Put the phone down. Sit in the dark. Watch something real happen.
Live theater is one of the last places where we still experience emotion together. The laughter ripples across rows. The silence before a final line feels electric. The applause is felt in your chest, not typed on a screen.
Middle Tennessee has more of it than most people realize, and we go see as much of it as we can.
We cover theater across Nashville and Middle Tennessee because we’re theater kids and because nobody else is paying close attention to the full picture. We don’t just cover the big rooms downtown. We’re as interested in what a high school theater department is staging on a Friday night in Smyrna as we are in what’s opening at TPAC. Both stages matter. Both deserve an audience.
And if you’ve got a kid who wants to be on the other side of the lights, scroll all the way down. We’ve got a section on summer camps and year-round classes from the companies that train the next wave of Middle Tennessee performers.
The BIG List
Every show we’re tracking, in order of opening night. [Tour] marks visiting productions: the Broadway national tours presented by TPAC and the touring artists OZ Arts brings in. Everything else is made here in Middle Tennessee, by professional companies, community theaters, colleges and high schools.
If we missed your stage, tell us at NashvilleBuyLocal@gmail.com.
HALLOWEEN WEEKEND: OCTOBER 30 TO NOVEMBER 1
The Exorcist
When: October 16 to November 1, 2026
Where: Playhouse 615, Mount Juliet
A mother turns to two priests when her twelve-year-old daughter starts changing in ways no doctor can explain. Playhouse 615 is billing this stage version of the William Peter Blatty story as the regional premiere, directed by Joel Meriwether. The company rates it R, so no one under 18 is admitted, and Halloween weekend closes the run.
Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical
When: October 23 to November 1, 2026
Where: Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville
A PG-13 musical parody of Netflix’s Stranger Things, set in 1983 Hawkins, Indiana, with the monsters, the bikes and the Christmas lights. Jonathan Hogue wrote the book, music and lyrics as an unauthorized send-up for fans who know every episode. The final performance is Sunday, November 1 at 2 pm on the Clarksville square.
Emma: A Pop Musical
When: Now through November 1, 2026
Where: Consider This Theatre Company, Mills-Pate Arts Center, Murfreesboro
Emma Woodhouse is a matchmaker who is sure she knows what everyone else needs, until her own heart gets involved. Eric Price’s adaptation moves Jane Austen’s story to a modern setting and tells it with a pop song score. Rebecca Sweeten directs for Consider This Theatre Company in her directorial debut.
The Addams Family (School Edition)
When: October 24 to November 1, 2026
Where: Oakland High School, Murfreesboro
Wednesday Addams has fallen for a normal boy from Ohio, and both families have to survive one dinner together. Andrew Lippa wrote the score, with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice built on Charles Addams’s cartoons. Oakland High School’s students close their run the Sunday after Halloween.
The Addams Family in Concert
When: October 30 to 31, 2026
Where: Analog at the Hutton Hotel, Nashville
The Addams Family musical in a concert staging, two nights only over Halloween weekend. Composer Andrew Lippa makes a guest appearance. The evening also includes a gallery of Charles Addams’s original cartoons.
Big Fish
When: October 30 to November 8, 2026
Where: Trevecca Nazarene University, McClurkan Benson Auditorium, Nashville
Edward Bloom has spent his life telling tall tales about witches, giants and mermaids, and his grown son wants the truth before it’s too late. The musical has a book by John August, who also wrote the film, and a score by Andrew Lippa, from Daniel Wallace’s novel. Trevecca Theatre’s fall musical opens Halloween weekend and closes with a matinee on November 8.
NOVEMBER 2026
Death Becomes Her [Tour]
When: November 3 to 8, 2026
Where: TPAC, Nashville
Two rivals, a fading star and a frustrated novelist, drink a potion that promises eternal youth and find out what it costs to live forever. The musical is based on the 1992 film, with songs by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey and a book by Marco Pennette. Tony winner Christopher Gattelli directs and choreographs the national tour’s Nashville premiere in Jackson Hall.
Twelfth Night
When: November 3 to 8, 2026
Where: Watershed Public Theatre, Columbia
Shipwrecked on a strange coast, Viola disguises herself as a young man and lands in a love triangle with a duke and a countess. Shakespeare’s comedy also has a steward in yellow stockings and a twin brother who turns up at the worst possible moment. Evan Hernandez directs, with shows at Twisted Copper on East 5th Street (November 3 and 8) and Ledbetter Auditorium at Columbia State (November 6 and 7).
Macbeth
When: November 5 to 8, 2026
Where: Tucker Theatre, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro
A Scottish general hears a prophecy that he will be king, and he and his wife decide not to wait for fate. MTSU presents Shakespeare’s tragedy in an adaptation by D. Wilkerson. Evening shows run November 5 to 7 at 7:30, with a 2 pm matinee on Sunday, November 8.
Flowers for Algernon
When: November 5 to 8, 2026
Where: Green Hill High School, Mount Juliet
Charlie Gordon, a man with an intellectual disability, undergoes an experimental surgery that turns him into a genius. His new intelligence shows him how people have treated him all along, and then the effects begin to fade. Green Hill High School stages this adaptation of Daniel Keyes’s novel as its fall play.
Legally Blonde
When: November 5 to 7, 2026
Where: Hume-Fogg Auditorium, Nashville
Elle Woods follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law and finds out she’s smarter than anyone expected. The musical has music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach, from the 2001 film. Hume-Fogg’s production runs in the school’s auditorium on Broadway downtown, with a Saturday matinee.
Crazy for You
When: November 6 to 8, 2026
Where: Belmont University, Troutt Theater, Nashville
Bobby Child is a New York banker sent to foreclose on a Nevada theater, and he decides to put on a show and save it instead. Ken Ludwig built the book around Gershwin standards like “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Belmont’s musical theatre program stages it in the Troutt Theater with four performances, including two on Saturday.
Shrek the Musical
When: November 6 to 8 and 13 to 15, 2026
Where: Lipscomb University, Collins Alumni Auditorium, Nashville
An ogre who wants to be left alone ends up on a quest with a talking donkey to rescue a princess with a secret. Jeanine Tesori wrote the music and David Lindsay-Abaire the book and lyrics, from the DreamWorks film. Lipscomb plays two weekends, with 7:30 evening shows and 2:30 Sunday matinees.
