By Jamie K. Kuser
It’s time for our annual theatre season preview. This year, we have 21 of our area theatre organizations with more than 115 different productions. Southwest Florida is set to have a wonderful season of live theatre. So, without any further delay, let’s look at the new season of theatre.
Florida Repertory Theatre’s 25th anniversary season has Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, And Then There Were None, Ripcord, On Golden Pond, Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Freud’s Last Session, The Importance of Being Earnest and Lobby Hero.
Broadway Palm’s 30th anniversary season includes Broadway Palm Thru the Decades, A Chorus Line, White Christmas, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jersey Boys, Sister Act, Footloose and The Little Mermaid.
The Broadway Series at Artis–Naples has Hadestown, Disney’s Aladdin, On Your Feet, Jesus Christ Superstar and Mean Girls.
The Naples Players will present Blithe Spirit, A Christmas Carol the musical, The Game’s Afoot, The Sound of Music, By the Way Meet Vera Stark and Southern Comforts.
In Cape Coral, Cultural Park Theater celebrates its 60th anniversary season with School of Rock the musical, The Women, Pippin, The Sound of Music, Rumors, Grease, Crimes of the Heart and Private Lives.
The Laboratory Theater of Florida season has Fairview, The Play That Goes Wrong, 24 Hour Playwriting Project, The Thanksgiving Play, Ain’t Misbehavin, Sweeney Todd and Pass Over.
In Naples, TheatreZone’s new season includes Home for the Holidays, A Little Night Music, Escape to Margaritaville, The Goodbye Girl and Rock of Ages.
The Off Broadway Palm Theatre schedule has Not Now Darling, Ha! Ha! Ho! The Holiday Show, Just Desserts, Doublewide Texas and Always a Bridesmaid.
Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples will present 26 Miles, Steel Magnolias, Mud Row, Camelot, Barefoot in the Park and Morning After Grace.
The Charlotte Players will perform The 39 Steps, Blithe Spirit, Rumors, Belles Take The Big Easy, How the Other Half Loves, Murder on the Orient Express, Loves, Lies and The Doctor’s Dilemma and Mornings at Seven.
In Bonita Springs, The Center for Performing Arts presents A Lovely Day to Kill Your Spouse, The Divine Sister, the 10-Minute Play Festival and The Odd Couple (female version).
New Phoenix Theatre in Fort Myers will stage Jekyll and Hyde the musical, Side by Side by Sondheim, The Last Schwartz and Into the Woods.
BIG ARTS on Sanibel has The World of Musicals, Pride and Prejudice and Late Night Catechism.
The FGCU Theatre Lab season includes An Enemy of the People, Antigone and Hamlet.
Theatre Conspiracy in Fort Myers presents Clown Bar, The Piano Lesson, The Parking Lot, Faceless, The Last Show and The Hatmaker’s Wife.
The Broadway Series a Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall includes Hamilton, Six the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, Pretty Woman the musical, Million Dollar Quartet and Tootsie.
On Marco, the Arts Center Theatre season has Apartment 3A, The Fantasticks, The Odd Couple female version, Plaza Suite, Hollywood Arms and The Foreigner.
Players Circle Theatre in North Fort Myers will stage Murder at the Howard Johnson’s, The Lady with All the Answers, Admissions, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, The Cocktail Hour and The Foreigner.
The Studio Players in Naples present Beer for Breakfast, Other Desert Cities, Need to Know, Saving Kitty and Murder at the Howard Johnson’s.
And finally, the Murder Mystery Train has Lady Killer, A Rocky Murder, Nutcracker’s Final Curtain and Two for Flinching.
Gulf Coast Symphony’s musical theatre season will include Snowbird Follies: a Holiday Musical, The Thing About Men, Forever Plaid, Gypsy and Nunsense.
