Buy Your Tickets Now to our 40th Anniversary Season!
We are thrilled to announce that single tickets are now available for our 40th anniversary season. This season is a celebration of the past, present, and future of TheaterWorks Hartford. Filled with several premieres, a new immersive piece about the history of our city, a Pulitzer Prize winning play, and a historic partnership! It is a marking of the last 40 years of creating top-notch contemporary theater, and an exciting look forward to where we’re headed.
TheaterWorks Hartford, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, announces that single tickets for the 25/26 40th anniversary season are now on sale.
Starting June 3, 2025, patrons can purchase single tickets for all shows, including Christmas on the Rocks, which is not part of the traditional subscription season. Please note that tickets for the partnership production with Hartford Stage, SWEENEY TODD, will go on sale on Tuesday, June 24.
The theater’s 40th anniversary season opens with ENGLISHby Sanaz Toossi, the winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize. “English Only” is the mantra that rules one classroom in Iran, where four adults are preparing for the TOEFL – the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Together, with their teacher, they leapfrog through a linguistic playground that is a funny, stunning triumph about the universal foibles of language and miscommunication, hoping that one day English will make them whole. TheaterWorks Hartford’s production of English will run October 2 – November 2, 2025. In partnership with Long Wharf Theatre.
TheaterWorks Hartford’s collection of Twisted Holiday Tales returns in 2025 with some new surprises! It’s Christmas Eve in a rundown local bar. Expecting a silent night, the bartender finds himself mixing drinks for a parade of surprising (and familiar) guests who come to pour out their Christmas woes in this delightful parody. CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS runs November 28 – December 23, 2025 (not part of the 25/26 subscription season)
The Connecticut Premiere of THE COUNTER by Meghan Kennedy runs February 12 – March 15, 2026. Every morning at a local diner in upstate New York, one daily cup of coffee connects a lonely waitress and her sleep-deprived regular as their unlikely friendship develops. When he asks her for a shocking favor, it brings to light both of their deepest secrets – and sets off a provocative, intimate theatrical triumph. The Counter is a funny, surprising, and moving story about how everyday connections can change our lives.
The 25/26 season will continue with the World Premiere of CIRCUS FIRE. It’s July 1944. With the nation at war and a heat wave settling over the city, the residents of Hartford, Connecticut eagerly await the arrival of “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Moments into the show, the unthinkable occurs – a fire that turns the big top into an inferno. In the minutes, hours and days following the blaze, two communities – Hartford and the Circus – find themselves irretrievably intertwined by tragedy, blame, heroism, and healing. This multimedia, immersive production is co-conceived by Hartford-based playwright Jacques Lamarre, Jared Mezzocchi (the visionary director of Sandra), and TheaterWorks Hartford’s Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero to honor the power of community in our 40th season. Circus Fire will run April 16 – May 17, 2026
In a historic partnership with Hartford Stage, SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street runs June 5 – July 5, 2026.Single tickets for this production go on sale Tuesday, June 24. Winner of 8 Tony Awards (including Best Musical), the musical thriller Sweeney Todd is Sondheim at his best! In a historic partnership, Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks Hartford are joining forces to produce a powerfully intimate chamber production of this theatrical masterpiece. Set in the dark corners of 19th Century London, Sweeney Todd soars with an unforgettable score, razor-sharp wit, and heart-pounding theatricality. This story of “the demon barber of Fleet Street” promises to thrill and delight Hartford audiences. These performances will take place at Hartford Stage’s venue.
The season will close with the World Premiere of THE CANNIBALS OF MCGOWER COUNTY by Drew Larimore in July 30 – August 30, 2026 This world premiere play kicks off Drew’s Southern matriarch trilogy. McGower County is where we meet Lindalyn and Viola – two old friends and veteran salvagers – ransacking an abandoned barbecue restaurant in the heart of West Texas. Their routine is quickly interrupted by a fatal encounter when an estranged family member appears, and working class rage, deeply-held secrets, and a deep reckoning of the past collide. TheaterWorks Hartford audiences will be the very first to experience this darkly funny Southern Gothic story.
TheaterWorks Hartford’s historic home is located at 233 Pearl St. in downtown Hartford. 4-play and 5-play subscription offers are still available, and can be purchased at twhartford.org or by calling 860.527.7838.
About TheaterWorks Hartford:
TheaterWorks Hartford, led by Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, has produced relevant, engaging contemporary theater for almost 40 years at their historic Pearl Street address. Founded in 1985, TWH is committed to the power of storytelling in creating community and has produced over 200 plays and musicals including the world premiere of High (with Kathleen Turner), Relativity (with Richard Dreyfuss) and Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn, among others. Visit us at twhartford.org.