Frozen
When: November 6 to 8, 2026
Where: St. Cecilia Academy, Nashville
Two royal sisters are driven apart when Elsa’s icy powers trap their kingdom in eternal winter. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez expanded their film score for the stage, with a book by Jennifer Lee. St. Cecilia Academy’s high school musical runs Friday at 7, Saturday at 2 and 7, and Sunday at 2.
Romeo & Juliet
When: November 7, 2026, at 2 pm and 5 pm
Where: Nashville Shakespeare Festival, 4th Story Theatre at West End United Methodist Church
Two teenagers from feuding families in Verona fall in love and try to outrun the hatred around them. Nashville Shakespeare Festival has been touring this one-hour, five-actor version to area schools all fall, directed by Madison Kisst. These are the only two public performances, with tickets at $20 for adults and $15 for ages 17 and under.
The American Soldier
When: November 8, 2026, at 3 pm
Where: Franklin Theatre
A solo play built from the real stories of American soldiers, with one performer carrying every voice. It plays the Franklin Theatre for a single afternoon. The date falls on the Sunday before Veterans Day.
Churchill & Roosevelt: The Christmas That Saved the World!
When: November 12 to 15, 2026
Where: Johnson Theater, TPAC, Nashville
In December 1941, weeks after Pearl Harbor, Winston Churchill arrived at the White House to spend Christmas with Franklin Roosevelt. David Payne’s play imagines the conversations behind the alliance that followed. TPAC presents it in the Johnson Theater for four days.
Matilda
When: November 12 to 14, 2026
Where: Franklin Road Academy, Nashville
Matilda Wormwood is a brilliant five-year-old with awful parents, a terrifying headmistress, and a power she’s only beginning to understand. Tim Minchin wrote the songs and Dennis Kelly the book, from Roald Dahl’s novel. Franklin Road Academy’s high school students stage it as their fall musical.
The Lightning Thief
When: November 12 to 14, 2026
Where: Harpeth High School, Kingston Springs
Percy Jackson finds out he’s the son of a Greek god and has days to stop a war on Mount Olympus. Rob Rokicki’s rock score and Joe Tracz’s book come from Rick Riordan’s novel. Harpeth High School stages it as its fall musical.
Into the Woods
When: November 12 to 15, 2026
Where: James Lawson High School, Nashville
A baker and his wife set out to break a witch’s curse and cross paths with Cinderella, Jack and Little Red Riding Hood. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine follow the fairy tales past happily ever after, into what it costs to get your wish. James Lawson High School stages it as its fall musical.
Annie
When: November 13 to 22, 2026
Where: Springhouse Theatre Company, Smyrna
An orphan in Depression-era New York is invited to spend Christmas with billionaire Oliver Warbucks and changes his life. Springhouse is staging the full Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan musical, not the KIDS edition. Shows are Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 and Sunday afternoons at 3:30.
The Boys Next Door
When: November 13 to 22, 2026
Where: Bravo Boro, Mills-Pate Arts Center, Murfreesboro
Four men with developmental disabilities share a group home, along with Jack, the burned-out social worker who looks after them. Tom Griffin’s play finds the comedy in their days without making them the joke. Bravo Boro stages it at the Mills-Pate Arts Center over two weekends.
Lost Girl
When: November 13 to 15 and 19 to 21, 2026
Where: Belmont University, Black Box Theater, Nashville
Wendy Darling is grown up, Peter Pan has stopped coming back, and she can’t move on until she understands why. Kimberly Belflower’s play is about first love and what it takes to let it go. Belmont plays two weekends in its Black Box Theater.
Seussical
When: November 13 to 15, 2026
Where: CYT Nashville, Williamson County Performing Arts Center, Franklin
Horton the Elephant hears a whole world on a speck of dust and sets out to protect it. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s musical pulls in the Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz and a dozen Dr. Seuss books. Christian Youth Theater’s Nashville company performs it, with reserved seats at $16.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show
When: November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027
Where: Nashville Children’s Theatre
Large puppets bring four Eric Carle books to life, led by The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Jonathan Rockefeller created the show for ages 3 to 8, and Jonah Jackson directs NCT’s run. Sensory-friendly performances are on the schedule, which makes it a strong first theater trip.
The Addams Family
When: November 18 to 21, 2026
Where: University School of Nashville
Wednesday Addams has fallen for a normal boy, and both families have to survive one dinner together. Andrew Lippa’s score and the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice come from Charles Addams’s cartoons. University School of Nashville stages it as its high school fall musical.
Hamlet
When: November 19 to 21, 2026
Where: Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville
A Danish prince learns his father was murdered by the uncle who took the throne, and he can’t decide what to do about it. Shakespeare’s longest play is a huge undertaking for a student company. Montgomery Bell Academy stages it as its fall play, with Harpeth Hall students in the cast.
A Doll’s House, Part 2
When: November 19 to 22, 2026
Where: Austin Peay State University, Trahern Lab Theatre, Clarksville
Fifteen years after Nora slammed the door on her marriage, she knocks on it again because she needs something from the husband she left. Lucas Hnath’s play picks up where Ibsen’s 1879 classic ended. Darren Michael directs Austin Peay’s production in the Trahern Lab Theatre.
Ken Ludwig’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
When: November 21 to December 27, 2026
Where: Nashville Children’s Theatre
Santa skipped a house last Christmas, and a mouse, an elf and a determined girl set out to find out why. Ken Ludwig wrote this holiday adventure around the classic Christmas Eve poem. Chris Causer directs NCT’s run.
DECEMBER 2026
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
When: December 3 to 20, 2026
Where: Studio Tenn, Turner Theater at The Factory at Franklin
George Bailey’s worst Christmas Eve, told as a 1940s live radio broadcast with actors at microphones and sound effects made on stage. Joe Landry adapted Frank Capra’s film for five actors who play everyone in Bedford Falls. Studio Tenn’s original cast returns for the run.
