As you pull out your flannels and dust off your pumpkin decor, the performers, crew and staff at the local arts organizations schedule rehearsals, order costumes and put the final touches on shows.
With several state and world debuts as well as countless special guests, the 2025-26 performing arts season in central Ohio will keep audiences engaged and coming back for more.
Matthew Murphy
Broadway in Columbus
The 2025-26 season for Broadway in Columbus is full of award-winning shows, ranging from The Outsiders to The Sound of Music. This jam-packed season kicks off with a show that has captivated audiences since it opened in London in 2016.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child follows the life of Harry Potter’s son, Albus, as he and his friend Scorpius Malfoy, Draco’s son, attend Hogwarts. When attempting to right some wrongs and show their worth as wizards, the two time-travel back to stop the death of Cedric Diggory and change the lives of more than just the Diggory family.
Audiences will see a reimagined version of the original two-part play that condenses the show into a singular part with even more magic than before. This version has only been touring since the fall of 2021, making Columbus one of the first markets to host it.
Save the date: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is at the Ohio Theatre Oct. 12-26.
Opera Columbus
In its journey to make opera accessible to more people, Opera Columbus is introducing vibrating vests for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as sensory-friendly kits to support neurodiverse audiences.
For the first time in more than two decades, Opera Columbus returns to Mershon Auditorium at the Wexner Center for the Arts in October. The Anonymous Lover performances in February will be at the Palace Theatre, a location the company has also not visited for 15 years.
The upcoming season welcomes back special guests from recent seasons – including Cecilia Violetta López, Monica Danilov, Dane Suarez and Richard Ollarsaba – as well as the Ohio debut of The Old Man and the Sea, a piece from the nationally renowned contemporary opera group the Beth Morrison Projects.
Save the date: The Old Man and the Sea, a collaboration piece with the Wexner Center for the Arts, is at Mershon Auditorium Oct. 10 and 12.
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
After a national search following Denise Rehg’s departure last August, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra heads into the 2025-26 season with new Chief Executive Officer Maureen O’Brien.
O’Brien joined the orchestra this summer, bringing years of experience following her decade-long tenure as the executive vice president for institutional advancement at the New World Symphony in Miami.
The orchestra joins CAPA and Opera Columbus for a co-production of La Traviata. The show follows the love story of a celebrated courtesan named Violetta Valéry and a man named Alfredo Germont as they navigate a world filled with love, sacrifice and societal judgment.
Save the date: La Traviata is at the Ohio Theatre on April 25 and 26.
Shadowbox Live
Following some 2024 lighting and sound equipment updates, the cast and crew at Shadowbox Live are ready for the organization’s 37th year.
The new fan favorite Sleepy Hollow: An American Ghost Story will return to open the 2025-26 season. This adaptation of Washington Irving’s classic tale debuted last fall, sharing the creepy tale of the Headless Horseman.
Save the date: Sleepy Hollow: An American Ghost Story is at Shadowbox Live from Sept. 7-Nov. 16.
BalletMet
After welcoming its new artistic director, Remi Wörtmeyer, shortly before the start of the 2024-25 season, BalletMet starts the 2025-26 season with Wörtmeyer leading the charge.
The group will kick off the season with the world premiere of a mixed-repertoire ballet, featuring three short ballets titled Miroirs, Concerto Mondrian and Rite of Spring. Choreographed by and named after Wörtmeyer himself, REMI REMI REMI offers viewers a taste of what is to come from the new director.
The Rite of Spring ballet is a collaboration between Wörtmeyer and Columbus artist Lance Johnson, a mixed-media artist whose work has been featured all around Columbus.
Save the date: REMI REMI REMI is at the Davidson Theatre Oct. 17-25.
Jazz Arts Group
Jazz Arts Group
The Columbus Jazz Orchestra will dedicate its Oct. 2 concert to its new grand piano. Titled after the jazz standard tune “A Handful of Keys,” the concert features local legends including Bobby Floyd, Robert Mason, Tony Hagood and Dave Powers.
Looking for a more casual and intimate place to enjoy JAG? Catch the group at Natalie’s Grandview for a Jam Session. Intended to create a community-focused, curated event, Jam Sessions are hosted by JAG’s Jazz Academy Faculty with an open invitation for jazz musicians of all ages and experience levels to sign up and participate.
Sean Jones – a trumpeter, educator and composer – joins JAG for a one-week residency that will include a performance at Lincoln Theatre and educational activities with students at Capital University.
Save the date: Sean Jones performs with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra on April 9 at 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre.
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
Entering its fourth consecutive year, the Neighborhood Series opens the 2025-26 season at ProMusica with two performances. Vadim Gluzman joins the group for its performances of Schubert’s Octet on Oct. 11 and 12.
Paul Rissmann, the mind behind the innovative program of NAKED CLASSICS – which returns to the Southern Theatre May 15 – will have a new commissioned piece featured this season. The world premiere of FLOW: Variations Over Time debuts this October during the season’s opener.
The concerts will also feature Grammy-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck. Fleck is known for pushing the boundaries of the instrument, including it in genres such as bluegrass and jazz as well as classical and world music.
