Pioneer Theatre Company announces 2025–26 season of Broadway hits, new works, and classic comedy
Pioneer Theatre Company has announced its 2025–26 season, a six-show lineup that blends major Broadway musicals, a classic farce, a world premiere, and contemporary dramas. The professional theatre in residence at the University of Utah will present productions in both the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre and the Meldrum Theatre.
The season opens in September with 2 Pianos 4 Hands, written by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. The two-actor play with music tells the story of aspiring young pianists chasing their dreams of classical stardom, only to confront the limits of talent, ambition, and reality. Featuring music from Bach to Billy Joel, the show showcases the performers as they portray dozens of characters, combining comedy, heart, and impressive musicianship.
In October, PTC brings Dear Evan Hansen to the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre. The Tony Award–winning musical explores anxiety, isolation, and the yearning for connection in the digital age. The themes of hidden truths and the struggle for acceptance have made the show especially meaningful to LGBTQ+ youth, many of whom have embraced its anthem “You Will Be Found.” Pioneer Theatre Company’s staging marks the first time the blockbuster will be produced locally by a professional Utah company.
December brings Michael Frayn’s Noises Off, often described as one of the funniest plays ever written. The farce depicts the unraveling of a fictional theatre company as they attempt to stage a farcical production of their own. Backstage drama collides with onstage disaster, producing slamming doors, missed cues, and escalating chaos. Noises Off last appeared on Pioneer Theatre Company’s stage in 2007.
The new year brings the season’s most directly LGBTQ+ work: the world premiere of Ten Brave Seconds, a new musical by Jeff Talbott and Will Van Dyke. Opening January 30, 2026, the show follows a single day in which a teenager’s secret comes to light, altering a family and community forever. At its core, the musical explores the bravery it takes to step into authenticity — a narrative closely tied to coming-out experiences. Pioneer Theatre Company has a strong record of developing new work, and this world premiere underscores its role as an incubator for fresh stories that reflect contemporary struggles, including queer identity.
In March, Rajiv Joseph’s King James takes the stage at the Meldrum Theatre. The play traces the friendship of two men over more than a decade, bonded through their admiration for basketball star LeBron James. While the central narrative revolves around fandom and friendship, the work digs into the intimacy and vulnerability of male relationships — subject matter often coded as taboo in traditional masculinity, but increasingly recognized in queer cultural conversations. The show runs March 20–April 4, 2026.
Closing the season is the Utah premiere of Come From Away, running April 24–May 9, 2026. The Tony-nominated musical tells the true story of thousands of airline passengers diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, in the days after 9/11. Among the many characters is a gay couple navigating both fear and unexpected kindness in a small town. Their inclusion — part of the tapestry of real passengers’ lives — is one of the ways the show affirms LGBTQ+ visibility within a broader narrative of human connection. For many audiences, Come From Away has become a story about the power of empathy across difference.
Full-season and flexible subscription packages are available. Options include Pick-3, Pick-4, and Pick-5 passes, along with discounted programs such as PTClub, which offers half-price subscriptions for patrons 35 and under. Rush passes and senior discounts remain available, continuing Pioneer Theatre Company’s effort to keep professional theatre accessible to a broad audience.
Accessibility is also built into the season’s offerings, with American Sign Language–interpreted performances scheduled for productions including 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Noises Off, Ten Brave Seconds, and Come From Away.
Since its founding in 1962, Pioneer Theatre Company has established itself as a leading professional theatre in the Mountain West, often serving as a launching pad for new plays and musicals while also producing classic and contemporary works. With the 2025–26 season, artistic director Karen Azenberg and her team have curated a program that moves between laughter and heartbreak, nostalgia and innovation.
“This season reflects the breadth of what theatre can offer,” Azenberg said in announcing the lineup. “From a world premiere musical to beloved comedies and some of Broadway’s most impactful stories, our goal is to give Utah audiences experiences that will stay with them long after the curtain comes down.”
Performances will take place at both the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre and the Meldrum Theatre at the Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse. Tickets for individual productions will go on sale later this year, with subscription packages currently available through the Pioneer Theatre Company box office and website.
More info at pioneertheatre.org
