The regular season features five shows and the Lab Series. On the Main Stage, audiences of all ages will delight in “Anne of Green Gables,” the triumphant story of a willful girl from Canada’s rugged coast. A fantastical dance show will be a journey into folk tales, myths and legends. Audiences of all ages will be thrilled by The SpongBob Musical, a musical explosion emanating from a pineapple under the sea. And, two boundary-pushing shows in the black-box Dudley Experimental Theatre will explore the healing power of love amid profound loss.
Department Head Rebecca Katz Harwood shares, “From intimate, character-driven dramas to bold, larger-than-life spectacles, this season weaves together heartfelt nostalgia, stories of resilience, celebrations of community, and bursts of irrepressible joy. On behalf of all the students, faculty, and staff who bring our shows to life, we look forward to welcoming you to an unforgettable year at the Marshall Performing Arts Center.”
“Looking at the selections for our upcoming theatre season, I’m struck by all the opportunities for transformative experiences for audience members and for our students, both onstage and off,” says Jennifer Brady — Interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “We hope the Twin Ports community will join us again and again this year to support our students and delight in their talent.”
In addition to the regular season, UMD Theatre will present a one night special event in honor of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the ore freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the concert “Gales of November.” UMD’s Marshall Performing Arts Center will be the only venue in our region hosting the current tour of this powerful and evocative show.
All performances are at the Marshall Performing Arts Center (MPAC) at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Tickets, including season subscriptions, will go on sale this summer.
Anne of Green Gables
Adapted by Peter DeLaurier
Directed by Guest Artist Julie Ahasay
October 10-12 & 15-18, 2025
Marshall Performing Arts Center Main Stage
When aging brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert send to an orphanage in Nova Scotia for a boy to help them on the farm, they get more than they bargained for: hot-headed, 11-year-old Anne Shirley. Over the course of six years, this imaginative, brilliant, and energetic girl wins their hearts and turns a stodgy, rural Canadian community into a bright world of kindred spirits. This swift yet theatrical adaptation of the classic novel is an all-ages crowd-pleaser.
The Gales of November
Music and Lyrics by Eric Peltoniemi
Text by Steven Dietz, from his original play “Ten November”
Additional material by Kevin Kling
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Marshall Performing Arts Center Main Stage
“Gales of November” features the haunting music and sublime lyrics of composer Eric Peltoniemi, and select scenes and monologues from the original play by Pulitzer prize-nominated playwright Steven Dietz. Vocalists Prudence Johnson, Claudia Schmidt and Ruth MacKenzie perform as three widows, singing of love, loss, and life on the lakes. Beloved storyteller and actor Kevin Kling delivers a narrative that shifts between fantasy and reality, with amazing tales of Great Lakes lore and the stories of others who were on the Lake that fateful night. [description provided by the tour creative team]
The Women of Lockerbie
By Deborah Brevoort
Directed by Matthew Olsen
November 14-16 & 19- 22, 2025
Marshall Performing Arts Center Dudley Experimental Theater
A mother from New Jersey roams the hills of Lockerbie, Scotland, looking for any remains of her son, who was lost in the crash of Pan Am 103. She meets a group of local women who are fighting the U.S. government to obtain the clothing of the victims found in the plane’s wreckage so they can wash and return them to their families. Loosely inspired by a true story and written in the structure of a Greek tragedy, the show is a poetic drama about the triumph of love over hate.
Dancing Tales
Artistic Directed by Rebecca Katz Harwood
February 13-15, 2026
Marshall Performing Arts Center Main Stage
Our Main Stage dance concert returns with the theme Dancing Tales, exploring the worlds of folk and fairy tales, myths, and legends. The concert will feature faculty, guest, and student choreography in original dances showcasing a range of styles and moods, offering fresh takes on stories old and new.
The Baltimore Waltz
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Jenna Soleo-Shanks
March 6-7, & 17-22, 2026
Marshall Performing Arts Center Dudley Experimental Theater
When Anna is diagnosed with a fatal malady, she and her brother Carl take flight to Europe. Anna drowns herself in sensual pleasures, while Carl becomes involved in a wild espionage scheme to find a cure for his sister. As fantasy collapses into reality, the play blends humor and grief. Written at the height of the AIDS epidemic by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel, this powerful and narratively inventive play tells a story about the lengths of a sister’s love.
The SpongeBob Musical
By Tina Landau & Kyle Jarrow / Music by various artists
Directed by Matthew Wagner
April 17-19 & 22-25, 2026
Marshall Performing Arts Center Main Stage
The citizens of Bikini Bottom must come together to save the fate of their undersea world in this charming musical based on the beloved animated series. A most unexpected hero will rise to the tune of songs by Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, Aerosmith, and David Bowie, among others.
Lab Series
Ongoing
Now in its third season, UMD Theatre’s Lab Series offers intimate, stripped down productions. Stay tuned for announcements about these DIY experiences.