Save the date: Béla Fleck performs Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at the Southern Theatre Oct. 18 and 19.
Chamber Music Columbus
Chamber Music Columbus
For its 78th season, Chamber Music Columbus welcomes two new board members, Jochen McEvoy and Austin Spillman, who joined in May and bring years of experience in the field.
Outside of their work with Chamber Music, McEvoy is the instrumental music director at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School, while Spillman is an adjunct professor of saxophone at Muskingum University as well as the operations and education assistant for ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.
In October, the organization welcomes the 2023 Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8. The ensemble is known for its a cappella concerts as well as its philanthropic work through its music education charity, the VOCES8 Foundation.
Save the date: VOCES8 performs at the Southern Theatre Oct. 25.
The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio (formerly CATCO)
Thanks to a Capital Improvement Grant awarded by the Greater Columbus Arts Council last November, The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio has purchased and installed new lighting and sound equipment ahead of this upcoming season.
To close out the 2025-26 season this spring, former CATCO Founding Artistic Director Geoff Nelson returns to perform in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust.
Centered around Kenneth, a man of routine, the play unfolds as the bookstore where Kenneth works shuts its doors. Left without a job or a routine, Kenneth is forced to face the inevitable changes life has thrown at him.
Save the date: Primary Trust is at Studio One in the Riffe Center April 23-May 10.
Wexner Center for the Arts
Wexner Center for the Arts
The 2025-26 performance arts season at the Wexner Center for the Arts welcomes 15 multidisciplinary performances ranging from dance and theater to jazz and opera. The performances feature local performers and artists from around the world, such as Puerto Rican somatic dancer-choreographer Marion Ramirez and Black Chamoru (Guåhan) dancer-anthropologist Ojeya Cruz Banks.
The season also includes several collaborations with organizations such as Opera Columbus and The Ohio State University’s School of Music.
One such collaboration with Opera Columbus includes the performance of a reimagined version of Hemingway’s classic The Old Man and the Sea. The unique use of lighting, sound and eight pools of water helps audiences explore their relationship with the ocean.
Save the date: The Old Man and the Sea is at the Mershon Auditorium Oct. 10 and 12.
Short North Stage
Guests will be excited to see some fan favorites returning and some well-known shows making their debut on the Garden Theatre Main Stage.
The 2025-26 season welcomes several musicals centered around historical events, including 9/11 (Green Day’s American Idiot and Come From Away) as well as the Vietnam War (Miss Saigon). The season also brings some whimsy with fantastical shows such as The Rocky Horror Show, coming back for its eighth year, and The Wiz.
Dust off your dictionary as you prepare for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, following the lives of six prepubescent students as they vie to be crowned the champion. Be warned, you may be pulled in as a guest speller during the audience participation portion.
Save the date: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is at the Garden Theatre May 14-June 7.
Suburban Spotlight
The McConnell Arts Center
Location: Worthington
Offerings: Visual art galleries, classes, films, live performances and the MAC Family Series, including a sensory-inclusive performance. The MAC is partnering with Ohio Goes to the Movies, in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, to show Best in Show, featuring Worthington native actress Rachael Harris.
Save the date: Nationally-acclaimed bluegrass group The Seldom Scene performs with Ramblin’ Bluegrass Ensemble in November.
Little Theatre Off Broadway
Location: Grove City
Offerings: Musicals and plays put on by local talent, as well as some youth theater opportunities.
Save the date: The radio play of It’s A Wonderful Life is at Little Theatre Off Broadway Nov. 7-23.
New Albany Symphony Orchestra
Location: New Albany
New Albany Symphony Orchestra
Offerings: Additional performances have been added, including an October concert featuring the New Albany Chorus and guest soloists, as well as a second date for Holiday Spectacular. Sensory-Friendly Saturdays continue, allowing those on the autism spectrum, in the dementia/Alzheimer’s community, or little ones who like to move and wiggle the ability to enjoy the music. Check out page 18 to read more about these accessible performances.
Save the date: Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Renée Fleming performs as part of the Great Artist Gala at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts on April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Abbey Theater
Abbey Theater
Location: Dublin
Offerings: Musicals and plays put on by local talent, including youth theater options. Partnerships with other organizations, such as the LGBTQIA+ focused Evolution Theatre Company and the nonprofit company Original Productions Theatre, Inc.
Save the date: The world premiere of The Witch of November is at the Dublin Community Recreation Center Nov. 7-16.
Pickerington Community Theatre
Pickerington Community Theatre
Location: Pickerington
Offerings: Musicals and plays put on by local talent and a youth summer camp known as Missoula Children’s Theatre.
Save the date: Clue: On Stage is at The Wigwam Event Center this fall.
Otterbein University Theatre
Location: Westerville
Offerings: The Department of Theatre & Dance at Otterbein University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and presents several musicals and plays throughout each academic year, including The Launch: A Senior Cabaret, a collection of the favorite monologues, scenes, songs and dances of the 2026 graduating class.
Save the date: All My Sons is at Cowan Hall Feb. 12-15 and 19-21.
