Clarence Brown’s artistic director and UT Theatre Department Head Ken Martin with Julie Howard on Saturday during the brunch announcing the new season.
With the exception of “A Christmas Carol” (more on that later), there is nothing predictable about the upcoming season announced over the weekend by the University of Tennessee’s Clarence Brown Theatre.
“When we shaped this season, we asked not what was fashionable, but what felt urgent,” wrote Artistic Director and Theatre Department Head Ken Martin and Managing Director Tom Cervone in a letter to patrons in the printed season announcement. “What stories would meet this moment? What would allow us to laugh, to remember, to hope? And the answers led us here — eight stories, from the intimate and the epic to the inherited and the newly imagined.”
The season is a knock-out. And the announcement was fun, too. Held over brunch at Bridgewater Place, the Clarence Brown folks had set up eight round tables along the walls with props from each production on the various tables. Based on those props, guests were to guess which plays would be included in the season. I got one correct — “A Christmas Carol!” Duh.
“Next season has everything,” Martin enthused at the opening of the program. “It’s very diverse in terms of style and genre. The pieces are of the moment.”
Without further ado, here’s the season — and the props which provided hints for each production.
“Dial M for Murder” — Sept. 2 – 20, 2026
Here’s the table with the hints for “Dial M for Murder.” Clever.
You probably know it from the 1954 American film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. This is a new, fast-paced adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher, featuring updated dialogue and a change in the gender of a central character.
“A breathless game of cat and mouse where the stakes are life — and death,” reads the announcement brochure.
From left, Gayle Burnett, Sam Maynard, and Kim Isenberg.
From left, Ken Martin, Brooks and Karen Clark.
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” — Oct. 1 – 18, 2026
Table for “Edward Tulane.”
“Fresh energy; big ideas, lots of heart.” That’s how Casey Sams, associate department head and professor of movement and musical theater, described “Edward Tulane” which will play in the Lab Theatre. She said the story about a porcelain rabbit who is lost and then carried from place to place meeting a remarkable cast of strangers along the way, is suitable for all ages. “Bring your children,” she urged.
“A luminous story about loss, hope, and the miraculous power of the heart to open again,” the program notes say. I’m crying already.
Susan and Kent Farris.
Casey Sams holding a child who is wearing overalls with a Clarence Brown Theatre logo! Adorbs.
“Clyde’s” Oct. 28 – Nov. 15, 2026
Table for “Clyde’s”
For this production, the Jenny Boyd Theatre will be configured for theater-in-the-round, as its predecessor, the Carousel Theatre, once was.
“Clyde’s” is a 2021 play by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage. It’s a “dramedy” set in a roadside sandwich shop “where second chances are rare and the boss rules with a hard hand,” says the description. That boss is Shinnerrie Jackson, an assistant professor of acting in UT’s Theatre Department.
A Tony-nominated hit play, “Clyde’s” became one of the most-produced plays in America. “A funny, soulful celebration of resilience and the small daily miracles of starting over,” it says.
Julia and Gary Bentley.
Shinnerrie Jackson will play the boss in “Clyde’s.”
Casey Sams, left, and Shinnerrie Jackson.
“A Christmas Carol” Nov. 19 – Dec. 19, 2026
Table for “A Christmas Carol”
So, here’s the deal with “A Christmas Carol” this year. Jed Diamond, associate professor of acting, has played Scrooge 10 times — nine of them at the Clarence Brown. And, although he’s retiring this year, he’s agreed to return to the stage of enliven the crotchety miser once more!
“Great art endures the test of time,” Diamond said to the brunch crowd. He said the classic Charles Dickens Christmas story is successful because it portrays “the fundamentals that are human experience.” I don’t know about you, but I’m going again!
John and Margie Nichols Gill.
Scrooge. Oops, I mean Jed Diamond.
“Appropriate” Feb. 3 – 21, 2027
Table for “Appropriate.”
David Brian Alley, a teaching professor of acting, said “Appropriate” is one of the most talked about plays in the last few years.” The 2024 Tony Award-winning drama portrays an estranged family that returns to Arkansas to settle their father’s estate when, Alley said, “grief turns into accusations, resentment, and long-buried secrets” as a shocking discovery is made in the attic. Wow. Can’t wait. It will be presented in the Jenny Boyd Theatre.
Kenneth Sharp and Nancy Voith.
David Brian Alley, left, and Jed Diamond.
“Indoor Cats: A Play for Humans” Feb. 25 – Mar. 7, 2027
Table for “Indoor Cats: A Play for Humans.”
Talk about timely, here’s the description of this play which will be performed in the Lab Theatre: “Wry, original, and wonderfully strange, ‘Indoor Cats’ is a fresh new comedy about creativity, connection, and finding meaning when the world no longer makes sense.” I’m in!
From left, Sandra Butler, Diann Rimmer, and John Butler.
Daniel Bird Tobin, assistant professor of applied and emerging theater.
“What the Constitution Means to Me” Mar. 24 – Apr. 11, 2027
Table for “What the Constitution Means to Me.”
Katie Cunningham, assistant professor of voice and speech and head of acting, stars in this Tony-nominated Broadway hit. It’s based on school speech competitions that many of us recall to this day.
Cunningham said the experience is “very different every night.” She said it’s “funny, moving and creates a space where the audience is very much a part of the experience.”
“It touches on big ideas,” she said, “but it’s about something we all share.” It will be in the Jenny Boyd Theatre.
Anita and Clay Davis.
Alexander Waters.
Katie Cunningham, has the major role in “What the Constitution Means to Me.”
“She Loves Me” Apr. 14 – May 2, 2027
Table for “She Loves Me.”
Tom Cervone referred to this as “one of the most beloved musicals of American theater.” He added, it’s “full of humor and just a little magic.”
First performed in 1963, the story is set in a perfume shop where two feuding employees exchange sharp words across the counter by day, yet by night, unknowingly fall for each other through a series of anonymous love letters.
It’s called “a dazzling, heart-lifting celebration of romance that proves love may be closer than you think.”
From left, Mike and Debbie Emery, Kim and Jim Hays.
From left, Mindy Cooper, Clarence Brown’s marketing and communications director; Managing Director Tom Cervone; and Hana Sherman, grants, education, and outreach manager.
Nobody left hungry! Marsha Mitchell can vouch for that!
The brunch crowd approved!
Doesn’t it sound like a great season? See you there! Here’s link to website for ticket information when it becomes available.
Sounds fantastic! Thank you for the very entertaining preview!
Ranee: Isn’t it an impressive lineup? Can’t wait!
So glad to read your report. I couldn’t go last Saturday and hadn’t yet caught up with the season. The variety of plays sound wonderful. And I’m glad to hear Jeb Diamond will return as Scrooge. I had to miss him last year and regretted it.
Georgiana: Glad you like the lineup as much as I do! Look forward to seeing you there!
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