Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park announced its 2026–27 season on March 10, anchored by a world premiere commissioned from playwright Theresa Rebeck and the launch of an inaugural annual new works festival. The season spans both the Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre and the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre, running from September 2026 through May 2027.

The centerpiece of the Shelterhouse season is TALK, a world premiere satire by Cincinnati native Rebeck that imagines an unplanned guest upending a live television news talk show. Opening September 26, 2026, it forms the flagship production of the inaugural Made in Cincy: New Works Festival, which also includes development weeks for new works by resident artists Isaiah Reaves and Maggie Lou Rader and commissioned playwright Nathan Alan Davis. The Rouse season features HEIST, a crime caper co-produced with Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Gulfshore Playhouse; a return of the locally focused musical CINCINNATI KING; and the regional premiere of PURPOSE, winner of both the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize, directed by Tyrone Phillips.

Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison noted that Rebeck, a nationally recognized playwright who grew up in Cincinnati, was a fitting choice to launch the festival. Additional season offerings include Emmy-nominated actress Angela Ingersoll’s Judy Garland tribute concert and the psychological thriller ROPE in a new adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher. Season ticket packages start at $114 for three shows and are available at cincyplay.com or by calling 513-421-3888.

Source: Behind the Curtain Cincinnati