Here’s the schedule breakdown for each theatrical venue:
Artis–Naples
239-597-1111
5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples
artisnaples.org
Hadestown
Dec. 27 – Jan. 1
Disney’s Aladdin
Jan. 17 – 22
On Your Feet
Feb. 7 – 12
Jesus Christ Superstar
March 14 – 19
Mean Girls
April 18 – 23
Arts Center Theatre
239-394-4221
1089 N Collier Blvd, Marco
marcoislandart.org
Apartment 3A
Oct. 26 – Nov. 3
The Fantasticks
Nov. 30 – Dec. 18
The Odd Couple
(female version)
Jan. 4 – 22
Plaza Suite
Feb. 8 – 26
Hollywood Arms
March 15 – April 2
The Foreigner
April 19 – May 7
Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
239-481-4849
13350 FSW Pkwy, Fort Myers
bbmannpah.com
Hamilton
Dec. 13 – 24
Six the musical
Feb. 1 – 5
Fiddler on the Roof
Feb. 14 – 19
Pretty Woman the musical
Feb. 21 – 26
Million Dollar Quartet
March 21 – 26
Tootsie
April 4 – 9
BIG ARTS
239-395-0900
2200 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel bigarts.org
The World of Musicals
Jan. 21
Pride and Prejudice
Jan. 24
Late Night Catechism
March 3
Broadway Palm
239-278-4422
1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers
broadwaypalm.com
Broadway Palm
Thru the Decades
Aug. 26 – Oct. 1
A Chorus Line
Oct. 7 – Nov. 12
White Christmas
Nov. 18 – Dec. 30
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jan. 6 – Feb. 11
Jersey Boys
Feb. 17 – April 9
Sister Act
April 14 – May 20
Footloose
May 26 – July 1
The Little Mermaid
July 7 – Aug. 12
Center for Performing Arts
239-495-8989
10150 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita
artcenterbonita.org
A Lovely Day to Kill Your Spouse
Oct. 20 – 30
The Divine Sister
March 23 – April 2
10-minute Play Festival
May 11 – 21
The Odd Couple
(female version)
July 27 – Aug. 6
Charlotte Players
941-255-1022
1182 Market Circle, Port Charlotte
charlotteplayers.org
The 39 Steps
Sept. 9 – 18
Blithe Spirit
Oct. 7 – 16
Rumors
Nov. 3 – 13
Belles Take The Big Easy
Jan. 12 – 22
How The Other Half Loves
Feb. 9 – 26
Murder on the Orient Express
March 16 – April 2
Love, Lies and The Doctor’s Dilemma
April 20 – 30
Mornings at Seven
May 12 – 21
Cultural Park Theater
239-772-5862
528 Cultural Park Blvd., Cape Coral
culturalparktheater.com
School of Rock the musical
Sept. 22 – Oct. 2
The Women
Oct. 13 – 23
Pippin
Nov. 10 – 20
The Sound of Music
Jan. 12 – 22
Rumors
Feb. 16 – 26
Grease
March 9 – 19
Crimes of the Heart
April 20 – 30
Private Lives
May 11 – 21
FGCU Theatre
Florida Gulf Coast University,
Fort Myers
239-745-4268
fgcu.edu/theatrelab
An Enemy of the People
Oct. 21 – 30
Antigone
Feb. 17 – 26
Hamlet
April 14 – 23
Florida Repertory Theatre
239-332-4488
Bay Street, Downtown Fort Myers
floridarep.org
In the Arcade Theatre
Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Oct. 28 – Nov. 13
And Then There Were None
Dec. 2 – 18
Ripcord
Jan. 13 – 29
On Golden Pond
Feb. 17 – March 5
Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash
March 24 – April 16
In the ArtStage Studio Theatre
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Sept. 23 – Oct. 30
Freud’s Last Session
Dec. 16 – Jan. 15
The Importance of Being Ernest
