AU's Spring 2026 Performing Arts Season
The Department of Performing Arts (DPA) is rolling out an exciting spring 2026 lineup showcasing the breadth and vitality of AU performance. The season includes the classic musical Oklahoma!, a lively musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Two “Gentlemen” of Verona, powerful choral and instrumental concerts exploring themes of displacement and transformation, and dynamic new choreography in DANCEWORKS 2026.
Tickets for DPA events are available now. Tickets for our fall performances sold out fast – be sure to reserve your seats now! Free for AU students with ID; $10 for alumni, staff, children (under 18), faculty, and senior citizens (55 and older); $15 for general admission. Students are encouraged to reserve their free tickets in advance.
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Theatre/Musical Theatre
Godspell, fall 2024. Photo: Ethan Kauffman
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s
OKLAHOMA!
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the play “Green Grow the Lilacs” by Lynn Riggs
Original Choreography by Agnes de Mille
February 19–20, 8 p.m., and February 21, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Directed and Choreographed by Karl Kippola
Music Direction by Kristin Stowell
Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Oklahoma tickets
The iconic show that inspired the Golden Age of the American musical, Oklahoma!, tells the story of a territory on the verge of statehood. It expresses our longing for community and grapples with our need to exclude others. This first collaboration by Rodgers & Hammerstein changed musicals forever when it premiered in 1943, providing a beacon of hope during World War II, and became one of the most beloved and influential musicals of all time.
Content: Theatrical violence, guns, death, and discussion of suicide.
OKLAHOMA! is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. www.concordtheatricals.com
I Lay Awake
February 26–27, 8 p.m., and February 28, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Conceived and Directed by Nancy Bannon
Created and Performed by Sarah Bennett, Liz Brown, Iliana Cardoso, Matthew Carver, Jalyn Edrington, Kaya Jansen, Niko Pikar, Ayelet Spevack, Madison Troost and Alice Wilson
Katzen Arts Center, Studio Theatre
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
I Lay Awake tickets
Who are we without our families? College-age siblings, cousins, and significant others gather in the backyard after their grandmother's funeral. Here, they unwind and reconnect but, more significantly, find themselves wrestling with deeper questions around family, childhood, identity, and loyalty to family versus staying true to oneself. Through laughter and tears, they sift through all that gets shaken loose as we come of age.
I Lay Awake is a collaboration between the director and student actors. The script is derived from the company of actors engaging in deeply personal character development work and extensive improvisations in rehearsal.
Content: Adult themes and language, smoking/vaping, drug use, language, homophobia, and xenophobia.
The Two “Gentlemen” of Verona
A Play with a Bunch of Songs!
March 26–27, 8 p.m. and March 28, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Adapted from Shakespeare by Aaron Posner
Songs by Greg Kotis and Aaron Posner
Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Two Gentlemen tickets
Shakespeare’s very first comedy is a playful, brutally honest, and often hilarious exploration of romantic love—and the complicated love of true friendship. This musical adaptation features a large, multi-talented ensemble cast and is being adapted for the stage by six-time Helen Hayes Award-winning playwright, director, and AU faculty member Aaron Posner (Stupid F**king Bird, Life Sucks, The Chosen), and two-time Tony Award-winning author and composer Greg Kotis (Urinetown). Set somewhere in an imaginary version of America towards the end of the nineteenth century, the production will feature an on-stage Jug Band and all the hijinks, emotional dilemmas, and comic complications you expect from a rollicking, frolicking Shakespearean comedy.
Dance
Fall Dance Concert 2025. Photo: David Dowling.
DANCEWORKS 2026
April 17–18, 7:30 p.m.
Erin Foreman-Murray, Artistic Director
Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Dance tickets
Join us for a dynamic evening of exciting new works and choreographic commissions from guest artists Stephen Shynes, Nkenge Derricks, and Robert J. Priore (co-artistic director, Compañía Medusa), student choreographer Natalia Narvaez, and Alumni Choreographic Commission awardee Ella Forsyth. Performed by the American University Dance Company, under the direction of Artistic Director Erin Foreman-Murray. Come see the power and range that define the artistry of the American University Dance Company!
Music
AU Symphony Orchestra, photo: Elena Zimmerman
American University Chamber Singers
THE DISPLACED
including the North American Premiere of Mikael Carlsson’s Requiem
Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 12, 3 p.m.
Daniel Abraham, director
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Displaced tickets
Through contemporary choral works, this program invites audiences to reflect on the human realities of forced migration and displacement. This thought-provoking concert emphasizes and highlights composers’ artistic responses to displacement caused by war, political violence, and humanitarian crises around the world. The works explore themes of loss and survival, the search for safety and belonging, and the moral questions surrounding forced migration and displacement.
The program includes the North American premiere of Requiem by Mikael Carlsson, composed in response to the mass movement of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere and seeking safety in Europe. Additional works include excerpts from To the Hands by Caroline Shaw, The New Colossus by Saunder Choi, and music by Kim Sherman, Carlos Cordero, Sydney Guillaume, and Karen Marrolli, each offering a distinct perspective on displacement, migration, and welcome.
As a program of social action and activism, the AU Department of Performing Arts is partnering with HIAS and Ayuda to help increase awareness and understanding of the work underway to support displaced populations locally, nationally, and internationally.
American University Chorus
Between Stone and Sky
Saturday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 19, 2 p.m.
Casey Cook, conductor
Barbara Wilkinson, pianist
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Chorus tickets
Experience a profound musical journey that bridges centuries and landscapes. AU Chorus presents Franz Schubert's luminous Mass in G, a masterwork of classical elegance and spiritual devotion, paired with Ola Gjeilo's breathtaking contemporary choral cycle, The Road. Together, these works explore timeless themes of journey, transformation, and the human spirit's search for grace.
American University Symphonic Band and Pep Band
Spring Concert
Sunday, April 19, 6 p.m.
Matthew Brown and Aidan Dixon, conductors
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
The American University Symphonic Band explores a variety of notable band repertoire from classics to contemporary composers. The AU Pep Band will present some of their greatest hits, and both ensembles will play the AU Fight Song and other selections.
American University Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Combos
Some Spring Swing
Friday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
Joshua Bayer, director
Katzen Arts Center, AU Museum Sculpture Garden
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Join the AU Jazz Orchestra and AU Jazz Combos for a lively evening of big band classics, swing, funk, Latin, bossa nova, and straight-ahead jazz! From the timeless grooves of Ellington and Basie to the bold sounds of Mingus and Goodwin, AU Jazz brings the rich traditions of jazz to life.
American University Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven’s Fifth
Saturday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 26, 3 p.m.
Matthew Brown, conductor
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Orchestra tickets
The AU Symphony Orchestra takes on the crown jewel of the classical canon, The Symphony of all symphonies, Beethoven's incomparable Fifth. The program also will include the student winner of the annual Concerto and Aria Competition, Ava Filocamo, as featured soloist performing her chosen repertoire.