Hits That Hit Home: Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2026 Season
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Propelled by the momentum of a successful 2025 and fueled by a staff brimming with creative energy and excitement, Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2026 season promises to stir memories, ignite delight, and linger in our hearts long after the curtain falls.
The 2026 lineup is built around familiar titles, iconic music, and stories that have lived on movie screens, music players, and bookshelves for decades. But at Flat Rock Playhouse, these beloved works are not simply revisited. They are reimagined - shaped specifically for this moment, and most importantly, for the Playhouse audience.
At its heart, the FRP’s 2026 season is about connection. It is a year the theater will celebrate love, resilience, friendship, and community, presented with the artistry that has defined Flat Rock Playhouse for generations.
Listening to the Applause
Producing Artistic Director Lisa Bryant
Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2026 season is, in many ways, the result of a conversation with its audience. Every three years, the Playhouse surveys its patrons, and Producing Artistic Director Lisa Bryant says those responses were central to shaping this lineup. “We really listen to what our audience wants,” Lisa says. “We try to deliver seasons based on that feedback.”
That input is evident throughout the season. The three major musicals — Footloose, Rent, and Sister Act — all ranked in the Top Ten of the most recent survey. Audience enthusiasm has guided major successes in recent years as well, helping bring West Side Story, Jersey Boys, and Beautiful to the Rock - each of them a resounding favorite.
Complementing the musicals are Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, a Top Three pick in the survey, and a lively stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which also earned strong support from patrons.
The season culminates with two productions that speak to both innovation and tradition: the world premiere of an original Flat Rock Playhouse work, Rumpelstiltskin, and the 10th annual A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas, now a cherished holiday ritual for many families.
Marketing Director Christy Souther
Marketing Director Christy Souther says the theme Hits That Hit Home reflects more than familiarity. It speaks to the promise of what Flat Rock Playhouse does best. “These are titles people already love,” she said, “but we’re bringing them to life in bold, imaginative ways that feel personal and meaningful.”
Built from the Ground Up
As a producing theatre, every Flat Rock Playhouse production is built from the ground up through a long, carefully choreographed creative process. Production Manager Adam Goodrum notes that a typical show takes eight to nine months to travel from its first design meeting to opening night.
Production Manager Adam Goodrum
Adam works with an experienced team of artists and technicians. The first show of the season, Pride and Prejudice, is already well underway. Indeed, the full season is already taking shape through set design, technical design, lighting, sound, costumes, props, and, in some cases, projections - all coordinated by a full-time staff of nine and a seasonal crew of roughly thirty artisans.
At the very beginning of that process is scenic designer Dennis Maulden. Having arrived at Flat Rock Playhouse as an apprentice in 1967, Maulden will design the sets for five of the 2026 mainstage productions. His work begins early, shaping environments that must honor the Playhouse’s historic stage while pushing it to new expressive heights.
scenic designer Dennis Maulden with Emily Rich, Assistant Technical Director
For Dennis, the challenge of Scenic Design is an invitation. “The goal is for audiences to walk out feeling like what they just saw couldn’t have been done better anywhere else.”
Casting is an equally intensive process. Each February, Lisa and Artistic Associate Ethan Andersen spend two weeks in New York City auditioning hundreds of performers to assemble each company. “We’re looking for triple threats,” Lisa says. “People who can act, sing, and dance — but also for chemistry. I want artists who will inspire one another and bring out something extra-special together.”
Indeed, the credentials of the actors who audition for a chance to perform at Flat Rock Playhouse are undeniable. “We’re seeing performers who have been on Broadway, on national tours, in major regional theaters. Some of them have worked on shows that have won Tony and Grammy Awards,” Lisa points out. “That’s the caliber of artists we’re choosing for the season.”
Behind every musical beat of the 2026 season will also be a remarkable community of musicians, drawn from across the region. Ethan describes them as artists “at the top of their field.” FRP’s musicians have toured nationally, worked in New York, taught at universities, and built full professional careers. “We attract really top-notch players,” adds Ethan.
