Fresno State’s University Theatre announced the 2026-27 mainstage season lineup of theatre and dance exploring resilience, justice, imagination and the enduring power of human connection.
This season features the Fresno premieres of the verbatim drama “Is This a Room,” an adaptation of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” the return of the dynamic Contemporary Dance Ensemble, the development reading of the new work “Yo Te Esperaba: An Abolition Story” and the stage adaptation of Stephen King’s acclaimed “The Shawshank Redemption.”
“Is This a Room” | concept and original direction by Tina Satter | directed by Michelle Bellaver | Oct. 2-10 – A true story, still unfolding. On June 3, 2017, a 25-year-old former Air Force linguist named Reality Winner is surprised at her home by the FBI, interrogated and charged. The verbatim FBI transcript of her interrogation is the heart of “Is This a Room,” conceived as a play by Obie Award-winner Tina Satter, in which an extraordinary human drama unfolds between the complex and witty Reality and the agents who question her. As Reality’s autonomy shrinks before her eyes, a simmering real-life thriller emerges, asking what it is to have honor in this American moment and how the personal can reverberate globally.
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” | adapted by Dwayne Hartford from the book by Kate DiCamillo | directed by J. Daniel Herring | Nov. 13-21 – Edward Tulane is an expensive toy rabbit made of china. He is loved by a little girl named Abilene, but Edward is vain and self-centered. On an ocean voyage, Edward is accidentally thrown overboard and sinks to the bottom of the sea. So begins his journey — a journey over which he has no control, for he is a toy rabbit. He can neither move nor speak. As years pass by, Edward meets many different people in many different situations, and through this miraculous journey, Edward learns what it is to love, what it is to lose that love and how to find the courage to love again.
Contemporary Dance Ensemble | artistic director Kenneth Balint | Feb. 12-20– This annual contemporary dance concert highlights contemporary classics, creative innovation and collaborations between students and faculty.
“Yo Te Esperaba: An Abolition Story” | by Donkeysaddle Projects in partnership with “A,” an ICE detainee survivor | directed by Gina Sandí-Díaz | A staged-reading of a new play in development | March 11-14 – A script about A’s 12-year fight against deportation, mirroring thousands of similar stories. Two of those years, she was caged in ICE detention in Eloy, Arizona. The piece invites audiences into A’s family’s fight to stay together and their journey in confronting the shame and fear inflicted by the system.
“The Shawshank Redemption” | adapted for the stage by Owen O’Neil and Dave Johns | based on the novella by Stephen King | directed by Thomas-Whit Ellis | April 30-May 8 – When Andy Dufresne is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in the notorious Shawshank prison, he must find a way to keep himself and his hope alive by using his wits and forging friendships.“The Shawshank Redemption” brings the story of resilience made famous by the acclaimed film to the stage.
University Theatre Mainstage Season subscriptions go on sale Monday, July 13. Individual performance tickets go on sale Sept. 1. Visit fresnostate.edu/theatrearts/ to stay updated on when ticket sales go live.
By Miguel A. Gastelum