The Secret Garden
When: December 3 to 20, 2026
Where: Hendersonville Performing Arts Company
Orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to her reclusive uncle’s English manor and finds a locked garden that could bring the house back to life. Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon adapted Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel into a musical in which ghosts from the family’s past sing alongside the living. Tickets are $25 for adults and $22 for students and seniors.
Scrooge in Love!
When: December 3 to 20, 2026
Where: The Keeton Theatre, Nashville
A year after his famous Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge gets one more chance, this time at love. This musical sequel to A Christmas Carol brings the ghosts back to help him. The Keeton serves dinner before the Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows, and tickets go on general sale October 22.
A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol
When: December 4 to 20, 2026
Where: Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville
On Christmas Eve 1943, a struggling radio troupe in Newark tries to get through a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol. Walton Jones, David Wohl and Faye Greenberg’s comedy plays the show-within-the-show with live sound effects and commercials for fictional sponsors. The Roxy runs evening and matinee performances through December 20.
A Christmas Carol (Barlow)
When: December 4 to 20, 2026
Where: Playhouse 615, Mount Juliet
Ebenezer Scrooge’s night with three ghosts, told by five actors who play every role. Patrick Barlow, who adapted The 39 Steps for the stage, wrote this quick, funny version of Dickens. Playhouse 615 plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30.
Frozen
When: December 4 to 20, 2026
Where: Nashville Repertory Theatre, Polk Theater at TPAC
Elsa’s hidden powers lock Arendelle in eternal winter, and her sister Anna sets out to bring her home. The stage musical expands the film with new songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and a book by Jennifer Lee. This is Nashville Rep’s own production, not a tour, with eleven performances directed by Jason Spelbring.
A Sherlock Carol
When: December 4 to 20, 2026
Where: Lakewood Theatre Company, Old Hickory
Years after Scrooge’s change of heart, a grown-up Tiny Tim asks a weary Sherlock Holmes to investigate a death at Christmas. Mark Shanahan’s mystery puts characters from Dickens and Conan Doyle in the same London winter. Lakewood plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30.
My Three Angels
When: December 4 to 19, 2026
Where: Pull-Tight Players, Franklin
Three convicts on work release are sent to fix a roof in French Guiana and end up saving the struggling family that runs the general store below. Sam and Bella Spewack’s Christmas comedy has been a holiday favorite since it opened on Broadway in 1953. Pull-Tight Players stages it in its theater in downtown Franklin.
Try/Step/Trip [Tour]
When: December 4 to 5, 2026
Where: OZ Arts Nashville
Dahlak Brathwaite tells his own story of the criminal justice system through theater, music and a chorus of step dancers. Roberta Uno directs the piece. OZ Arts presents two performances at 8 pm.
A VHS Christmas Carol
When: December 11 to 19, 2026
Where: Street Theatre Company, The Barbershop Theater, Nashville
Dickens’s A Christmas Carol run through a 1980s VHS tape and the pop culture that came with it. Clark Baxtresser wrote the musical, and this is Street’s third straight December staging it. It plays The Barbershop Theater in Sylvan Park.
Little Women
When: December 16 to 20, 2026
Where: Liberty Creek High School, Goodlettsville
The four March sisters grow up in Civil War-era Massachusetts, chasing very different dreams. Louisa May Alcott’s novel has been told on stage as both a play and a musical. Liberty Creek High School closes its calendar year with it, one of four shows on its 2026-27 schedule.
JANUARY 2027
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical [Tour]
When: January 5 to 10, 2027
Where: TPAC, Nashville
Neil Diamond’s life, from Brooklyn songwriter to stadium star, told through his songs. Anthony McCarten wrote the book, framed around an older Neil looking back with a therapist. The Broadway national tour plays Jackson Hall for one week.
The Vagina Monologues
When: January 15 to 17, 2027
Where: Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville
Eve Ensler’s monologues, built from interviews with women, about bodies, sex, violence and joy. The Obie-winning piece launched V-Day, a worldwide movement to end violence against women. The Roxy recommends it for mature audiences, and tickets go on sale December 14.
Cuervo [Tour]
When: January 29 to 30, 2027
Where: OZ Arts Nashville
Brothers Cosme and Óscar Castro retell their father’s experience making theater while imprisoned under Chile’s dictatorship. They use paper figures, animation and live film to build the story in front of the audience. OZ Arts presents two performances at 8 pm, in English with Spanish projections.
Barefoot in the Park
When: January 29 to February 14, 2027
Where: Hendersonville Performing Arts Company
Newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter move into a tiny fifth-floor walkup in New York and find out how different they are. Neil Simon’s 1963 comedy also brings in Corie’s cautious mother and an eccentric neighbor upstairs. Hendersonville Performing Arts Company plays it over three weekends.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [Tour]
When: January 30, 2027, at 1:30 pm and 7 pm
Where: Aquila Theatre, Polk Theater at TPAC
A respected doctor’s experiment splits him into two men, and the second one is a monster. New York’s Aquila Theatre adapts Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella as physical theater. It plays TPAC’s Polk Theater for one day only.
A, B, C… What Do You See?
When: January 30 to April 25, 2027
Where: Nashville Children’s Theatre
Letters of the alphabet have gone missing, and the audience helps find them in a seek-and-find mystery. Jenilee Houghton wrote and directs this world premiere for NCT’s Snuggery series. It’s built for the littlest theatergoers, ages 0 to 5.
FEBRUARY 2027
The Phantom of the Opera [Tour]
When: February 3 to 14, 2027
Where: TPAC, Nashville
A masked musical genius haunts the Paris Opera House and falls for a young soprano named Christine. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s show is the longest-running in Broadway history. This touring production from Cameron Mackintosh uses Maria Björnson’s original design, chandelier included.
Steel Magnolias
When: February 4 to 21, 2027
Where: Studio Tenn, Franklin
Six women gather at Truvy’s beauty salon in small-town Louisiana, sharing gossip, weddings and grief over the years. Robert Harling based the play on his own sister’s life. Studio Tenn stages it over three weekends.
Ten-Minute Play Festival
When: February 4 to 7, 2027
Where: The Theater Bug
Short plays written by Middle Tennessee writers ages 14 to 18. The selected scripts go through workshops and rehearsals in January. The finished plays are staged over four days in February.
