JUST ANNOUNCED!
2026-2027 SEASON
Southwest Shakespeare Company announces its 2026-27 season, to be performed at its home venue at Mesa Arts Center in downtown Mesa, AZ.
“Across comedy and tragedy alike, these plays explore the dangerous intersection of ego, ambition, deception, and self-deception, revealing how the human hunger for power, validation, or moral superiority can destabilize families, nations, and even the soul itself,” shares Keath Hall, Southwest Shakespeare’s Artistic Director, about his second year of programming for the company.
The mainstage productions will be complemented by student matinees and workshops, the Flachmann Seminars and educational residencies
Performances held at Mesa Arts Center
Richard III
OCTOBER 11-26, 2026
MESA ARTS CENTER NESBITT/ELLIOTT PLAYHOUSE
by William Shakespeare
directed by Beau Heckman
A brilliant but ruthless political schemer manipulates, betrays, and murders his way to the English throne, only to be undone by the very ambition that fuels him. The play explores power, propaganda, and moral corruption while offering one of Shakespeare’s most electrifying villains—making it gripping both as psychological drama and political thriller. This production will be classically set, with period costumes and sets and exciting battles. Don’t miss this thrilling exploration of power, morality, and the lengths one man will go to claim the crown.
Whispers in the Dark
OCTOBER 14-28, 2026
MESA ARTS CENTER NESBITT/ELLIOTT PLAYHOUSE
by Edgar Allen Poe
directed by Elizabeth Broeder
Classic Macabre Meets Modern Stage: bringing Edgar Allen Poe’s Darkest Visions to Life. This October, the veil between the living and the dead grows thin as Southwest Shakespeare Company proudly presents Whispers In The Dark, a theatrical production dedicated to the haunting works of Edgar Allan Poe. Moving beyond simple recitation, Whispers In The Dark transforms Poe’s most iconic gothic stories into a visceral, multi-sensory experience. From the rhythmic heartbeat beneath the floorboards in The Tell-Tale Heart to the claustrophobic dread of The Cask of Amontillado, the production uses inventive staging, haunting soundscapes, and a versatile ensemble cast to explore the fragile psyche of Poe’s most famous narrators.
NOVEMBER 14-29, 2026
MESA ARTS CENTER FARNSWORTH STUDIO THEATRE
Amadeus
by Peter Shaffer
directed by Ron May
In Amadeus, the aging composer Salieri recounts his obsessive jealousy of Mozart, whose divine musical genius torments him despite Mozart’s childish behavior. This spellbinding production delves into this tumultuous relationship, set against the backdrop of 18th-century Vienna. The play examines envy, mediocrity versus brilliance, divine inspiration, and the pursuit of immortality through music, while surrounding the audience with Mozart’s extraordinary music and a darkly compelling rivalry. The music will inspire, the irreverence will make you laugh, the intensity will make you shudder.
FEBRUARY 13-28, 2027
MESA ARTS CENTER PIPER THEATRE
Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare
directed by Keath Hall
Southwest Shakespeare Company proudly presents a groundbreaking Japanese-inspired production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The story is the original--Roman leaders conspire to assassinate Julius Caesar in the name of saving the republic, only to unleash chaos, civil war, and the rise of a new tyranny. This production fuses the classical Roman drama with an homage to Akira Kurosawa and Quentin Tarantino, in an innovative reimagining that captures the political intrigue and betrayal of Shakespeare’s masterpiece while incorporating elements of Noh and Kabuki performance styles. East meets West in this powerful meditation on political idealism, mob psychology, and how quickly noble intentions can spiral into tragedy.
FEBRUARY 19-26, 2027
MESA ARTS CENTER PIPER THEATRE
Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare
directed by Steve Abaroa
Two sets of identical twins separated at birth accidentally reunite in the same city, triggering a whirlwind of mistaken identities, arrests, jealous spouses, and escalating absurdity. The vaudeville-inspired production is SSC’s 2026-27 educational tour, visiting schools across Arizona. Reimagining the classic farce with slapstick humor, this high-energy version brings the chaos of the original play to life, leaving the audience in stitches. One of Shakespeare’s most purely comic plays, it delivers fast-paced farce while touching on themes of family, belonging, and reunion.
Tartuffe
by Moliére
directed by Jerry Ruiz
Orgon, a wealthy man, becomes blindly and dangerously devoted to Tartuffe, a hypocritical religious fraud who manipulates piety to control the household and seize its fortune. His friends warn him as they navigate the humorous and poignant clash between virtue and vice. First performed in 1664, this razor-sharp satire skewers hypocrisy, blind faith, and social pretension, while remaining hilarious and surprisingly modern.
MARCH 19 - APRIL 4, 2027
MESA ARTS CENTER FARNSWORTH STUDIO THEATRE
Single Ticket Prices
Mesa Arts Center ALL-IN TICKET PRICING $41.50-$71.50
Student, Educator & Senior Discounts available with ID
Plan your visit and learn about our venue partner!
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EARLY BIRD SPECIAL - SAVE EVEN MORE THROUGH APRIL 20TH
Our Venue Partner
Special thanks to our partners here in Mesa, around Arizona, and across the country:
Shakespeare in American Communities is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with
Arts Midwest