The Mainstage Season
Pride and Prejudice
May 1 - 23
The season opens with a fresh, fast-moving take on one of literature’s most beloved stories. Pride and Prejudice brings Jane Austen’s world to life through a clever adaptation performed by just eight actors, most of whom play multiple roles. “It’s got all the notes of this great classic,” Lisa explains, “but it’s funny, it’s agile, and it’s full of great versatility.” Characters slip between genders, social classes, and identities, creating a theatrical kaleidoscope that is both faithful and playful.
Lisa is especially excited by the way this version bridges past and present. “There will be anachronistic elements,” she said. “We might hear a thumping musical beat in the background or see an email go through.” Darcy and Elizabeth still fall in love, but in a world that feels unmistakably now. The result promises to be a romantic comedy with brains and bounce - classic Austen, refracted through Flat Rock Playhouse’s inventive lens.
Footloose
June 12 - July 15
Few soundtracks are as instantly recognizable as Footloose, and Lisa calls it “one of the greatest of all time.” Every iconic song is here, alongside a few charming originals, all carried by a cast “full of young people dancing their butts off.” It’s a production built on energy, nostalgia, and joy. Audiences should expect an irresistible invitation to clap, laugh, and maybe even dance in their seats.
For Ethan, who makes his directorial debut with the show, Footloose is a chance to surprise. “Everyone’s seen a version of it,” he said. “So how do we exceed those expectations?” Set firmly in the 1980s, the production will feel fresh rather than retro. “It won’t feel dated,” Ethan promises. “It’ll be familiar, synthy, and alive.” It’s Footloose - but will be unmistakably Flat Rock.
Rent
July 24 - August 15
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Broadway debut, Rent remains one of the most powerful and influential musicals ever written. “It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner. It’s a Tony Award winner,” Lisa notes. “Lin-Manuel Miranda credits seeing Rent as a young man and realizing musical theater could be like this.” Inspired by La Bohème, Jonathan Larson’s work follows young artists navigating love, loss, illness, and ambition - then and now.
Ethan sees Rent as both a rock concert and a living conversation. “It’s a true rock band on stage,” he said. “Grungy, raw, and alive.” Ethan reminds us that Rent is not a period piece. “Poverty, housing insecurity, sickness, young artists struggling - those realities are still with us,” he says. Flat Rock’s Rent will honor the show’s roots while speaking relevantly to the present.
The Odd Couple
August 28 - September 19
Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple arrives as a perfect counterbalance—warm, wise, and riotously funny. “It’s a tried-and-true great piece,” Lisa says, “that lets us relish friendships going wrong and oh-so-right.” Oscar and Felix’s mismatched lives offer comedy with heart, a portrait of human connection that feels timeless.
Lisa plans to “young up” the production, bringing freshness to a familiar classic. It’s comedy with depth, laughter edged with recognition. Whether you’ve seen it before or are meeting these characters for the first time, The Odd Couple promises comfort, insight, and a generous dose of joy.
Sister Act
October 2- 25
Joy also takes center stage in Sister Act, a musical bursting with gospel, disco, and heart. “It’s amazing,” Lisa explains. “It’s faith, it’s music, it’s punchy, it’s funny.” At its core is the transformation of a woman in hiding, of a community finding its voice, and of a convent discovering its groove.
For Ethan, the music is reason enough to celebrate. “It’ll be our biggest sound this season,” he says. “A lot of brass. Disco music that’s infectious and extremely fun.” Sister Act is bright, bold, and irresistibly joyful, a show that sends audiences out the doors humming and smiling.
New Works and a Continuing Tradition
The season’s final chapters celebrate both innovation and tradition. Rumpelstiltskin marks a world premiere - an original musical created through Flat Rock Playhouse’s Playhouse Junior Licensing Program. For Director of Education Lauren Rogers Hopkins, it represents the heart of what the Playhouse’s educational mission can be.
