Eastern announces 2026-27 mainstage theatre season

4 shows celebrate 10th anniversary of Fine Arts Instructional Center

Willimantic, CT (09/15/2026) — Eastern Connecticut State University has announced its 2026-27 Mainstage Season, featuring four productions that span comedy, movement, political drama, and musical theatre. Tickets for all four productions are now on sale.

Presented by Eastern's Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre (CFT), the season also celebrates the 10th anniversary of Eastern's Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC), which has served as a hub for the University's theatre, music, and visual arts programs since opening in 2016.

Individual tickets are available, as are full-season bundle tickets, which provide admission to all four productions at a savings of up to 15% as compared to purchasing individual tickets.

Tickets and bundle: https://easternct.showare.com/ListingPage.asp?lpid=104

Fall 2026 mainstage shows:

"Moonchildren"

The season opens with "Moonchildren," a comedy set against the backdrop of the tumultuous late 1960s. Set in a college student apartment, the play follows a group of roommates as they confront uncertain futures, changing social norms, activism, and questions of personal responsibility in a nation embroiled in the Vietnam War.

The production explores the hopes, anxieties, and contradictions of a generation coming of age during a period of profound cultural change.

"Syzygy"

"Syzygy" is a collaborative movement and sound project featuring the work of CFT and Music Department faculty members Alycia Bright Holland and Okon Hwang, along with Eastern alumni choreographers Charliece Salters, Shatima Cruz, Zoe Czerenda, Cayanne McNeil, and Zolah Daley.

The production brings together artists from across Eastern's creative community to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Fine Arts Instructional Center through an exploration of movement, sound, and collaboration.

Spring 2027 mainstage shows:

"1984"

Eastern brings George Orwell's "1984" to the stage in an immersive production of the landmark dystopian novel.

In a not-too-distant future, the government broadcasts propaganda into citizens' homes and monitors their every move. Winston Smith commits the ultimate offense - "thought crime" - setting him on a dangerous path against a totalitarian system built on surveillance, misinformation, and control.

"Peter and the Starcatcher"

The season concludes with the Tony Award-winning "Peter and the Starcatcher," a wildly theatrical reimagining of the story behind "Peter Pan."

Featuring pirates, jungle tyrants, unlikely heroes, and a young orphan destined to become Peter Pan, the production explores friendship, duty, love, greed, and adventure with imaginative staging and playful theatricality.

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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