The Outgoing Tide
When: February 5 to 20, 2027
Where: Pull-Tight Players, Franklin
Gunner, a retired man at his Chesapeake Bay summer cottage, has a plan for his family’s future that his wife and son aren’t ready to hear. Bruce Graham’s play mixes comedy and heartbreak as the family argues it out. Pull-Tight Players stages it in downtown Franklin.
Jane Eyre
When: February 11 to 14, 2027
Where: Lipscomb University, Shamblin Theatre, Nashville
An orphaned governess takes a post at Thornfield Hall and falls for its brooding master, who is hiding a secret in the attic. Cristina Calvit adapted Charlotte Brontë’s novel for the stage. Sophia Hernandez directs Lipscomb’s production, with a Sunday matinee at 2:30.
Primary Trust
When: February 12 to 21, 2027
Where: Nashville Repertory Theatre, Johnson Theater at TPAC
Kenneth has worked at the same bookstore for twenty years, and his best friend Bert is imaginary. When the store closes, a new job at a bank pulls him into the world for the first time. Eboni Booth’s play won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and Jon Royal directs Nashville Rep’s production.
Peter and the Starcatcher
When: February 12 to 21, 2027
Where: Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville
An orphan with no name, a girl named Molly and a pirate called Black Stache fight over a trunk of magical starstuff on the high seas. Rick Elice’s play, from the novels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, tells how the boy became Peter Pan. The Roxy runs it over two weekends with Saturday and Sunday matinees.
The Pajama Game
When: February 12 to 28, 2027
Where: The Keeton Theatre, Nashville
Workers at the Sleep-Tite pajama factory want a seven-and-a-half-cent raise, and the new superintendent falls for the head of the grievance committee. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross wrote the score, including “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway.” The Keeton runs it over three weekends in Donelson.
Much Ado About Nothing
When: February 12 to 21, 2027
Where: Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville
Beatrice and Benedick swear they can’t stand each other, and their friends set out to trick them into love. Shakespeare’s comedy also has a villain’s plot that nearly wrecks a wedding. Trevecca stages it as its spring Shakespeare.
The Importance of Being Earnest
When: February 18 to 21 and 25 to 28, 2027
Where: Nashville Shakespeare Festival & Belmont University, Troutt Theater, Nashville
Two young men invent fake identities to escape their obligations, and both end up claiming to be named Ernest. Oscar Wilde’s 1895 comedy is one of the most quoted plays in English. Katie Bruno directs this co-production of Nashville Shakespeare Festival and Belmont over two weekends.
The Mad Ones
When: February 18 to 21, 2027
Where: Austin Peay State University, Gotcher Theatre, Clarksville
Samantha has just graduated from high school and has to choose between the safe plan her mother made and the road trip her best friend begs her to take. Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk wrote the book and score. Zakk Mannella directs Austin Peay’s production.
Clue
When: February 20 to 21, 2027
Where: Backlight Players, Williamson County Performing Arts Center, Franklin
Six guests, one mansion, a dead host and a butler trying to keep it all together. The story comes from the board game and the 1985 movie. Backlight Players, Backlight’s company of actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities, performs it at the Williamson County Performing Arts Center.
Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight
When: February 25 to 28, 2027
Where: Middle Tennessee State University, Anderson Studio Theatre, Murfreesboro
Émilie du Châtelet, the 18th-century mathematician and physicist, returns from the dead to argue the case for her own life. Lauren Gunderson’s play covers her work, her mind and her long romance with Voltaire. MTSU stages it up close in its studio theatre, with matinees on February 27 and 28.
The Importance of Being Earnest
When: February 25 to 27, 2027
Where: Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville
Jack and Algernon both pretend to be named Ernest to win the women they love, and the lies catch up with them at once. Oscar Wilde’s comedy runs on wordplay and impeccable manners. Montgomery Bell Academy stages it as its winter play, with Harpeth Hall students in the cast.
Corner of the Sky: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz
When: February 26 to 28, 2027
Where: Belmont University, Fisher Center, Nashville
A musical revue of Stephen Schwartz songs, from Godspell and Pippin to Wicked. Scott Coulter conceived the show around Schwartz’s catalog. Belmont’s musical theatre students perform it in the Fisher Center over one weekend.
Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical
When: February 27 to April 30, 2027
Where: Nashville Children’s Theatre
Lily Polkadot is the first of her kind at an all-Square school, and not everyone wants her there. The musical, by Melvin Tinstall III, Douglas Lyons and Greg Dean Borowsky, is inspired by Ruby Bridges and the Little Rock Nine. NCT runs it through the end of April for families and school groups.
MARCH 2027
Suite Surrender
When: March 4 to 6, 2027
Where: Harpeth Hall School, Nashville
Two feuding Hollywood divas arrive at a Palm Beach hotel in 1942 and are booked into the same suite. Michael McKeever’s farce piles on mistaken identities and slamming doors. Harpeth Hall stages it as its upper school mainstage play.
Les Misérables (School Edition)
When: March 4 to 6, 2027
Where: Ensworth High School, Nashville
Jean Valjean breaks parole, builds a new life and spends decades running from the policeman Javert, all the way to the barricades of Paris. Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s musical, with English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, is adapted from Victor Hugo’s novel. Ensworth stages the School Edition as its spring musical.
The Music Man
When: March 4 to 7, 2027
Where: Father Ryan High School, Nashville
Con man Harold Hill sells River City, Iowa, a boys’ band he has no idea how to lead, then falls for the town librarian. Meredith Willson wrote the book, music and lyrics, including “Seventy-Six Trombones.” Father Ryan stages it as its spring musical.
Hadestown
When: March 4 to 7, 2027
Where: Centennial High School, Franklin
Orpheus follows Eurydice to the underworld, where Hades runs a factory town and the gods make their deals. Anaïs Mitchell’s folk-jazz musical won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Centennial High School stages it as its spring musical.
