Barrington Stage Co. and Chester Theatre Co. Announce 2026 Seasons

The Berkshire theater season is finally beginning to feel near, especially as more companies announce their intriguing spring-summer lineups. In Pittsfield, Barrington Stage Company has announced an ambitious eight-play season that mixes world premieres with canonical American works. In Chester, the intimate Chester Theatre Company continues its tradition of presenting contemporary plays that place language and performance at the center of the experience.

The Barrington Stage Company

Barrington Stage’s season is shared between the Boyd-Quinson Theater (30 Union Street, Pittsfield) and the St. Germain Stage (36 Linden Street, Pittsfield). Artistic director Alan Paul described the lineup as a reflection of the current social moment. “BSC’s season is a thrilling reflection of who we are right now as a society, wrestling with division and longing for connection,” he says.

The St. Germain Stage season opens with Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize–winning "Driving Miss Daisy" (May 27–June 21), a portrait of the evolving friendship between an elderly Jewish woman and the Black chauffeur hired by her son in mid-century Atlanta. The play explores how mutual respect and understanding develop across decades of social change.

Also on the St. Germain Stage is the world premiere of "Estate Sale" (June 30–July 25) by Keelay Gipson, which follows a son sorting through the belongings of his recently deceased parents. As objects accumulate and memories surface, the play examines how the material traces of everyday life become repositories of grief and family history.

Barrington Stage’s commitment to new work continues later in the summer with the world premiere "Dead Girl’s Quinceañera" (August 5–August 29) by Phanésia Pharel. The darkly comic play begins when a teenage girl disappears during her quinceañera celebration, prompting her three best friends to launch an amateur investigation fueled by true-crime podcasts and teenage bravado.

The season’s final premiere, "The Urmetazoan" (September 30–October 25) by Alex Rugman, turns toward science fiction. Two sisters confront an impending separation as one prepares to leave Earth for deep space, reflecting on memory, family bonds, and the possibility of connection across unimaginable distance.

On the Boyd-Quinson Theater stage, Barrington Stage presents a mix of classics and large-scale productions. The world premiere "The Zionists: A Family Storm" (June 16–July 3) by S. Asher Gelman centers on a Jewish family gathering at a Caribbean resort, where political tensions and personal grievances collide during a storm-bound reunion.

Later in the summer comes the landmark Broadway musical "A Chorus Line" (July 15–August 8), celebrating the 50th anniversary of Michael Bennett’s behind-the-scenes portrait of dancers competing for a coveted place in a Broadway chorus. The company also stages Michael Frayn’s backstage farce "Noises Off" (August 19–September 6), the classic comedy about a theater troupe attempting to perform a disastrously unraveling production.

Closing the season is "Vanya" (October 8–October 24), Simon Stephens’s solo adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, performed by a single actor portraying all the characters in an intimate staging with the audience seated onstage.

The Chester Theatre Company

Just east of the county line, Chester Theatre Company (15 Middlefield Road, Chester) will once again offer a more intimate theatrical experience in its 179-seat Town Hall Theatre. The company’s four-play season focuses on contemporary writing and actor-driven productions.

The season opens with "R Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe" (June 19–June 28) by D.W. Jacobs. The solo play explores the life and ideas of the visionary architect and futurist whose concept of “doing more with less” continues to influence conversations about design and sustainability. Next is "FANNIE: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer" (July 2–July 12) by Cheryl L. West, a musical portrait of the civil rights leader whose organizing work and powerful voice helped reshape the struggle for voting rights in the American South.

Later in the summer, the company presents the world premiere of "Amchitka" (July 24–August 8) by Mark St. Germain. Set on a remote island once used for underground nuclear testing, the play follows three scientists monitoring seismic activity who begin to suspect that a mysterious global event may be unfolding beyond their isolated station.

The season concludes with the East Coast premiere of "Dear Alien" (August 14–August 23) by Liz Duffy-Adams, a comedy about an acerbic advice columnist whose correspondence with an extraterrestrial pen pal leads her toward unexpected insights about empathy, connection, and the limits of human understanding.