Current Season
University Theatre 2026-2027 Season
Support provided by the Anonymous Fund, Brittingham Fund, the School of Education One School Innovation Fund, and Friends of University Theatre.
- Director: Micha Espinosa, Professor UW-Madison Department of Theatre and Drama
- October 15-25, 2026, Ronald E. Mitchell Theatre
- The Compass is a groundbreaking, live interactive performance that explores the intersection of technology and decision-making. At the center of The Compass is a trial, determining the fate of a young person who used the app to make a life-altering decision. In this play, every show will end differently, depending on what you, the audience, decide. Join us as we navigate the question: When someone else, or something else, tells you what to do, what exactly are you responsible for?
- Director: Audrey Lauren Standish, Teaching Faculty UW-Madison Department of Theatre and Drama
- November 19-22, December 3-6, 2026, Ronald E. Mitchell Theatre
- Urinetown is a hilarious musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, environmental collapse, privatization of natural resources, bureaucracy, municipal politics, and musical theatre itself. Ina big city, a terrible water shortage leads to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!
- Director: Erica Berman, Guest Artist
- March 4-14, 2027, Ronald E. Mitchell Theatre
- She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.
- Director: David Furumoto, Emeritus Professor UW-Madison Department of Theatre and Drama
- April 15-25, 2027, Gilbert V. Hemsley Theatre
- In a world where science, art, and love intersect, a scientist and a filmmaker pursuing their dream research in Antarctica’s fragile environment suddenly find their lives disrupted. A tragedy forces the couple to examine the lives they’ve built for themselves, while healing the deep wounds that climate change has inflicted on them and the people around them. Inspired by conversations with marine biologist James McClintock, and set in Ushuaia, Argentina, Palmer Station in Antarctica and the American South, this gripping new play by Caridad Svich will leave you breathless and inspired.