Hadestown (Teen Edition)
When: March 4 to 6, 2027
Where: Fairview High School, Fairview
Orpheus goes to the underworld to bring Eurydice home, and has to walk out without looking back. The Teen Edition of Anaïs Mitchell’s musical keeps the score intact. Fairview High School stages it the same weekend as Centennial.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
When: March 4 to 6, 2027
Where: Franklin High School, Franklin
Ariel, a mermaid who wants to live on land, trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula for a chance with Prince Eric. Alan Menken’s score has lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a book by Doug Wright. Franklin High School stages it as its spring musical.
The SpongeBob Musical
When: March 4 to 7, 2027
Where: Independence High School, Thompson’s Station
A volcano is about to wipe out Bikini Bottom, and SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy are the only ones trying to stop it. Kyle Jarrow wrote the book, with songs by everyone from Cyndi Lauper to Aerosmith to John Legend. Independence High School stages it as its spring musical.
The Great Gatsby [Tour]
When: March 5 to 14, 2027
Where: TPAC, Nashville
Jay Gatsby throws the biggest parties on Long Island hoping Daisy Buchanan will walk through the door. The 2024 Broadway musical has a score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen and a book by Kait Kerrigan, from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. The March 7 matinee at 1 pm has captioning, ASL and audio description.
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
When: March 12 to 27, 2027
Where: Street Theatre Company, The Barbershop Theater, Nashville
Paul thinks musicals are stupid, and then everyone in his town starts singing. Starkid’s horror-comedy, with music and lyrics by Jeff Blim and a book by Nick and Matt Lang, has become a cult favorite. Street stages it as its spring musical.
Matilda
When: March 12 to 15, 2027
Where: Hillsboro High School, Nashville
Matilda Wormwood is a brilliant girl with awful parents and a headmistress who throws children by their pigtails. Tim Minchin’s songs include “Naughty” and “Revolting Children.” Hillsboro High School stages it as its spring musical.
Hadestown (Teen Edition)
When: March 12 to 14, 2027
Where: Smyrna High School, Smyrna
Orpheus goes to the underworld for Eurydice in Anaïs Mitchell’s Tony-winning musical. The Teen Edition keeps the songs, including “Wait for Me” and “Why We Build the Wall.” Smyrna High School’s is the third high school Hadestown in Middle Tennessee this March.
Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash
When: March 18 to April 4, 2027
Where: Studio Tenn, Franklin
Johnny Cash’s life, from Arkansas cotton fields to the Grand Ole Opry and beyond, told through more than two dozen of his songs. Richard Maltby Jr. created the show, with the cast playing the music live. Studio Tenn stages it over three weekends.
Little Shop of Horrors
When: March 18 to 20, 2027
Where: LaVergne High School, La Vergne
Seymour, a nerdy flower shop clerk, discovers a plant that makes him famous, as long as he keeps feeding it human blood. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s musical is staged here in the full Broadway version. LaVergne High School stages it as its spring musical.
Mamma Mia!
When: March 18 to 21, 2027
Where: Wilson Central High School, Lebanon
Sophie is getting married on a Greek island and secretly invites the three men who might be her father. The musical is built on ABBA songs, with a book by Catherine Johnson. Wilson Central High School stages it as its spring musical.
Mamma Mia!
When: March 18 to 21, 2027
Where: Beech High School, Hendersonville
A bride on a Greek island invites three possible dads to her wedding without telling her mother. ABBA’s songs carry the story, from “Dancing Queen” to “The Winner Takes It All.” Beech High School stages it the same week as Wilson Central.
Finding Neverland
When: March 18 to 21, 2027
Where: Lincoln County High School, Fayetteville
Playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four sons in a London park and starts writing the story that becomes Peter Pan. Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy wrote the score, with a book by James Graham. Lincoln County High School stages it as its spring musical.
August Wilson’s Fences
When: March 19 to 28, 2027
Where: Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville
Troy Maxson was a Negro leagues star who never got his shot at the majors, and now he hauls garbage in 1957 Pittsburgh. He builds a fence around his yard and his family while his son chases the dream that passed him by. August Wilson’s play won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize, and the Roxy runs it over two weekends.
Dial M for Murder
When: March 19 to April 4, 2027
Where: Hendersonville Performing Arts Company
A former tennis pro learns about his wife’s affair and plots the perfect murder, and the plan starts coming apart. HPAC stages a modern adaptation of Frederick Knott’s 1952 thriller, which Alfred Hitchcock made into a film. The run covers three weekends.
The Wizard of Oz (RSC Version)
When: March 19 to 21, 2027
Where: Davidson Academy, Nashville
Dorothy Gale is swept from Kansas to Oz and follows the yellow brick road to find a way home. The Royal Shakespeare Company stage version uses the songs from the 1939 film by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Davidson Academy stages it as its spring musical.
Disney’s Frozen
When: March 19 to 20, 2027
Where: Columbia Central High School, Columbia
Princess Anna sets out to find her sister Elsa, whose powers have trapped their kingdom in winter. The stage score by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez adds new songs to the ones from the film. Columbia Central High School stages it as its spring musical.
Hell’s Kitchen [Tour]
When: March 30 to April 4, 2027
Where: TPAC, Nashville
Ali is seventeen, growing up with her mother in a Manhattan apartment building for artists, and she wants more than her neighborhood can offer. The musical is built on Alicia Keys’s songs and loosely based on her own life, with a book by Kristoffer Diaz. Michael Greif directs the national tour, and tickets go on sale November 13.
APRIL 2027
Twelfth Night
When: April 1 to 4, 2027
Where: Lipscomb University, Shamblin Theatre, Nashville
Viola washes ashore, disguises herself as a man and falls for the duke she works for, who loves a countess who falls for Viola. Shakespeare’s comedy also has a pompous steward and a twin brother everyone thinks drowned. Nat McIntyre directs Lipscomb’s production.
Sueño
When: April 1 to 4, 2027
Where: Austin Peay State University, Gotcher Theatre, Clarksville
A prince locked in a tower since birth is set free for one day to see whether the prophecy about him is true. José Rivera adapted Calderón’s Spanish Golden Age play Life Is a Dream. Talon Beeson directs Austin Peay’s production.
Legally Blonde
When: April 1 to 4, 2027
Where: Brentwood High School, Brentwood
Elle Woods gets dumped, gets into Harvard Law, and proves everyone wrong. The musical by Laurence O’Keefe, Nell Benjamin and Heather Hach is based on the 2001 film. Brentwood High School stages it as its spring musical.
