Baltimore Center Stage will present shows about Ballroom artists, a pigeon, a reindeer, and more in their 2026/27 season, the theatre announced Wednesday. The 10-show season “reflects the theater’s growing role as both a national incubator of new work and a cultural home for Baltimore au diences,” according to Baltimore Center Stage’s season announcement Wednesday. “With three world premieres, this season is a reflection of who we are and where we’re going,” said Stevie Walker-Webb, the theatre’s artistic director, in a statement. “Baltimore Center Stage is a place where new work is born, where artists take risks, and where audiences get to experience stories at the very beginning of their journey. What excites me most is that this work belongs to the city. We can be a national tastemaker and a hometown theater at the same time, and this season fully lives in that truth.” The new season will kick off in August with the world premiere of “Bocking,” in which parents find themselves in a principal’s office after their children repeat something they heard at home. Exploring tensions between respectability and desire, this satirical play embraces humor and chaos with appearances by a preacher, a so-called “gay exorcism” and a chicken named Danalana Parmesana. Recommended for adults only, this play is written by Preston Crowder and directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. After its Baltimore run from Aug. 14 through Sept. 6, “Bocking” will continue on to Off-Broadway company The New Group in New York City. Next up will be “Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares,” a one-woman comedy show starring Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti, who uses hilarious stories and original songs to share her takes on motherhood, people pleasing, and the joys of aging. The show is written and performed by Benanti. Annie Tippe is the director, and Todd Almond serves as co-writer and music director. The show runs from Sept. 17 through Sept. 26 at Baltimore Center Stage. This fall, catch “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now” from Oct. 2 through Oct. 4. Performers Kerry Butler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Marissa Jaret Winokur first met each other when they originated the roles of Tracy, Penny, and Amber in the Tony Award-winning musical “Hairspray” set in Baltimore. They’ve since (separately) appeared in shows like “Beetlejuice,” “Mean Girls,” “Legally Blonde,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Wicked,” “Gypsy,” and more. Now, the trio will return to Charm City to revisit the show where their friendship and careers began and sing songs from the many musicals that audiences know them from. On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, Baltimore Center Stage will present “Pete the Cat” about a blue cat named Pete who meets The Biddles family. On a wild adventure, Pete helps one of the family’s children, Jimmy, take on second grade art and learn about inspiration in the process. Rounding out the calendar year will be a Motown-inspired Christmas musical titled “Charmz: The Other Reindeer.” Get ready for your next holiday favorite, as Baltimore Center Stage tells the story of Charmz, a reindeer who wants to shine just like Rudolph.  Baltimore Center Stage producing director Ken-Matt Martin wrote the book for this play and is also choreographing it with Victor Musoni. Musoni is directing the show with Melody A. Betts. Music and lyrics are written by Nygel D. Robinson. To usher in 2027, Baltimore Center Stage will present “Liberation” in association with Philadelphia Theatre Company. The play tells a cross-generational story of women’s liberation. Lizzie gathers a group of women in 1970s Ohio to effect change for themselves and the world. Then, Lizzie’s daughter searches her mother’s past, explores the revolution she sparked, and examines what freedom and womanhood mean in her own life. Running from Jan. 16 through Feb. 7, the play is written by Bess Wohl and directed by Taibi Magar. After Elaine Paige originated the role of Grizabella in the West End production of “Cats,” Betty Buckley starred as Broadway’s original Grizabella. The role earned Buckley the 1983 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Baltimore Center Stage will ring in the new year with intimate concerts by Buckley, who will perform a mix of Broadway classics, favorites from the American Songbook, and stories from her career on stage and screen. Concerts will take place on Jan. 22 and Jan. 23. The citywide Baltimore August Wilson Celebration continues with a production of Wilson’s “King Hedley II.” The play is set in 1980s Pittsburgh, where a man named King seeks to rebuild his life despite immense challenges. Part of Wilson’s 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle/American City Cycle, this is one of his “most powerful and least frequently produced works” and a landmark piece from one of America’s greatest playwrights, describes Baltimore Center Stage. Directed by Ken-Matt Martin, the production will run from March 11 through April 11. For two days in April, Baltimore Center Stage will present “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!” A bus driver’ crisis threatens to make her passengers late. But could a pigeon help get them where they need to go? The play’s script is written by Mo Willems, the creator of the #1 New York Times best-selling and Caldecott Honor–winning Pigeon picture books. Music is by Deborah Wicks La Puma. Flock to the theatre April 3 and April 4 for an im-peck-ably fun show. Baltimore Center Stage’s final show of the season will be “XTRAVAGANZA,” running May 17 through June 13. New York City’s Ballroom scene of the 1980s and 1990s bursts to life on stage in this musical. It centers the Black and Latinx queer and trans artists who shaped the Ballroom artform, and is inspired by the legendary House of Xtravaganza and Ballroom pioneers like Angie Xtravaganza, José Xtravaganza, and Venus Xtravaganza. The book is written by R. Eric Thomas, with music and lyrics by Khiyon Hursey. Stevie Walker-Webb directs, Kyle Abraham choreographs, and Bill Sherman provides music supervision. The production is presented in association with 1000% Productions and Broadway Music Group. ...read more read less