'Enchanted, empowered and a little unhinged'! Theatre announces season

Heidelberg Theatre invites you to get Enchanted, Empowered, and a Little Unhinged! as they prepare for a lineup of bold, whimsical and thought-provoking productions in the 2025-26 season.

Director of Theatre Karla Kash has announced that the season will open with Legally Blonde, with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. This high-energy musical is a celebration of self-discovery, empowerment, and the power of pink, based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the hit 2001 film of the same name.

Broadway veteran Scott Hunt is the guest director and Dr. Greg Ramsdell is the music director. Pam Shirtz, who played Elle Woods on the national tour of Legally Blonde, will handle choreography with adjunct instructor Sue Hlavinka serving as lead designer.

Show dates for Legally Blonde are Sept. 11-13 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 14 at 2 p.m.

The famed Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth will be the second production of the fall semester. Power, ambition and madness take center stage in this haunting tale of betrayal and consequence. In it, a Scottish general’s ambition – fueled by a prophecy from three witches and encouragement from his wife – has driven him to murder King Duncan and seize the throne. Consumed by guilt and paranoia, he commits more atrocities, leading to his downfall and death.

Karla will serve as the director/fight and intimacy director for Macbeth. Retired HU music and composition professor Dr. Doug McConnell returns to Heidelberg as the composer and sound designer and Sue will be the lead designer.

Show dates for Macbeth are Nov. 13-15 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 16 at 2 p.m.

Kicking off the spring semester will be the classics Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, adapted by Adrian Mitchell from the novels of Lewis Carroll. In Alice in Wonderland, journey with a curious girl named Alice, who tumbles down a rabbit hole into a whimsical world of eccentric characters and illogical adventures. Its sequel, Through the Looking Glass, sees Alice step through a mirror into a chessboard-like land where she becomes a queen, encountering equally fantastical and puzzling figures.

Karla will direct this production.

Show dates for Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are Feb.5-7 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.

Closing out the season will be the Tony Award-winning musical Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Into the Woods intertwines classic fairy tales with an original story about a baker and his wife. Their wishes lead them into the woods, where they explore what happens after “happily ever after.”

The trio of Karla, Greg and Sue will take the helm as director, music director and designer, respectively, for this final production of the season.

Show dates for Into the Woods are April 16-18 at 7 p.m. and April 19 at 2 p.m.

Get your tickets

Season subscriptions are $65 per ticket for general admission. This year, Heidelberg Theatre is offering a new Flex Pass ticketing option. Theatregoers can see all four shows as many times as they’d like for $100 for the season.

Subscriptions for ‘Berg faculty and staff are $60 and for Berg Bravo! members $55. If using the new Flex Pass ticket option, costs are $90 for faculty and staff and $75 for Berg Bravo! members for as many shows as you’d like to attend.

To purchase tickets, visit heidelberg.theatre.org. Questions? Email Karla at kkash@heidelberg.edu.