American Stage announces a next-season shakeup

At American Stage, the shuffle continues.

The 49-year-old company, the longest-lived professional theater group in the Tampa Bay area, has revised its season schedule for 2026-27, which was announced in April.

That season was planned by producing artistic director Helen R. Murray, who left American Stage, for reasons not made public, in May.

In December, David Soloman will direct Murray’s play The Magi at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, NY. The Magi was performed at American Stage in 2025; the New York production will include newly-written material.

Murray was American Stage’s third artistic director in five years. She replaced Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, who held the position for six months in 2021 and ‘22.

Removed from the upcoming season was her role-swapping Shakespearean adaptation Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, which was to be a world premiere Jan. 27-Feb. 21, 2027.

Now in that spot is the dark comedy Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Watson – Apt. 2B, which had originally been scheduled for summer 2027. The playwright is Kate Hamill, whose adaptation of The Scarlet Letter was produced by American Stage earlier this year.

Also purged was Steven J. Burge’s Unhinged (announced for Nov. 4-22, 2026). “This 75-minute confessional blends storytelling, outrageous humor, and poignant reflections on mental health, addiction, and modern life,” its description read.

Burge’s play has been replaced with the Steve Martin comedy Meteor Shower, about a two-couple dinner party unraveled by alcohol and a fast-moving celestial object.

New for Dec. 4-13 is Home For the Holidays, described as a holiday cabaret featuring “joyful performances from American Stage favorites, and a spirited sing-along that invites everyone to join in.”

In the wake of the recent “leadership transition,” the American Stage board said in a prepared statement, the changes “reflect its current operational priorities and long-term sustainability.”

Still planned for the 26-27 season are the previously announced A Night With Janis Joplin (Sept. 16-Oct. 11), and the Demens Landing Park production Shrek The Musical (March 31-May 2, 2027).

Interim artistic director Anthony Gervais appeared to reference attendance and financial issues in a letter addressed to “The St. Petersburg Arts Community.”

As American Stage approaches its 50th year, he wrote, “We reflect upon … a renewed commitment to our mission of presenting classic, iconic works of the American theatre canon; a deep investment in our local community, both through the stories we tell and the artists we hire; and increased accessibility through a new, sliding scale ticketing model, which will open our doors for new audiences, who may otherwise have been priced out.”

Gervais also announced that the company’s Beyond the Stage series, which brought live theater to unlikely spots including Boyd Hill Nature Preserve and the Duncan McClellan Galleries, has been “paused” for the upcoming season.