Director of Education Lauren Rogers Hopkins,
“Anytime our students get the chance to audition, they come out of the woodwork,” she said. “They’re excited to put the training they’ve been receiving in the classroom to good use and perform alongside our amazing apprentices.” The production will be fully realized, with professional costumes, lighting, sound, and design. “Not many people get to say they were in the original cast of a show,” Lauren adds. “With this being a world premiere, they get that ownership. It’s a really big deal.”
The season concludes with a beloved tradition: the 10th annual A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas. “It’s become a fixture of the holidays,” says Lisa. “It’s an important part of people’s holiday season now.” Each year brings new arrangements, fresh choreography, and moments of wonder, but always with the same heart. “We’re going to deliver all the greatest Christmas hits people have been begging for,” she adds.
From a world premiere to a holiday tradition that grows richer each year, these final productions represent the full spectrum of Flat Rock Playhouse programs – combining its commitment to education with talented artistry and community involvement.
Music on the Rock – The Season Prologue
Before the curtain rises on the mainstage season, Flat Rock Playhouse throws open its doors with the Music on the Rock Series - a vibrant prelude that has become one of the Playhouse’s most effective invitations to new audiences. The 2026 lineup spans decades and genres, from Mixtape: The Best of the ’60s, ’70s & ’80s to Bee Gees Gold, Ultimate Doors, Songbird: A Tribute to Barbra Streisand, and the genre-blending Boots & Blues.
Artistic Associate Ethan Andersen
For Artistic Associate Ethan Andersen, the concerts mirror the spirit of the season itself. “All of our shows this year are hits that hit home,” he says. “They’re huge titles people already have a relationship with. The concerts do the same thing. They meet people where they are.”
Ethan is especially excited by the variety. “Each show feels like it will attract a different audience. These acts will present the soundtrack of people’s lives. It becomes a really joyful trip down memory lane.”
Marketing Director Christy Souther sees Music on the Rock as the Playhouse’s front porch. “A lot of the Music on the Rock audiences are coming to the Playhouse for the first time,” she says. “They walk in and think, ‘What is this magical place?’ Then they come back for one of our mainstage productions because they had such a good time.”
The Heart of the Season
What ultimately sets Flat Rock Playhouse apart is not just what it produces, but how it produces it. Every season is shaped by a philosophy planted decades ago by founder Robroy Farquhar and still thriving today: Grow Your Own.
Scenic designer Dennis Maulden embodies that vision. He first arrived at the Playhouse as an apprentice in the 1960s. Today, he designs the worlds audiences step into each night - and works alongside colleagues who, like him, began as young artists on this very stage. Lisa Bryant was a Flat Rock apprentice. Ethan Andersen was an apprentice. Lauren Rogers Hopkins was an apprentice. “That was Robroy’s vision,” Dennis says. “Find young people, nurture them, and let them grow into the future of the theater. And it’s precisely what’s happening. It’s working exactly the way he imagined.”
As Flat Rock Playhouse approaches its 75th anniversary in 2027, that continuity feels especially powerful. The people shaping today’s productions are living proof of the Playhouse’s long view - artists who were once guided at the Playhouse are now guiding others.
For Ethan, that legacy connects directly to the audience experience. “Every decision we make on that stage is built specifically for the people sitting in those seats,” he said. “Not for a national tour. Not for a hundred other theaters. For our Flat Rock audiences.”
That intimacy is the Playhouse’s quiet superpower. Each production exists only here and only now. Once the final curtain falls, that version of the show disappears forever. It is theatre made with intention and with heart. Built by artists who were once students. Designed for neighbors who become family. Created not to travel the country, but to live, fully and vividly, On the Rock.
And in 2026, Flat Rock Playhouse invites its audience once again to step inside that magic.
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Tickets on Sale January 13
Subscriptions for the 2026 season go on sale January 13, with single tickets available January 20. Patrons can reserve the best seats at the best value by subscribing to the full season or creating a custom package.
For details, visit flatrockplayhouse.org/2026-shows or call the Box Office at 828-693-0731. (Please note: Box Office windows will remain closed until January 20.)
