From the crystalline spectacle of Disney’s “Frozen” to the emotional edge of “Dear Evan Hansen,” Nashville Repertory Theatre’s 2026–2027 lineup arrives like a perfectly curated wardrobe: bold, expressive, and impossible to ignore.

If theatre is the art of transformation, Nashville Repertory Theatre is stepping into its 42nd season dressed for the occasion. The company’s newly announced 2026–2027 slate blends prestige drama, blockbuster musicality, and fresh creative energy into a season that feels both emotionally tuned-in and undeniably chic.

Leading the lineup is Disney’s “Frozen, The Broadway Musical,” the season’s crown jewel and a major marquee moment for the company. But this is far more than a one-show season. Nashville Rep has assembled a striking mix of plays, musicals, and the welcome return of the “Ingram New Works Festival”, creating a lineup that moves easily between intimate storytelling and full-scale theatrical spectacle.

The throughline is identity, belonging, and the kind of reinvention that never goes out of style. Across the season, audiences can expect stories about self-discovery, visibility, courage, and connection—subjects that feel especially resonant in a cultural moment obsessed with authenticity. As Interim Executive Director Amos Glass puts it, the season is rooted in “finding your place, both in the world around you, and within yourself,” with each production inviting audiences into questions about “identity, belonging, and the courage it takes to truly be seen.”

That sensibility also marks a new era for the company. This will be the first season under Artistic Director Jessica Francis Fichter, who was announced in December 2025 and is already signaling a vision that feels current, inclusive, and creatively alive. “Our goal is to create work that feels urgent, inclusive, and alive—productions that reflect our community while also challenging and inspiring it,” Fichter said. It’s an ethos that fits a season designed to feel both deeply personal and unmistakably event-worthy.

Running from October 2026 through June 2027, the five-part season includes “John Proctor Is the Villain,” Disney’s “Frozen, The Broadway Musical,” “Primary Trust,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” and the returning “Ingram New Works Festival.” Together, they position Nashville Rep’s 42nd season as one of reflection, reinvention, and theatrical flourish.

“John Proctor Is the Villain”
October 2 – 18, 2026

The season opens with sharp wit and sharper questions. In Kimberly Belflower’s biting dramatic comedy, directed by Lauren Shouse, a high school English class revisits The Crucible and pulls apart the mythmaking around one of literature’s most debated men. What follows is a fierce, timely reckoning with consent, credibility, and the narratives society is still too eager to protect. Smart, bold, and deeply human, “John Proctor Is the Villain” arrives with the energy of a cultural conversation piece.

Disney’s “Frozen, The Broadway Musical”
December 4 – 20, 2026

Then comes the season’s most dazzling statement piece. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, Disney’s “Frozen, The Broadway Musical” brings Elsa and Anna’s story to the stage with all the beloved songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, alongside new music written especially for the theatre. Expanded from the original film by Jennifer Lee and directed by Chris Buck, the Broadway phenomenon follows the royal sisters through icy power, hidden truths, and the healing force of love. With unforgettable favorites like “Let It Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and local direction by Jason Spelbring, this production is poised to deliver full fantasy, full feeling, and full spectacle.

“Primary Trust”
February 12 – 21, 2027

If winter belongs to spectacle, late season turns toward quiet luxury. Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Eboni Booth’s “Primary Trust” is a tender, funny, and quietly devastating portrait of what it means to begin again. Directed by Jon Royal, the play follows Kenneth, a man whose carefully structured life is disrupted by an unexpected layoff, forcing him beyond the safety of routine and into the vulnerability of real connection. It’s intimate storytelling with emotional precision—and the kind of understated depth that lingers long after the lights go down.

“Dear Evan Hansen”
April 9 – 18, 2027

Spring closes in with a title that still hits a cultural nerve. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, “Dear Evan Hansen” centers on a socially anxious teenager whose life is transformed by one devastating misunderstanding. Based on the book by Steven Levenson, with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and directed here by Jessica Francis Fichter, the show remains a piercing look at visibility, loneliness, and the cost of trying to belong in a hyperconnected world. Raw, emotional, and achingly contemporary, it’s the season’s most vulnerable fashion statement: sincerity.

“Ingram New Works Festival”
June 2027

And because the most exciting trend is always what’s next, Nashville Rep is also bringing back the “Ingram New Works Festival”. Featuring staged readings of brand-new plays with local artists, the festival grows out of the “Ingram New Works Lab,” a residency-based development program for national theatre artists creating original work. Since launching in 2010, the festival has premiered more than 70 new plays, making it one of the company’s most vital spaces for discovery, experimentation, and future classics in the making.

Since 1985, Nashville Repertory Theatre has been a defining force in Middle Tennessee theatre, creating professional productions designed, built, and rehearsed in Nashville by a community of accomplished actors, designers, directors, and technicians. The nonprofit has long balanced artistic ambition with civic impact, serving as a cultural, educational, and economic resource for the region.

Over the decades, the company has earned recognition from the Nashville Scene, The Tennessean, Nashville Business Journal, and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, reflecting a legacy of artistic excellence and longstanding community service. In other words: Nashville Rep isn’t just mounting a new season—it’s reaffirming its place as one of the city’s enduring cultural institutions.