As the Columbus art scene welcomes a new season, it brings with it several anniversaries, from 15 years of operations to 100 years of hosting shows.
It is all possible thanks to partners – such as the Greater Columbus Arts Council, which awarded more than $6 million to performing arts groups this year – as well as the hundreds of staff, volunteers and patrons who support them.
Broadway in Columbus
Matthew Murphy/Evan Zimmerman
Maybe Happy Ending
With each season, Broadway in Columbus presents a mixture of new and fan-favorite shows, says CAPA President and CEO Chad Whittington, while increasing run times when possible.
“It’s all done in the spirit of making sure we’re providing enough capacity to meet the demand here in central Ohio,” Whittington says. “We’ll continue to… try and expand our capacity in various ways over the next couple of years, to make sure we’re serving the community.”
As a Tony Awards voter, Whittington is very excited for the breadth of options in the 2026-27 season, ranging from new award-winning show Maybe Happy Ending to family-friendly classic Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Can’t Miss: The Great Gatsby, Feb. 23-March 3, 2027, Ohio Theatre
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
Randall Schieber
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
CSO
Columbus Symphony Orchestra welcomes its 75th season with an air of celebration and gratitude, says CEO Maureen O’Brien.
From its Cardinal Health Masterworks Series to Picnic with the Pops each summer, the orchestra always works to meet audiences where they are, O’Brien says.
“Whether you have small kids or you’ve been coming for decades or you’re new, what we want (is for) everybody to feel like there’s something to draw them in,” she says.
The orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall for the first time in 25 years with a newly commissioned world premiere titled Mysteries, Anthems & Victories, featuring Grammy Award-nominated bass-baritone Davóne Tines.
Can’t Miss: Mysteries, Anthems & Victories, Oct. 23-24, Ohio Theatre
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
Short North Stage
Kyle Long Photography
The Short North Stage celebrates its 15th season with newly renovated behind-the-scenes and patron-facing spaces in the Garden Theatre, as well as a brand-new stage.
Producing Artistic Director Edward Carignan says the 2026-27 season welcomes back several fan favorites and some long-requested shows.
This fall, the troupe debuts Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a show the team waited to add to the repertoire until they could deliver the version they wanted, Carignan says.
“I’m very excited that we’re finally at a place in our growth where we can produce something of that scale and do it well,” he says.
Can’t Miss: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sept. 24-Oct. 18, Garden Theatre
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
Shadowbox Live
Buzz Crisafulli
Speak of the Devil: Shadows and Sounds of Ozzy and Black Sabbath
Shadowbox Live closes out 2026 with new theater screens and a new choreographer, as well as the return of Nicholas Wilson.
In addition to Holiday Hoopla, CEO Stacie Boord, says the company is excited to present two new Halloween-themed shows this fall: a sketch-comedy production and a tribute show, Speak of the Devil: Shadows and Sounds of Ozzy and Black Sabbath.
“We’re creating a Halloween experience that is using the music of Ozzy and Black Sabbath as the thread, and we’re really excited because it’s a different approach than what we had before,” Boord says.
Can’t Miss: Speak of the Devil: Shadows and Sounds of Ozzy and Black Sabbath, Sept. 10-Nov. 15, Shadowbox Live
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
BalletMet
BalletMet
Swan Lake
As Remi Wörtmeyer enters his third year as the artistic director of BalletMet, he’s excited about organizational changes and the upcoming season’s theme: icons.
From opportunities for young choreographers to an abridged, family-friendly show, the season is meant to highlight the organization’s future and acknowledge its past, Wörtmeyer says.
“I think that it’s really important that we continue to do new ballets,” he says, “but we also want to respect the past, the traditions of ballet and the traditions of the organization.”
In recognition of the season’s theme and the show’s 150th anniversary, BalletMet will perform a newly choreographed version of Swan Lake, co-commissioned alongside Atlanta Ballet.
Can’t Miss: Swan Lake, Feb. 19-21, Ohio Theatre
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
Opera Columbus
Opera Columbus
General Director and CEO Julia Noulin-Mérat says Opera Columbus’ 45th season welcomes fan favorites alongside several new shows.
While Noulin-Mérat is personally excited for next April’s The Shining, as the original Stephen King book reaches its 50th anniversary, she says the season’s opener Pirates! The Penzance Musical celebrates Columbus’ art scene.
“In looking ahead, CAPA asked us, ‘Hey, the Palace (Theatre) is turning 100. Is there anything special we could be doing together?’ And that’s how the idea of Pirates came to be,” she says.