Big Fish (School Edition)
When: April 1 to 4, 2027
Where: Nolensville High School, Nolensville
A son tries to separate his dying father’s tall tales from the truth. John August and Andrew Lippa’s musical brings the stories to life, giants and witches included. Nolensville High School stages it as its spring musical.
Disney’s Newsies
When: April 1 to 4, 2027
Where: Summit High School, Spring Hill
In 1899 New York, newsboy Jack Kelly leads a strike against publisher Joseph Pulitzer when the price of papers goes up. Alan Menken and Jack Feldman wrote the songs, with a book by Harvey Fierstein. Summit High School stages it as its spring musical.
Freaky Friday
When: April 1 to 4, 2027
Where: Green Hill High School, Mount Juliet
A mother and her teenage daughter swap bodies the day before the mother’s wedding. Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey wrote the score, with a book by Bridget Carpenter, from Mary Rodgers’s novel. Green Hill High School stages it as its spring musical.
My Fair Lady
When: April 1 to 4, 2027
Where: Lebanon High School, Lebanon
Phonetics professor Henry Higgins bets he can pass off Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle as a duchess. Lerner and Loewe’s musical, from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, includes “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Lebanon High School stages it as its spring musical.
Mamma Mia!
When: April 2 to 5, 2027
Where: Gallatin High School, Gallatin
Sophie’s wedding on a Greek island turns chaotic when three possible fathers show up. The ABBA musical has a book by Catherine Johnson. Gallatin High School stages the spring’s third high school Mamma Mia.
Sweeney Todd (School Edition)
When: April 2 to 4, 2027
Where: White House Heritage High School, White House
A barber returns to London after fifteen years in a penal colony and takes revenge with a razor, with help from the pie shop owner downstairs. Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s musical thriller is one of the darkest shows a high school can take on. White House Heritage High School stages it as its spring musical.
Mary Poppins
When: April 2 to 11, 2027
Where: Dickson County High School, Dickson
A magical nanny arrives at the Banks family home on Cherry Tree Lane and turns everything upside down. The stage musical combines the Sherman Brothers’ film songs with new ones by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe and a book by Julian Fellowes. Dickson County High School runs it over two weekends.
Urinetown
When: April 8 to 11, 2027
Where: Tucker Theatre, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro
A drought has made private toilets illegal, citizens pay a corporation for the privilege to pee, and a young hero finally leads a revolt. Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis’s satire won three Tony Awards and loves to poke fun at musicals themselves. MTSU stages it with 7:30 evening shows and a closing matinee.
Jekyll & Hyde
When: April 8 to 12, 2027
Where: Nashville School of the Arts, Nashville
Dr. Henry Jekyll tests a formula on himself and unleashes Edward Hyde. Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse’s gothic musical includes the anthem “This Is the Moment.” Nashville School of the Arts stages it as its spring musical.
Annie Get Your Gun
When: April 8 to 10, 2027
Where: Franklin Classical School, Franklin
Sharpshooter Annie Oakley joins Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and falls for its star marksman, Frank Butler. Irving Berlin’s score includes “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “Anything You Can Do.” Franklin Classical School stages it as its spring musical.
Fiddler on the Roof
When: April 8 to 10, 2027
Where: Page High School, Franklin
Tevye, a dairyman in a Russian village, tries to hold on to tradition while his daughters choose their own husbands. Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein’s musical includes “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Page High School stages it as its spring musical.
Damn Yankees
When: April 8 to 11, 2027
Where: Ravenwood High School, Brentwood
A middle-aged Washington Senators fan sells his soul to the devil to become the young slugger who finally beats the Yankees. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross wrote the score, including “Whatever Lola Wants.” Ravenwood High School stages it as its spring musical.
The Music Man
When: April 8 to 11, 2027
Where: Mt. Juliet High School, Mount Juliet
Traveling salesman Harold Hill promises River City, Iowa, a boys’ band and plans to skip town with the money. Meredith Willson’s musical includes “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Till There Was You.” Mt. Juliet High School stages it as its spring musical.
The Cottage
When: April 9 to 24, 2027
Where: Pull-Tight Players, Franklin
Sylvia and her lover Beau meet every year at an English country cottage, and this year she has decided to tell their spouses. Sandy Rustin wrote the comedy as a tribute to Noël Coward, with plenty of physical comedy. Pull-Tight Players stages it in downtown Franklin.
Dear Evan Hansen
When: April 9 to 18, 2027
Where: Nashville Repertory Theatre, Polk Theater at TPAC
Evan Hansen, a lonely high school senior, gets pulled into a lie after a classmate’s death and becomes the person everyone wanted him to be. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote the score, with a book by Steven Levenson. Jessica Francis Fichter directs Nashville Rep’s own production, with tickets from $38.50.
Letters from the Titanic
When: April 9 to 25, 2027
Where: The Keeton Theatre, Nashville
A New York real estate agent finds a stack of letters written by Titanic passengers. The agent has to choose between selling them and returning them to the passengers’ descendants. David Abbinanti’s play is a Tennessee premiere.
Bye Bye Birdie
When: April 9 to 11, 2027
Where: Lipscomb Academy, Nashville
Rock star Conrad Birdie is drafted into the Army, and his manager stages one last publicity stunt, a farewell kiss for a teenage fan in Sweet Apple, Ohio. Charles Strouse and Lee Adams wrote the songs, with a book by Michael Stewart. Lipscomb Academy stages it as its spring musical.
Curtains (School Edition)
When: April 9 to 11, 2027
Where: Battle Ground Academy, Franklin
A Boston musical’s leading lady is murdered on opening night, and a theater-loving detective keeps the whole company inside until he solves it. John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote the score, with a book by Rupert Holmes. Battle Ground Academy stages it as its spring musical.
Alice in Wonderland
When: April 9 to 11, 2027
Where: White House High School, White House
Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole into a world of mad tea parties and a furious Queen of Hearts. Lewis Carroll’s story has been adapted for the stage many times. White House High School stages it as its spring show.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda
When: April 9 to 11, 2027
Where: Greenbrier High School, Greenbrier
Matilda Wormwood uses her brains, her books and a little magic to stand up to her parents and the terrifying Miss Trunchbull. Tim Minchin’s songs and Dennis Kelly’s book come from Roald Dahl’s novel. Greenbrier High School stages it as its spring musical.
