Theatre Woodstock’s 2025/2026 lineup include musicals, classic literature, and thriller-comedy

(Left to right) Emil Wijnker and Joanna Kennedy, president and vice-president of Theatre Woodstock, are looking forward to presenting the upcoming season. (Emily Stewart Photo)

Emily Stewart, Echo Correspondent

The current season still has a few more shows to go, but Theatre Woodstock has opened the curtain on its lineup for next season.

The group held its Role Out on April 16 at the Market Centre Theatre announcing the 2025/2026 season, after it elected new members to its Board of Directors.

"It's coming to fruition after all of these months of hard work being a new executive since last January. There have been a lot of pieces of a play to put together, and we've had to do that relatively quickly because of the public demand for more entertainment. We're really glad to see all that come together here and be able to show off this new season ahead,” said vice-president Joanna Kennedy.

The upcoming season kicks off with Deadline, a murder-mystery comedy by Don Zolidis from October 16 to 27. The classic tale of the March sisters, Little Women, will be on stage between Nov. 28 and Dec. 7.

Following the success of the past two seasons, Theatre Woodstock will present another iconic musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, from Feb. 20 to March 1.

“I love that we're getting into doing the adult musicals every year,” said artistic director Shannon Wijnker. “We had amazing success with Cinderella and then we had Cabaret and now I'm super excited to do Jesus Christ Superstar. It's going to be different than what people would normally see.”

The musical announcement comes after Theatre Woodstock’s Cabaret nabbed 15 Western Ontario Drama League (WODL) Award nominations. My Old Lady also earned a nomination for Outstanding Set Design and Execution. Theatre Woodstock will present My Old Lady once more at the WODL Festival on May 16 at Leamington’s Bank Theatre.

From April 17 to 26, The 39 Steps, a spy-driven play serving as an Alfred Hitchcock satire with Monty Python-Esque humour, will take the stage.

The Seniors STAGES show for 2026 will be The Addams Family Musical from May 22 to 31. The show was supposed to run years prior but was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

"We're so excited for next season. We've got many new artistic teams joining us in the theatre. Many familiar faces. Some shows that we're putting on for the very first time in a very long time and some shows that we know our communities are going to be very excited to see,” said president Emil Wijnker.

The STAGES youth theatre program shows for 2025/2026 were also announced. Its summer camp show, Disney’s Dare to Dream JR, will occur from Aug. 5 to 23. In 2026, STAGES will present Into the Woods JR and A Mixed Up Fairy Tale from Jan. 22 to 25 and then The Music Man Kids and Alice at Wonderland from June 11 to 14.

The evening’s Role Out featured performances from the current season’s shows like 101 Dalmatians Kids, My Old Lady, Cabaret, and We Will Rock You JR. 101 Dalmatians Kids will run from May 2 to May 4 alongside Romeo and Juliet or the Old “You-Know-I-Really-Love-You-But-My-Father-Really-Hates-You” Blues as part of STAGES. Ben Shalley, director of 101 Dalmatians, said the rehearsals are going well so far.

"All of the kids are so enthusiastic and they're also happy to be there. They're so fantastic and they're doing such a good job,” said Shalley.

Arthur, one of the actors involved in the show, sang a solo of “Cruella de Vil” to kick off the 2025/2026 season announcement. Shalley said the solo performance is different from what will be performed on stage.

"He only sings the first little part by himself, and the rest of the entire ensemble joins in later, but he wanted to go above and beyond and do the entire thing by himself and he did a fantastic job,” he explained.

Shalley, who performed in Seniors STAGES’ production of Something Rotten! in 2024, is directing a show for the first time. He spoke highly of his experienced team for helping him put the show together.

"My team is beyond fantastic, and I love working with every single one of them,” he explained.

More information, including subscription packages, can be found by visiting https://theatrewoodstock.com.

Tickets for STAGES’ 101 Dalmatians Kids and Romeo and Juliet are $20 for adults, $15 for students, and $12 for youth 12 years old and under and can be purchased online on the Theatre Woodstock website, at the box office on 22 Reeve Street or by calling 519-537-2582.