Making its first appearance since its run on Broadway, the show features the Opera Columbus debut of local drag queen Nina West.
Can’t Miss: Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Nov. 6 and 8, Palace Theatre
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
Columbus Jazz
Columbus Jazz
Dan Wilson
Columbus Jazz’s season includes its Columbus Jazz Presents with the Wexner Center for the Arts, and its free, community-based PBJ & Jazz, which will be at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s main branch through the winter.
Following its popularity, CEO Katy Coy says, the group is excited to add more Jam Session series.
With all the performances around town, Coy is particularly excited for the return of guitarist Dan Wilson, who will join the Columbus Jazz Orchestra alongside vocalist Jonathan Elliott.
“It feels like (Wilson’s) communicating with you when he’s playing his guitar,” Coy says, “and it’s so nuanced and thoughtful, and has so many feelings in it.”
Can’t Miss: Guitar Greats, Feb. 12-14, Southern Theatre
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio
The Contemporary
Producing Artistic Director Leda Hoffmann says many of this season’s shows center around the idea of finding community, from a satire about a mumps outbreak to Hoffmann’s personal favorite play, John Proctor is the Villain.
The ensemble hopes to support discussions among the community, she says, by bringing back talk-backs and panel discussions for crowds to participate in.
“I think that this whole season is going to help us as a community, as central Ohio, think about the way that we talk to each other,” Hoffmann says. “And that, when you need support, there really are people right there who are happy to help you.”
Can’t Miss: Jagged Little Pill, Sept. 17-Oct. 4, Studio One at Riffe Center Theatres
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
Columbus Arena Sports & Entertainment
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
Rich Buchanan
As ProMusica Chamber Orchestra enters its 48th season, CEO Janet Chen – who is celebrating 20 years with the organization – says it will continue to present pieces by well-known composers and highlight artists from newer generations.
“We want audiences to leave after the concert feeling like they’ve experienced something that they wouldn’t have been able to experience either elsewhere or sitting at home,” Chen says.
The orchestra is excited to welcome back Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad to perform another of her commissioned pieces, which will feature the Grammy-winning percussion quartet Third Coast Percussion.
Can’t Miss: PLAY! & Schubert’s Third, Dec. 12 and 13, Southern Theatre
Find the rest of the 2026-27 season here.
Wexner Center for the Arts
Wexner Center for the Arts
adaku, part 2
This year welcomes a range of topics, from a stand-up comedy dissecting American consumerism, featuring a live ASL interpretation, to a jazz concert featuring the Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in his final season as artistic director.
With unique shows in queue such as the French production La vie secrète des vieux, Senior Producers Elena Perantoni and Kathleen Felder are especially excited to be a part of bringing the pieces to life, they say, including the world premiere of Wex-commissioned piece adaku, part 2, centering on a family’s connection to the transatlantic slave trade.
Can’t Miss: adaku, part 2, Oct. 20-22, Wexner Center for the Arts
Suburban Spotlight
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The McConnell Arts Center
Ballet Folclorico Xochihua
The McConnell Arts Center
This season welcomes back the bluegrass music series and the Mad, Mad Men Swingin’ Holiday Show, along with performances from new dance groups through the Cultural Connections Series and multidisciplinary performances in conjunction with the visual arts exhibitions.
Can’t Miss: Ballet Folclorico Xochihua, Feb. 20, The McConnell Arts Center
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The Abbey Theater of Dublin
To close out its 2026 season, The Abbey Theater of Dublin welcomes the dramatic comedy play The Velocity of Autumn and the musical adaptation of a 2003 Disney film with Finding Nemo Jr. & Finding Nemo Kids.
Can’t Miss: The Velocity of Autumn, Sept. 25-27 and Oct. 1-4, Abbey Theater
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Little Theatre Off Broadway
The Little Theatre Off Broadway’s 2026-27 season includes a murderous play inspired by Agatha Christie’s work, two humorous holiday musicals and comedic play set in 1930s Paris.
Can’t Miss: Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy Of Tenors, Jan. 15-31, Little Theatre Off Broadway
James DeCamp
New Albany Symphony Orchestra
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New Albany Symphony Orchestra
The New Albany Symphony Orchestra 2026-27 season includes seven performances, with three sensory-friendly series shows; Musical America’s 2026 Artist of the Year, pianist Emanuel Ax; and the return of internationally acclaimed violinist Isabelle Durrenberger.
Can’t Miss: The Singing Rooms, Oct. 11, Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts
Rachel Hanz is the lead editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rhanz@cityscenemediagroup.com.