Seussical
When: April 9 to 18, 2027
Where: Creek Wood High School, Charlotte
Horton the Elephant protects a tiny world on a speck of dust while the rest of the jungle laughs at him. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s musical pulls together a dozen Dr. Seuss stories, narrated by the Cat in the Hat. Creek Wood High School runs it over two weekends.
Seussical
When: April 10 to 11, 2027
Where: Goodpasture Christian School, Madison
The Cat in the Hat leads the audience into the Jungle of Nool, where Horton hears a Who. Ahrens and Flaherty’s score also brings in Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird and JoJo’s thinking caps. Goodpasture Christian School stages it as its spring musical.
Original Student One Acts
When: April 15 to 17, 2027
Where: Harpeth Hall and Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville
New one-act plays written by students from Harpeth Hall and Montgomery Bell Academy. The scripts are staged by the two schools’ theater programs. Admission is free.
Fanny Crosby: This Is My Story
When: April 16 to 18 and 22 to 24, 2027
Where: Belmont University, Black Box Theater, Nashville
Fanny Crosby lost her sight as an infant and went on to write thousands of hymns, including “Blessed Assurance.” Belmont faculty member Shawn Knight wrote this new musical drama about her life. It’s a world premiere in Belmont’s Black Box Theater over two weekends.
Pippin
When: April 16 to 18, 2027
Where: Belmont University, Massey Concert Hall, Nashville
Pippin, the young son of Charlemagne, searches for meaning in war, love and power while a troupe of players leads him on. Stephen Schwartz wrote the score, with a book by Roger O. Hirson. Belmont closes its musical theatre season with it in Massey Concert Hall.
Peter Pan and Wendy
When: April 23 to May 2, 2027
Where: Trevecca Nazarene University, McClurkan Benson Auditorium, Nashville
Wendy Darling flies to Neverland with Peter Pan and finds out she wants more than mothering the Lost Boys. Lauren Gunderson’s adaptation of J.M. Barrie gives Wendy ambitions of her own. Trevecca closes its season with it.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child [Tour]
When: April 27 to May 9, 2027
Where: TPAC, Nashville
Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter’s younger son Albus starts school and gets tangled up in time travel with Draco Malfoy’s son. Jack Thorne wrote the play from a story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Thorne, and it won six Tony Awards including Best Play. The national tour plays Jackson Hall for two weeks.
La Obra (The Play) [Tour]
When: April 30 to May 1, 2027
Where: OZ Arts Nashville
A Holocaust survivor in a small Argentine town rebuilds the places of his past, piece by piece. Argentine director Mariano Pensotti stages the story on a revolving set. OZ Arts presents two performances at 8 pm, in Spanish with English projections.
MAY 2027
A Room in the Castle
When: Opens May 6, 2027
Where: Nashville Shakespeare Festival, 4th Story Theatre at West End United Methodist Church
Gertrude, Ophelia and a maid named Anna talk to each other in the corners of Hamlet’s castle while the men are busy elsewhere. Lauren Gunderson’s play retells Shakespeare’s tragedy from the women’s side. Alicia Haymer directs this regional premiere.
Something Rotten!
When: May 6 to 23, 2027
Where: Studio Tenn, Franklin
Nick and Nigel Bottom are stuck writing plays in Shakespeare’s shadow until a soothsayer tells them the future of theater is musicals. Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick wrote the songs, with a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell. Studio Tenn closes its season with it.
Curtains (Young@Part)
When: May 7 to 16, 2027
Where: Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville
A leading lady drops dead on opening night of a Boston tryout, and a stage-struck detective keeps the cast inside until he finds the killer. This 60-minute Young@Part edition of Kander and Ebb’s musical is built for young performers. The Roxy’s local youth cast performs it over two weekends.
Buena Vista Social Club [Tour]
When: May 18 to 23, 2027
Where: TPAC, Nashville
In 1996 Havana, singer Omara Portuondo is coaxed into the recording session that becomes the famous album, and it brings back memories of the 1950s. The Broadway musical has a book by Marco Ramirez, and the band plays live on stage. Tickets go on sale December 4.
Sister Act
When: May 27 to June 13, 2027
Where: Hendersonville Performing Arts Company
Deloris Van Cartier, a disco singer who witnessed a murder, hides from the mob in a convent and turns the struggling choir into a sensation. Alan Menken and Glenn Slater wrote the songs, from the 1992 film. Hendersonville Performing Arts Company stages it over three weekends.
JUNE 2027
Anything Goes
When: June 4 to 19, 2027
Where: Pull-Tight Players, Franklin
Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, a stowaway in love and a gangster disguised as a minister all end up on an ocean liner bound from New York to London. Cole Porter’s score includes “I Get a Kick Out of You” and the big tap number of the title song. Lenny West directs Pull-Tight Players’ production.
A Strange Loop
When: June 11 to 26, 2027
Where: Street Theatre Company, The Barbershop Theater, Nashville
Usher is a Black queer writer working as a Broadway usher while he writes a musical about a Black queer writer working as a Broadway usher. Michael R. Jackson’s musical won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony for Best Musical. Street closes its season with it.
Hello, Dolly!
When: June 11 to 27, 2027
Where: The Keeton Theatre, Nashville
Dolly Levi, a widowed matchmaker in 1890s New York, sets out to marry the wealthy Horace Vandergelder herself. Jerry Herman wrote the score, from Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker. It’s the Keeton’s first production of the show in twenty years.
Beetlejuice [Tour]
When: June 15 to 20, 2027
Where: TPAC, Nashville
Lydia Deetz, grieving her mother, moves into a house haunted by a recently dead couple and a demon named Beetlejuice. Eddie Perfect wrote the score, with a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, from Tim Burton’s 1988 film. Tickets go on sale October 30.
Next to Normal
When: June 18 to 27, 2027
Where: Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville
Diana Goodman has lived with bipolar disorder for sixteen years, and her husband and daughter are worn down from holding the family together. Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s rock musical won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Roxy recommends it for mature audiences.
AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER 2027
The Winter’s Tale: Shakespeare in the Park
When: August 26 to September 26, 2027
Where: Nashville Shakespeare Festival, The Bandshell at Centennial Park, Nashville
King Leontes becomes convinced his wife is unfaithful, and his jealousy tears his family apart for sixteen years. Shakespeare’s late romance turns from tragedy toward forgiveness and includes the famous stage direction “Exit, pursued by a bear.” Leah Lowe directs, and admission is free.
Where we look
We follow theater across Middle Tennessee. The companies and venues we keep closest tabs on:
The companies that anchor the season
Four professional companies do the heaviest lifting in Middle Tennessee theater. If you’re new to the scene, start here.
Nashville Repertory Theatre. Nashville’s flagship professional theater company, performing in TPAC’s Polk and Johnson theaters. This season runs from Frozen to a Pulitzer winner (Primary Trust) to Dear Evan Hansen.
Studio Tenn. Franklin’s resident professional company, now at the Turner Theater at The Factory at Franklin. Known for cinematic scale and tight, intelligent productions of classic and contemporary work.
Street Theatre Company. Nashville’s home for bold contemporary musicals and plays that refuse to be polite, at The Barbershop Theater in Sylvan Park. Pop-driven, queer-forward, and unafraid of the hard material. Their youth company, ClassAct Dramatics, trains the next wave.
Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Bringing Shakespeare to Middle Tennessee since 1988. Free Shakespeare in the Park every summer, an education tour reaching thousands of students each year, and a winter season that takes on Wilde, new plays, and partnerships with Belmont.
Community and resident companies
Roxy Regional Theatre (Clarksville), Pull-Tight Players (Franklin), Hendersonville Performing Arts Company, Playhouse 615 (Mount Juliet), Springhouse Theatre Company (Smyrna), Bravo Boro and Consider This Theatre Company (Murfreesboro), The Keeton Theatre (Donelson), Lakewood Theatre Company (Old Hickory), Watershed Public Theatre (Columbia), Renaissance Players (Dickson), Backlight Productions (Brentwood), IS Productions, Elemental Actors Studio, and the resident companies of the Darkhorse Theater, including Actors Bridge Ensemble, WIT, SistaStyle Productions and Destiny Theatre Experience.
Major venues
Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), OZ Arts Nashville, The Barbershop Theater, Darkhorse Theater, Turner Theater at The Factory at Franklin, Franklin Theatre, Williamson County Performing Arts Center, The Keeton Theatre, Center for the Arts (Murfreesboro), Mills-Pate Arts Center, Capitol Theatre (Lebanon), Roxy Regional Theatre (Clarksville).
University and college theater
Belmont, Lipscomb, Trevecca Nazarene, Vanderbilt, MTSU, Austin Peay State University.
High school and youth theater
Nashville School of the Arts, Hume-Fogg, Hillsboro, James Lawson, Montgomery Bell Academy, Harpeth Hall, Ensworth, St. Cecilia, Father Ryan, University School of Nashville, Franklin Road Academy, Davidson Academy, Lipscomb Academy, Goodpasture, Centennial, Franklin, Independence, Brentwood, Ravenwood, Nolensville, Page, Summit, Fairview, Battle Ground Academy, Franklin Classical, Oakland, Smyrna, LaVergne, Wilson Central, Green Hill, Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, Beech, Gallatin, Liberty Creek, White House, White House Heritage, Greenbrier, Harpeth (Kingston Springs), Columbia Central, Creek Wood, Dickson County, Lincoln County, CYT Nashville, The Theater Bug, Nashville Children’s Theatre.
Why we cover it
You can stream something tonight. You can scroll until midnight. You can watch highlights of someone else’s life and call it entertainment.
Or you can sit in a dark room with your neighbors while something unfolds in real time.
Yes, seeing a show supports local actors, musicians, designers, and technicians. It keeps stages lit and programs alive. But it also does something else.
It reminds us what it feels like to be present.
Want to be in the show, not just the audience?
Every kid you’ve ever seen in a Broadway tour started somewhere, usually a summer camp or a community drama school. Middle Tennessee has a deep bench of programs that train young performers, from week-long camps to year-round conservatories. Here are the ones we’d point a parent toward.
Summer camps and intensives
Belmont University Summer Theatre Camps. Belmont’s College of Music and Performing Arts runs intensive theater camps taught by college faculty and guest artists. The kind of program where serious teen performers go to get pushed.
Camp TPAC. TPAC’s summer day camp, run through their Inclusive Arts education department. Real teaching artists, real stage time, real costumes. For kids who want their first taste of what a professional theater building feels like.
Nashville Children’s Theatre Drama School. NCT’s year-round drama school plus summer camps. They’ve been doing this longer than most companies have existed, and the curriculum is built by people who actually program children’s theater for a living.
Metro Parks Theater Classes & Camps. Nashville’s Parks Department runs theater classes and camps year-round at multiple community centers. Affordable, accessible, and exactly what public arts funding should look like.
Nashville Theatre School. A dedicated training school running summer programs and showcase productions throughout the year. Built around the idea that kids who want to perform should have a school structured to help them perform.
Little Blue Theatre Summer Camps. Smaller, scrappier, and built specifically for younger kids who want to be on a stage. The kind of program that’s about discovery, not pre-professional pressure.
Year-round classes and youth companies
The Theater Bug. One of the most respected youth theater organizations in the city. They run year-round classes, mainstage productions written specifically for young performers, and the kind of programming that takes kids’ artistic voices seriously. Also worth following for their main season of shows, which are written and performed by Theater Bug ensembles.
ClassAct Dramatics. Street Theatre Company’s youth company, putting up real productions at real venues with real direction from Street’s artistic team. Their summer 2026 lineup included The Lightning Thief and Six the Musical, both at James Lawson High School.
Nashville Children’s Theatre Drama School. NCT runs classes throughout the school year alongside the summer camps. The pipeline from class to the actual NCT mainstage is real.
If your kid’s program isn’t on this list and should be, tell us at NashvilleBuyLocal@gmail.com.