100th Season of Theatre
SDSU’s School of Theatre, Television, and Film announces its 100th Season, featuring special events and shows ranging from Shakespeare to Seussical
Theatre at San Diego State University traces its roots to 1914, but the program took shape in 1926, when Sybil Eliza Jones established a regular drama program and directed the first full season of faculty-led productions. That landmark 1926-27 season marks the centennial being celebrated this year.
From the Little Theatre on Montezuma Mesa, established in 1931, to the opening of the Dramatic Arts complex in 1967, SDSU theatre continued to grow. Its evolution included the development of Theatre for Young Audiences launched by Margaret McKarrow in 1971, the CSU system’s first MFA in Design and Technical Theatre in 1978, and the nation’s first—and now only—MFA in Musical Theatre established in 1982.
In 2023, SDSU raised the curtain on its new Performing Arts District (PAD), opening another dynamic chapter for the university’s nationally recognized programs in performance, design and technology, musical theatre and theatre education. The PAD includes the Main Stage Theatre, the new Prebys Stage, a flexible theatre space, and the open-air Lamden and Clay stages.
Notable alumni of SDSU theatre include Gregory Peck, Cleavon Little, Marion Ross, Carl Weathers, Kathy Najimy, Julie Kavner, and three-time Tony Award-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes, reflecting the program’s far-reaching impact.
The dynamic season of plays selected for the 100th season includes Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party, The Maids by Jean Genet, a soon-to-be-announced new Broadway comedy, the theatre for young audiences version of the musical Seussical, and Shakespeare’s King Lear starring Randy Reinholz in the title role.
In addition, the School will present an Exploration Series of four staged readings, in collaboration with local theatre companies, and has been chosen as one of only 55 venues granted to host the 2026-2027 Albertine Cinémathèque French Film Festival.
Several special fundraising events are also planned to celebrate the history and alumni of the SDSU theatre program.
A hilarious new surprise is waiting in the wings! While we can’t reveal the title just yet, this fast-paced farce promises sharp wit, outrageous twists, and laugh-out-loud comedy from start to finish. Mark your calendars for November, when all will finally be revealed.
Seussical
Theatre For Young Audiences Version
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Based on the Works of Dr. Suess
Directed by James Vasquez
Prebys Stage
April 7 – 11, 2027
Seussical TYA is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Tony-winners, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year, Once on This Island, Ragtime) have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie and a little boy with a big imagination – Jojo. The colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.
The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton faces a double challenge – not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left to his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant.
King Lear
By William Shakespeare
Starring Randy Reinholz as King Lear
Directed by Dani Bedau
Main Stage
April 30 – May 5, 2027
In a bleak dystopian future of crumbling highways and shadowed underpasses, an aging ruler divides his kingdom among his family based on their declarations of love. When Lear’s youngest daughter refuses the dishonesty of empty praise, he casts her out, setting in motion a heartbreaking cycle of betrayal and collapsing trust. Corruption and violence reign as his elder daughters turn against him. Lear’s both his mind and the fragile state he governs begin deteriorating, his madness reflected in a relentless, battering storm. Shakespeare’s allegory provides a stark warning for our current historical moment: when political leadership gives way to ego, loyalty tests, and deception it is not only families, but entire societies that break, leaving ruin in the place where stability once stood.
Exploration Series
Our season also now includes the Exploration Series, an offering of staged readings and performances by local theatre organizations such as TuYo Theatre, Globe for All, and the Playwrights Project, as well as the presentation of new work by faculty, students, and community members.
Exploration Series – Staged Reading
Everybody
Directed by Dr. Katie Turner
Prebys Stage
September 23 – 25, 2026
Everybody is a darkly comic riff on the anonymous 15th century morality play Everyman. It takes the questions about the meaning of life out of the renaissance context of the original and reframes them in terms of contemporary concerns, with plenty of laughs along the way. This play is performed by an ensemble whose parts are assigned by lottery each night, reminding us that the challenges and joys of living are something that affect, well, everybody! Tickets available at https://ttf.sdsu.edu/calendar
The 2026-2027 Explorations Series also includes the following:
Beyond Prison Walls
Playwrights Project, Prebys Stage
October 1-3, 2026
Macbeth
A Globe for All Tour, Main Stage, Free
November 6, 2026
The Angel Makers
Staged Musical Reading
Directed by Anthony Methvin
February 6, 2027
Albertine Cinémathèque
French Film Festival, Main Stage
Spring 2027
Check out the website at https://ttf.sdsu.edu/calendar for ticket and show info for these exciting events!
Susan
Susan Clausen
CLAUSEN COMMUNICATIONS
Public Relations
– Connecting the Community –
Current Clients Include:
Leave a Reply