A Noise Within’s 2026 – 27 Season Those Better Angels from Top clockwise: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, “Come From Away”, “A Christmas Carol”, “As You Like It”, “Great Expectations”, “Trouble in Mind”. [Courtesy of A Noise Within]
“Inspired by Lincoln’s call to be our best selves, this season explores empathy and the enduring human capacity for compassion,” said co-artistic directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. “Each of these stories reminds us of the power we have to choose connection, understanding and hope, and of the better instincts that guide us toward one another.”
The season opens August 29 with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” August Wilson’s searing drama set in a 1927 Chicago recording studio. The play is the third chronologically in Wilson’s ten-play “American Century Cycle” exploring the Black experience in America decade by decade. Returning company director Gregg T. Daniel, who has helmed six previous Wilson productions for ANW, takes the reins for a seventh time. (August 29 – September 20; previews August 23 – August 28.)
Daniel also closes the season with “Trouble in Mind,” Alice Childress’s backstage drama about interracial politics. Set in a 1950s New York theater, the play follows gifted African American actress Wiletta Mayer as she navigates compromise and ambition in a newly integrated company rehearsing a so-called progressive drama. (May 8 – May 30; previews May 2 – May 7.)
Rodriguez-Elliott directs an intimate, up-close rendition of “Come From Away,” the Olivier Award-winning musical based on the true story of Gander, Newfoundland, where residents opened their homes to thousands of passengers after 38 planes were diverted on September 11, 2001. (October 10 – November 1; previews October 4 – October 9.)
Rodriguez-Elliott and Elliott co-direct the company’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” returning November 28 through December 24 with an entirely new set design. Resident artist Susan Angelo directs “As You Like It,” Shakespeare’s romantic comedy about love, disguise and justice in the Forest of Arden. (February 13 – March 7; previews February 7 – February 12.)
Rodriguez-Elliott rounds out the season with a new staging of Neil Bartlett’s adaptation of “Great Expectations,” running March 27 through April 18. The production revisits a work the company considers seminal to its history, following orphan Pip’s journey from poverty to fortune and the moral choices that define his character. (Previews March 21 – March 26.)
The Los Angeles Times has called A Noise Within “an oasis for those who love classic stories.” The company performs at its 324-seat venue in Pasadena, runs education programs serving diverse audiences of all ages, and is committed to strengthening its anti-racist practice across the organization. Season subscriptions are on sale now, with savings of up to 28 percent. Single tickets go on sale June 9. For information, call (626) 356-3100 or visit anoisewithin.org.