Feb. 3 – March 5
Lobby Hero
April 21 – May 16
Gulf Coast Symphony
239-277-1700
Fort Myers
gulfcoastsymphony.org
Snowbird Follies: A Holiday Musical
Dec. 3 – 18
The Thing About Men
Jan. 19 – Feb. 4
Forever Plaid
Feb. 15 – March 11
Gypsy
March 17 & 18
Nunsense
April 13 – 29
Gulfshore Playhouse
239-261-7529
755 8th Ave S, Naples
gulfshoreplayhouse.org
26 Miles
Oct. 15 – 30
Steel Magnolias
Nov. 12 – Dec. 4
Mud Row
Jan. 7 – 29
Camelot
Feb. 11 – March 12
Barefoot in the Park
March 25 – April 16
Morning After Grace
April 29 – May 14
Laboratory Theater of Florida
239-218-0481
1634 Woodford Ave., Fort Myers
laboratorytheaterflorida.org
Fairview
Aug. 5 – 20
The Play The Goes Wrong
Sept. 16 – Oct. 9
24 Hour Screenwriting Project
Oct. 22
The Thanksgiving Play
Nov. 4 – 20
Ain’t Misbehavin
Dec. 9 – Jan. 15
Sweeney Todd
Feb. 10 – March 11
Pass Over
March 31 – April 16
Murder Mystery Dinner Train
239-275-8487
Colonial Station, Fort Myers
semgulf.com
Lady Killer
Through Sept. 11
A Rocky Murder
Sept. 30 – Nov. 30
Nutcracker’s Final Curtain
Nov. 23 – Dec. 25
Two for Flinching
Dec. 26 - March 26
The Naples Players
239-263-7990
701 5th Ave. S, Naples
naplesplayers.org
In Blackburn Hall
Blithe Spirit
Sept. 28 – Oct. 23
A Christmas Carol the musical
Nov. 23 – Dec. 18
The Game’s Afoot
Jan. 11 – Feb. 5
The Sound of Music
March 1 – April 2
In the Tobye Studio
By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Oct. 19 – Nov. 6
Southern Comforts
Nov. 30 – Dec. 18
New Phoenix Theatre
13211 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers
239-284-5214
newphoenixtheatrefortmyers.org
Jekyll & Hyde the musical
Oct. 13 – 30
Side by Side by Sondheim
Jan. 12 – 22
The Last Schwartz
Feb. 16 – 26
Into The Woods
April 13 – 30
Off Broadway Palm
239-278-4422
1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers
broadwaypalm.com
Not Now, Darling
Sept. 22 – Nov. 5
Ha! Ha! Ho!
The Holiday Show
Nov. 10 – Dec. 25
Just Desserts
Jan. 12 – Feb. 18
Doublewide Texas
Feb. 23 – April 9
Always A Bridesmaid
April 18 – May 20
Players Circle Theater
239-800-3292, North Fort Myers
PlayersCircleTheater.com
Murder at the Howard Johnson’s
Oct. 25 – Nov. 13
The Lady with All the Answers
Nov. 29 – Dec. 18
Admissions
Jan. 3 – 22
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Feb. 7 – 26
The Cocktail Hour
March 14 – April 2
The Foreigner
April 18 – May 7
The Studio Players
239-398-9192
4701 Golden Gate Pkwy, Naples
thestudioplayers.org
Beer for Breakfast
Sept. 23 – Oct. 9
Other Desert Cities
Nov. 25 – Dec. 18
Need to Know
Jan. 20 – Feb. 5
Saving Kitty
March 10 – 26
Murder at the Howard Johnson’s
May 19 – June 4
Theatre Conspiracy
239-939-2787
10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers
artinlee.org
Clown Bar
Aug. 18 – 28
The Piano Lesson
Oct. 20 – 29
The Parking Lot
Dec. 8 – 18
Faceless
Jan. 19 – 29
The Last Show
Feb. 16 – 26
The Hatmaker’s Wife
March 16 – 26
TheatreZone
1-888-966-3352
13275 Livingston Road, Naples
www.theatre.zone
Home for the Holidays
Dec. 9 – 11
A Little Night Music
Jan. 12 – 22
Escape to Margaritaville
Feb. 9 – 19
The Goodbye Girl
March 9 – 19
Rock of Ages
April 27 – May 7
