooperation with the Livingston Arts Council, will present one of opera’s most beloved comic works, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at The Howell Opera House.
Apr 223 min read


A New Cabaret Series Comes to Detroit, Celebrating Local Artist & Music
Two Detroit-based arts organizations are joining forces to spotlight local talent and expand access to live performances with the launch of a new series, Cabaret in Conversation. The inaugural event, My Voice, My City, will take place on Friday, May 8 at 7:00 PM at Wildemere Bar in Detroit.
Apr 212 min read


The Poignant PLAYHOUSE CREATURES to Tour West Michigan
he West Michigan-based Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company will present April De Angelis’ Playhouse Creatures at three different Michigan venues from May 1-May 22, 2026. The production is directed by Kristina McCloskey. The play portrays a time period shortly after King Charles II of England decreed that female roles in plays should be played by women.
Apr 201 min read


Chamber Music at the Scarab Club Continues its 27th Season: Opera Winds & Strings
Chamber Music at the Scarab Club is thrilled to present the next concert of its 27th season on Sunday, May 3rd, from 3-5 p.m. in the main gallery of The Scarab Club, Detroit. This concert features wind and string players who are members of the Detroit Opera Orchestra, performing an exciting program that includes works with a connection to the amazing world of opera!
Apr 162 min read


One Love Story, Three Possibilities
The Last Wide Open Debuts at Theatre NOVA ANN ARBOR, MI -- What if love isn’t about destiny—but timing? Theatre NOVA, Ann Arbor’s resident nonprofit professional theatre specializing in new plays, presents the Michigan premiere of The Last Wide Open by Audrey Cefaly, a tender, time-bending romance unfolding across parallel possibilities. The production runs May 22 – June 14, 2026. Across three brief acts, the lives of weary waitress Lina and immigrant dishwasher Mikołaj inter
Apr 153 min read


Tibbits Opera House to Screen “Wicked: For Good” as Part of Tibbits Film Series
COLDWATER – Grab your broomstick or wand and come to Tibbits Opera House on Saturday, April 25 for the theatre’s special screening of Wicked: For Good as part of the Tibbits Film Series. In addition to the screening, moviegoers are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite character to the Ozdust Ballroom before the film at 5:30pm, where concessions and a cash bar will be available. The movie begins at 6pm. The untold story of the witches of Oz concludes in this adaptati
Apr 131 min read
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