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ENCORE MICHIGAN


The wait is over: GODOT takes the Festival Stage at Stratford
Tom McCamus as Estragon and Paul Gross as Vladimir, Waiting for Godot. Stratford Festival 2026. Photo: Dariane Sanche. One of the most influential plays of the 20th century, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot arrives at the Festival Theatre in a highly anticipated production directed by Molly Atkinson. Taking the Festival stage for the first time in history, this strictly limited engagement stars acclaimed Canadian actors Paul Gross and Tom McCamus as Vladimir and Estragon, a
Jun 92 min read


Always a Bridesmaid rounds out Meadow Brook Theatre’s 59 th season
Laugh-out-loud comedy from the writers of The Golden Girls runs May 27 through June 21, 2026 Front Row (L to R): Kennedy Vernengo as Understudy and Cheryl Turski as Libby Ruth Ames. Second Row (L to R): Stephanie Wahl as Sedalia Ellicott, Kasie Buono Roberts as Kari Ames-Bissette, Dani Cochrane as Charlie Collins, Leslie Ann Handelman as Deedra Wingate, Milika Chereé as Monette Gentry, and Princess Beyoncé Jones as Understudy A promise made at a senior prom leads to a lifet
Jun 22 min read


Spectacular musical comedy "Something Rotten!" returns to the Festival stage
Members of the company, Something Rotten! Stratford Festival 2024. Photo: David Hou. “Nothing’s as amazing as a musical!” Following overwhelming audience demand, the Stratford Festival brings the wildly popular musical Something Rotten! back to the Festival stage. Directed and choreographed by Donna Feore and led by a beloved cast including Starr Domingue as Bea Bottom, Henry Firmston as Nigel Bottom, Jeff Lillico as Shakespeare and Mark Uhre as Nick Bottom, this exuberant mu
Jun 12 min read


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 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


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


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


West Michigan Symphony Pulls Out All the Stops for All-Star Season Finale
Muskegon, MI — West Michigan Symphony’s (WMS) 2025-2026 Mainstage Season comes to a super-sized finish with the thundering “Organ” Symphony No. 3 of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns and the rock-infused Cello Concerto of the iconoclastic Austrian Friedrich Gulda. The former will feature Muskegon’s own Peter Kurdziel at the helm of the Barton theater organ; the latter will showcase the fiery muse and formidable technique of WMS Principal Cello Igor Cetkovic. Opening the co
Apr 202 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


Dinosaurs Roar at Planet Ant Theatre
JURASSIC PARK: THE MUSICAL Roars Back to Planet Ant Theatre DETROIT, Mich. – Hold onto your butts! Jurassic Park: The Musical , the hilarious, high-energy parody of the beloved 1993 blockbuster, is roaring onto the Planet Ant Theatre stage once again after a sold-out 2025 debut. Fans of the original film — and newcomers alike — can expect chaos, dinosaurs, and show-stopping songs in this over-the-top comedic extravaganza. WHEN: April 24–26, May 1–3, May 8–9 Fridays and Sat
Apr 132 min read


Rock Rolls in at Meadow Brook Theatre with a Broadway Smash Hit
Million Dollar Quartet rocks ‘n rolls into Meadow Brook Theatre
The 1956 jam session-inspired musical runs April 22 through May 17, 2026
at Meadow Brook Theatre on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.
Apr 92 min read


Umich Grads Headline a Groundbreaking Broadway Smash with Local Company
Graduates from The University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance (SMTD) lead a new production of RENT, presented by The Encore Musical Theatre Company (April 9–May 3, 2026, in the Maas Theatre).
Apr 72 min read
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