Signature Theatre's 2025-2026 season in Arlington, Virginia, will launch August 12-October 5 in the MAX Theatre with the 1997 Broadway musical Play On!
The musical comedy, based on Shakespeare鈥檚 Twelfth Night, was conceived by Sheldon Epps and features a book by Cheryl L. West. Lili-Anne Brown will direct the musical, which boasts a mix of Duke Ellington鈥檚 timeless classics, including 鈥淭ake the 鈥楢鈥� Train,鈥� 鈥淢ood Indigo,鈥� 鈥淚 Got it Bad and That
Ain鈥檛 Good,鈥� and 鈥淚t Don鈥檛 Mean a Thing."
Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner will subsequently direct the D.C.-area premiere of Miriam Battye鈥檚 Strategic Love Play. Running in the ARK Theatre September 23鈥揘ovember 9, the not-quite-romantic comedy spotlights the absurdity of modern dating.
Joe Calarco鈥檚 reimagined production of the 1965 Tony winner for Best Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, will play the MAX beginning November 4. Based on the stories of Sholem Aleichem with a book by Joseph Stein and a score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Signature audiences will be able to visit Anatevka through January 25, 2026.
Up next in the ARK will be the American premiere of In Clay, a new musical based on the overlooked 20th century female artist Marie-Berthe Cazin. With a book and lyrics by Rebecca Simmonds and music and lyrics by Jack Miles, performances are scheduled for December 9, 2025-February 1, 2026.
Safety Not Guaranteed, a new indie-rock musical based on Derek Connolly's film of the same name, will play the ARK March 3-April 12. Penned by Guster鈥檚 Ryan Miller and Nick Blaemire, the musical follows ambitious journalist Darius, who sets out on an expedition to find the writer of a classified ad about time travel. An Off-Broadway premiere played Brooklyn Academy of Music last year.
Artistic Director Gardiner will also direct Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson's Tony-nominated Pippin, which will play the MAX May 12鈥揓uly 26. The upcoming season will close with the D.C.-area premiere of Shayan Lotfi鈥檚 What Became of Us, running June 16鈥揓uly 26 in the ARK. Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard will helm the play about two siblings maintaining connection over the course of a lifetime.
Titles in the Cabaret Series include Sailing: Yacht Rock (July 22鈥揂ugust 10) with Deimoni Brewington and Tracy Lynn Olivera; I鈥檓 Here: Black Broadway (February 24鈥揗arch 15, 2026) with Awa Sal Secka; I Put a Spell on You: Nina Simone (March 31鈥揂pril 19) with Felicia Curry; and Get Down Tonight: Classic Funk (May 5鈥�17) with Isaac 鈥淒eacon Izzy鈥� Bell.
鈥淲ith our 36th Season, Signature continues to champion new voices while reinventing beloved musicals鈥e are excited to share an eclectic mix of plays and musicals that speak to the moment, celebrate bold storytelling and invite audiences into fresh, unforgettable theatrical experiences,鈥� said Artistic Director Gardiner in a statement.
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