Something for Everyone in the Theater This Season

Something for Everyone
in the Theater This Season

From Jane Austen to Elvis Presley
and Every Brilliant Thing in Between

By Maggie Yates | October 9, 2025

Charlotte Hecker, Nik Valinsky, Isabel Watson and Clayton Barry in The Theatre Group at SBCC’s production of ‘Arms and the Man’ by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Jonathan Fox. | Credit: Ben Crop

Classic Theater

Arms and the Man (Oct. 8-25)

SBCC presents Arms and the Man, an (un)romantic comedy by George Bernard Shaw. Set during the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1885, the show follows a young, betrothed couple who have grown past childish attraction. War, passion, and comedy carry this tale of social status. (theatregroupsbcc.com)

A Dark and Stormy Night (Oct. 15, 22, Nov. 12)

Get ready for elevated dinner theater with an original murder mystery by local writer Joan Robb Fradkin. Enjoy a three-course meal at Opal restaurant and help solve the mystery! Email Nancy Gutfreund for tickets at ngmft@aol.com.

Antigonick (Oct. 24-Nov. 2)

Westmont presents Antigonick, an updated version of Sophocles’s Antigone that gives this tragedy about a woman’s refusal to abandon family despite monarchical demands a modern makeover. (westmont.edu/watchtheater)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Dec. 3-21)

Frolicking fairies in an enchanted forest set the scene for Shakespeare’s popular romantic comedy. Directed by Risa Brainin and presented at the Rubicon, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an enduring favorite of the stage. (rubicontheatre.org)

Richard Baird (left) Bryan Daniel Porter, Ashley Margaret Morton, and Matthew Floyd Miller star in Ensemble Theatre Company’s production of *‘War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast*‘ | Credit: Loren Haar

Literary Adaptations

War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast (Oct. 8-26)

Ensemble Theatre’s production reenacts Orson Welles’s 1938 radio drama adaptation of HG Wells’s novel about an alien invasion. When it aired in 1938, this radio program initiated panic when listeners mistook the performance for actual news. (etcsb.org)

Christmas at Pemberly (Nov. 12-22)

For Jane Austen lovers! The SBCC drama students bring the beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice to the stage for a new romantic adventure.
(theatregroupsbcc.com)

Great Expectations (Dec. 2-21)

Playing in rep with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Rubicon presents the Dickensian world of Pip the orphan and his mysterious inheritance. Nikki Massoud’s adaptation of Great Expectations maintains the levity and intrigue of this rags-to-riches, coming-of-age story. (rubicontheatre.org)

The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged (Dec. 3-21)

More from Ms. Austen! Like The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged, this play pulls characters and situations from Austen’s work and sets them to intermingle in a single, comedic world. Presented by Ensemble Theatre, the play is a fast and furious take on the Austenian literary universe. (etcsb.org)

Connor Allston and Karis Gallant in a previous National Tour of ‘Kinky Boots’ | Credit: Matthew Murphy

Musicals

Million Dollar Quartet (Oct. 15-Nov. 9)

In Million Dollar Quartet at the Rubicon, proxies of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins come together to play their hits and negotiate their contracts with Sun Studios in 1956. This show is chock-full of favorite songs and personalities from the birth of rock ’n’ roll. (rubicontheatre.org)

Frozen (Nov. 6-Dec. 21)

The Disney film of sisterly devotion that took the world by icy storm is now a hit Broadway musical. See this central coast premiere at PCPA in Santa Maria (the show will be remounted next summer in Solvang). (pcpa.org)

Jagged Little Pill (Nov. 14-23)

Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill is a staple of 1990s culture. This contemporary musical of the same name, produced by Out of the Box Theatre Company, sets Morissette’s classic anthems to a story about addiction and healing. (centerstagetheater.org)

Kinky Boots (Dec. 9-10)

Charlie Price revitalizes his shoe business by kicking sensible shoes to the curb in favor of high-heeled boots for cabaret and drag performers. See this collaboration between Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper at The Granada Theatre. (granadasb.org)

Emily Trask stars in PCPA’s production of ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ | Credit: Luis Escobar

New Work/Cultural Commentary

Every Brilliant Thing (Oct. 9-26)

Jonny Donahoe returns to the central coast with Every Brilliant Thing, the award-winning one-man show about surviving mental illness within the family. The show will run at PCPA October 9-26 (starring Emily Trask), and at Center Stage Theatre October 24 and 26 (starring Donahoe, the playwright). (pcpa.org, centerstagetheater.org)

Jonny & The Baptists (Oct. 23, 25)

While he’s in town for Every Brilliant Thing, Jonny Donahoe also teams up with Paddy Gervers to present Jonny & The Baptists at Center Stage, a musical comedy extravaganza about thriving despite the chaos of the current world. (centerstagetheater.org)

POTUS (Nov. 14-22)

When the White House falls into chaos thanks to a presidential gaff, seven staffers take on dismantling the disaster with farcical antics. The subtitle of the play, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, tells all. Presented by UCSB. (theaterdance.ucsb.edu/events/purchase-tickets-here)

Golden State Stories: Local and Global Legacies (Nov. 23)

This free community event at UCSB features members of the Zoot Suit Theatre Company reviving a series of actos (skits) originally performed by Teatro Campesino, a California-based theater endeavor led by Luis Valdez during the United Farm Workers strikes in the ’60s.

For more information on these shows, visit the producing organization’s website. See you at the theater!