Theatre Bristol’s 61st season features eight full-scale productions at the Theatre Bristol ARTspace, the Cameo Theatre and the Paramount Center for the Arts, as well as classes and workshops with the Catherine DeCaterina School of Theatre Arts, The StART of Adventure summer camp, PLAYtime in the ARTspace, ARTScene, and Theatre Bristol Youth Academy.
Community theater depends on community involvement, and individuals are invited to get involved with this season by attending comedies, drama or musicals, with stories for everyone; taking classes and workshops, summer camp and Saturday morning programs; auditioning or working on crews; creating together by sharing or developing skills; donating and sponsoring; and connecting and finding community.
Theatre Bristol partners with River’s Way, to present a new original production, “American Tall Tales,” on Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Theatre Bristol ARTspace. Written for actors with differing abilities, playwright and director Dottie Havlik, brings American heroes to life, from Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox to John Henry and Johnny Appleseed.
Theatre Bristol’s children’s spring production presents 12 “Charlotte’s Web” performances over three weekends, March 13 through the 29 at the Cameo Theatre under the direction of Camille Gray. Auditions for “Charlotte’s Web” are Jan. 17 and 18 at Theatre Bristol with details online for all 2026 auditions at www.TheatreBristol.org/audition.
Northwest Chicago’s Rydell High School is out for the summer, so “You’re the One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Summer Nights,” and dancing make it a summer to remember at the Paramount Center for the Arts with the musical “Grease,” directed by Glenn Patterson, June 19 through 28. Auditions for “Grease” are at Theatre Bristol on March 6, 7 and 8.
The perfect way to celebrate the Fourth of July is visiting the smallest town in Texas —Tuna, Texas — for the comedy, “Red, White and Tuna” directed by Chris McVey at Theatre Bristol’s ARTspace, weekends July 2 through 12. Auditions for “Red, White and Tuna” are May 16 and 17.
Bristol is the setting for the 1927 Bristol sessions recordings and their musical influences in “The Mockingbird Sings” directed by Susan McNabb and Barbara Walton at the ARTspace Theatre. This fourth annual production runs Sept. 4 through 10 and features early Scotch-Irish influences to gospel and blues, along with the Carter family, Jimmie Rodgers, Pops Stoneman and more, in an Appalachian love story. Auditions for “The Mockingbird Sings” are April 18 and 19.
“The Spongebob Musical: Youth Edition” is presented Oct. 3 at the Cameo Theatre. Led by Camille Gray and Peggy Russell, this Theatre Bristol Youth Academy production, with afterschool stagecraft and rehearsals from Aug. 3 through performances, begins registration in March at www.TheatreBristol.org/tbarts.
Westport, Connecticut is the scene of the crime this fall, where the perils of sharing your script are evident in “Deathtrap,” directed by Gary Aday and presented at the Cameo Theatre weekends Oct. 23 through Nov. 8 with a Halloween late night performance. Auditions for “Deathtrap” are Aug. 1 and 2 at Theatre Bristol.
“It’s A Wonderful Life,” the musical, comes to the Paramount Center for the Arts under the direction of Kenn Naegele Nov. 20-22 and Dec. 4-6, and to Theatre Bristol Dec. 11-20. Auditions for “It’s A Wonderful Life” are Aug. 22 and 23 at Theatre Bristol.
Tickets for these 61st Season productions will be on sale at www.theatrebristol.org.
Opportunities to work on production crews or backstage are also available by contacting info@theatrebristol.org. Volunteer roles include costuming, set design and construction, lighting, sound, stage management, props, publicity, assisting and many other roles. Experience or a strong willingness to learn are both welcome.
Theatre Bristol’s Catherine DeCaterina School of Theatre Arts presents upcoming classes and workshops for both onstage and offstage experiences. Workshops are held at Theatre Bristol, Bristol, Tennessee, and registration is open online at www.TheatreBristol.org.
Creative Dramatics runs Tuesdays 4:30-5:30 p.m., from Feb. 3 through March 24. Classes are for 5–6-year-olds. Topics include theater games, improv, practicing being something you’re not, audition practice and more. The class helps develop confidence, knowledge, discipline and imagination. Participants also have fun and make friends who enjoy the theater arts.
PLAYtime in the ARTspace is held most second Saturdays at 10 a.m., with a show that is especially for ages 0 to 5 and those who love them, featuring Miss Camille and the Bristol Baby Bounce. Tickets are online at www.TheatreBristol.org/tickets or at the door and include coffee and bagels from Bristol Bagel and Bakery and resources from the Parenting Sweet.
A free Audition Workshop is held Saturday, Feb. 21, from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Get ready for “Grease” auditions with this free audition workshop for ages 12 and up.
Registration for The StART of Adventure Summer Camp, July 6-10, opens in February at theatrebristol.org/tbarts. Camp is for ages 7-12, and half-day camp for ages 5 and 6.
Registration for Theatre Bristol Youth Academy’s “The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition” opens in March at theatrebristol.org/tbarts. Two class session options are available for ages 9 to 18, or full weeks, running through August and September with performances in early October.
A range of classes and workshops are taught for children and adults with topics for artists who want to be on stage, backstage or both. Workshops include acting, musical theater dance, costume design, set design, lighting and sound design, understanding scripts, directing, stage management, makeup, choral singing, dialects, creative dramatics and more. Audition workshops run periodically featuring the directors of upcoming Theatre Bristol productions.
New workshops are added regularly, and registration and information for all Theatre Bristol opportunities is available at www.TheatreBristol.org.
