Curtain to rise on SUNY Cortland’s new theater season

09/08/2026

They're creepy, they're kooky and they're altogether just one of the great reasons to check out SUNY Cortland's upcoming theater season.

Audiences can look forward to four productions from the university's Performing Arts Department that touch on the comical highs and painful lows of the human condition - including Broadway musical favorite "The Addams Family."

The 2026-27 season opens Oct. 1 with "The Laramie Project," inspired by interviews conducted in the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student.

Then on Oct. 30, just in time for Halloween, comes "Carrie: The Musical," based on Stephen King's novel about a bullied outcast whose telekinetic powers erupt on the night of her senior prom.

Following a winter intermission, the spring semester raises the curtain on Feb. 25 with comedy "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress," which follows five bridesmaids doing their best to survive a wedding reception.

Closing the season will be "The Addams Family," which brings cartoonist Charles Addams' fun, gravely askew view of the world to the Cortland stage starting April 2.

Tickets for all shows can be purchased at SUNY Cortland's Box Office website. Audience members should note a change from past seasons: evening performances now begin a half-hour earlier at 7 p.m.

The Laramie Project

By Moisés Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project

Director: Mark Reynolds

• Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.

Location: Dowd Fine Arts Center Theatre

"The Laramie Project" tells the story of a Wyoming town confronting tragedy, built from interviews gathered in the aftermath of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard's brutal murder. His death led to the passing of new state and federal hate crime legislation. Told through the voices of Laramie's own residents, the play is a powerful piece of documentary theatre performed by an ensemble cast.

Content warning: The show includes discussion of anti-gay violence, hate speech and death. Audience discretion is advised.

Carrie: The Musical

Music by Michael Gore; lyrics by Dean Pitchford; book by Lawrence D. Cohen

Based on the novel by Stephen King

Director: Deena Conley

Music Director: Ben Kapilow

• Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.

Location: Dowd Fine Arts Center Lab Theatre

Stephen King's telekinetic outcast takes the stage in "Carrie: The Musical." This intense rock musical follows Carrie White's journey from bullied loner to the center of one of musical theatre's most infamous prom nights.

Content warning: The show includes depictions of bullying, religious extremism, self-harm and graphic violence, culminating in a climactic scene involving blood and the deaths of several characters. Audience discretion is advised.

Five Women Wearing the Same Dress

By Alan Ball

Director: Adara Alston

• Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
• Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

Location: Cortland Repertory Theatre Downtown, 24-26 Port Watson St., Cortland, N.Y.

Alan Ball's comedy "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" tells the story of five bridesmaids, one terrible dress and one wedding reception they can't wait to escape.

The Addams Family

Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice

Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa

Director: To Be Announced

Music Director: Ben Kapilow

• Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m.
• Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m.
• Thursday, April 9 at 7 p.m.
• Friday, April 10 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 11 at 2 p.m.

Location: Dowd Fine Arts Center Theatre

Wednesday Addams is grown up, in love and about to introduce her family to her boyfriend's parents in "The Addams Family," a musical comedy based on Charles Addams' classic cartoons. Expect dark humor, family chaos and an unforgettable cast of characters.