THEATER
June 13 - 21, 2026
Sweet Mama: String Bean:
The Life and Times of Ethel Waters
Admission: $24+
This is a one-woman musical celebration of the legendary African American blues and jazz singer, actress, and cultural icon. The production tells the dramatic story of Ethel Waters’ rise from poverty in Chester, Pennsylvania, to becoming one of the most celebrated entertainers of the 20th century.
June 13 & 14
Willaim Peace University
15 E Peace St, Raleigh, NC ·
June 20 & 21
North Carolina Central University
1801 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC
Agape Theatre Project
www.agapetheatreproject.com
June 13 - 28, 2026
Shadows in Red Light
Admission: $10
A concert version of a new musical set during the AIDS epidemic in New York City. A single mother thinks she is placing her baby in foster care. Years later, as Angeline faces adversity, she longs to find her mother she believes abandoned her. Themes of hope, sacrifice, and belonging shape this story about love in its many forms.
Burning Coal Theatre
224 Polk St., Raleigh
919) 834-4001
www.burningcoal.org
August 21 - September 6, 2026
Jagged Little Pill
Admission: $23.31+
Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill: The Musical is an exhilarating new musical inspired by the themes and raw emotions laid bare in Alanis Morissette's seminal album of the same name. The Healys appear to be a picture-perfect suburban family – but looks can be deceiving. When the cracks beneath the surface begin to show, they must choose between maintaining the status quo or facing harsh truths about themselves, their community and the world around them. Mary Jane Healy is a high-achieving homemaker who will do anything for her family, including their adopted African American daughter Frankie, who is struggling to find her place in their lily-white community. But when the Healys’ lives begin to unravel, Mary Jane’s drive to keep her family together threatens to break them apart.
North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre
7713-51 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh
(919) 866-0228
www.nract.org
September 4 - 13, 2026
When Fear Knocks, Faith Opens the Door
Admission: TBA
In Detroit, a pastor risks his family's savings to revive his church. Although the congregation thrives, he must confront his faith, fear and his family's future.
Agape Theatre Project at Burning Coal Theatre
224 Polk St., Raleigh
www.agapetheatreproject.com
January 27 - February 14, 2027
The Piano Lesson
Admission: $20+
In 1936, a brother and sister clash over a priceless heirloom piano chronicling their family’s legacy. Sell it for land, or preserve it as history? August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama explores heritage, identity, and the cost of moving forward when the past refuses to stay silent.
PlayMakers Repertory Company
120 Country Club Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
www.playmakersrep.org
February 26 - March 14, 2027
The African Company Presents Richard III
Admission: TBA
In the Grand Ballroom of the first ever hotel in the United States, The African Company prepares to continue their run of Shakespeare’s Richard III. It has sold out its 300-person house six nights a week, but a leading NYC producer has plans for his own white Richard III and he’ll go to terrible lengths to remove the competition. Based on a true story forty years before the end of slavery.
The Justice Theater Project at Umstead Park UCC
8208 Brownleigh Drive, Raleigh
(919) 264-7089
www.thejusticetheaterproject.org
June 13 - 21, 2026
Sweet Mama: String Bean:
The Life and Times of Ethel Waters
Admission: $24+
This is a one-woman musical celebration of the legendary African American blues and jazz singer, actress, and cultural icon. The production tells the dramatic story of Ethel Waters’ rise from poverty in Chester, Pennsylvania, to becoming one of the most celebrated entertainers of the 20th century.
June 13 & 14
Willaim Peace University
15 E Peace St, Raleigh, NC ·
June 20 & 21
North Carolina Central University
1801 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC
Agape Theatre Project
www.agapetheatreproject.com
June 13 - 28, 2026
Shadows in Red Light
Admission: $10
A concert version of a new musical set during the AIDS epidemic in New York City. A single mother thinks she is placing her baby in foster care. Years later, as Angeline faces adversity, she longs to find her mother she believes abandoned her. Themes of hope, sacrifice, and belonging shape this story about love in its many forms.
Burning Coal Theatre
224 Polk St., Raleigh
919) 834-4001
www.burningcoal.org
August 21 - September 6, 2026
Jagged Little Pill
Admission: $23.31+
Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill: The Musical is an exhilarating new musical inspired by the themes and raw emotions laid bare in Alanis Morissette's seminal album of the same name. The Healys appear to be a picture-perfect suburban family – but looks can be deceiving. When the cracks beneath the surface begin to show, they must choose between maintaining the status quo or facing harsh truths about themselves, their community and the world around them. Mary Jane Healy is a high-achieving homemaker who will do anything for her family, including their adopted African American daughter Frankie, who is struggling to find her place in their lily-white community. But when the Healys’ lives begin to unravel, Mary Jane’s drive to keep her family together threatens to break them apart.
North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre
7713-51 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh
(919) 866-0228
www.nract.org
September 4 - 13, 2026
When Fear Knocks, Faith Opens the Door
Admission: TBA
In Detroit, a pastor risks his family's savings to revive his church. Although the congregation thrives, he must confront his faith, fear and his family's future.
Agape Theatre Project at Burning Coal Theatre
224 Polk St., Raleigh
www.agapetheatreproject.com
January 27 - February 14, 2027
The Piano Lesson
Admission: $20+
In 1936, a brother and sister clash over a priceless heirloom piano chronicling their family’s legacy. Sell it for land, or preserve it as history? August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama explores heritage, identity, and the cost of moving forward when the past refuses to stay silent.
PlayMakers Repertory Company
120 Country Club Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
www.playmakersrep.org
February 26 - March 14, 2027
The African Company Presents Richard III
Admission: TBA
In the Grand Ballroom of the first ever hotel in the United States, The African Company prepares to continue their run of Shakespeare’s Richard III. It has sold out its 300-person house six nights a week, but a leading NYC producer has plans for his own white Richard III and he’ll go to terrible lengths to remove the competition. Based on a true story forty years before the end of slavery.
The Justice Theater Project at Umstead Park UCC
8208 Brownleigh Drive, Raleigh
(919) 264-7089
www.thejusticetheaterproject.org