A.R.T. announces 2025/26 season programming

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, led by Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Director Kelvin Dinkins Jr., announced Thursday its 2025/26 Season programming.

In Cambridge, A.R.T. will begin its subscription season Sept. 2 at the Loeb Drama Center with “Passengers,” a thrilling theatrical journey that showcases cirque, music, dance, and superhuman skills to explore travel as a metaphor for life’s ever-changing landscape. Running through Sept. 26 and directed by Shana Carroll, “Passengers” is created by The Seven Fingers collective, the artistic home of the circus choreographer for A.R.T.’s 2012 Tony Award-winning production of “Pippin.”

Starting Oct. 1 at Harvard’s Farkas Hall, A.R.T. will present Sam Kissajukian’s wildly original, Drama Desk Award-nominated solo show “300 Paintings.” An autobiographical exploration of the ties between art, mental health, and creativity, this deeply personal gallery talk-meets-stand-up performance will run through Oct. 19. 

Beginning Dec. 9 at the Loeb Drama Center, A.R.T. will produce the world premiere of “Wonder.” This adaptation of R.J. Palacio’s New York Times bestseller and the acclaimed film of the same name from Lionsgate and Mandeville in development at A.R.T. follows Auggie Pullman, a middle schooler with a facial difference, and his family as they navigate what it means to belong. Celebrating empathy, resilience, and the power of choosing kindness, this new musical for the entire family is currently scheduled to run through Jan. 25, 2026.

“Wonder” features music by A Great Big World (“Say Something,” “This Is the New Year”), comprised of the Grammy Award-winning duo Ian Axel and Chad King,  and a book by MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl (“Eurydice”; “The Clean House”; “Smile, a memoir”) with direction by Taibi Magar (“Night Side Songs”; “The Half-God of Rainfall”; “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992”; “Macbeth In Stride”; “We Live in Cairo” at A.R.T.), choreography by Katie Spelman (“The Hypocrites’ The Mikado” and “Pirates of Penzance” at A.R.T., “The Notebook”), and  music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo (“Real Women Have Curves,” “1776,” “Waitress,” and “Pippin” at A.R.T. and on Broadway).

Beginning May 26, 2026 at the Loeb Drama Center, A.R.T. will produce “Black Swan,” a world-premiere musical. This A.R.T.-developed adaptation of the 2010 Academy Award-nominated psychological thriller explores ambition, rivalry, and the cost of perfection. “Black Swan” will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh (“Gatsby” at A.R.T., “Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway”) with music supervision and direction by Or Matias (“Moby-Dick,” “The Great Comet”). It features a book by Guggenheim Fellow Jen Silverman (“The Roommate,” “Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties”) and a score by Obie Award winner Dave Malloy (“Moby-Dick,” “The Great Comet,” “Beowulf,” “Ghost Quartet,” “Three Pianos”), and is based on the Searchlight Pictures film “Black Swan,” story by Andres Heinz. “Black Swan” is currently scheduled to run through June 28, 2026.

“A.R.T.’s 2025/26 Season is a testament to the power of theater as a live even — from the thrilling physicality and choreography of ‘Passengers’ and ‘Black Swan’ to the intimate performance of ‘300 Paintings,’ to the deeply inspiring and heartfelt experience of the new musical ‘Wonder,’” said Paulus. “Exploring themes of ambition, empathy, transformation and discovery, these shows all grapple with what it means to be human.”

A.R.T. productions will also continue to be seen beyond its Harvard University headquarters.

The theater’s Tony Award-nominated production of “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” continues its critically acclaimed run at the James Earl Jones Theater on Broadway. Beginning in fall 2025, Paulus will direct the US concert tour of “Dear Everything,” which was commissioned and developed by A.R.T. and premiered in concert form as “Wild A Musical Becoming” at the Loeb Drama Center in December 2021. In January 2026, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will premiere “All Is But Fantasy” an A.R.T. commission written and composed by award-winning artist Whitney White. A.R.T. commissioned “All Is But Fantasy” in 2021 in conjunction with producing the world premiere of “Macbeth In Stride,” Lady Macbeth’s story. In February 2026, Lincoln Center Theater will produce the Off-Broadway premiere of “Night Side Songs” by the Lazours (Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour), which was commissioned by A.R.T. and received its world premiere production from A.R.T. and Philadelphia Theatre Company in spring 2025.