NMSU Theatre announces season schedule

NMSU Theatre releases 2026-27 show list; season tickets now on sale

Season passes are now on sale for New Mexico State University’s 2026-27 theatre season.

Season passes for the Theatre Department’s four shows in 2026-27 are $72 for the general public, $60 for senior citizens and military and $50 for students. Season passes are $32 for students choosing to attend Thursday evening preview performances for each show.

A ticket bought individually is $22 for each show general admission and $16 for students, senior citizens and military. Thursday preview tickets are half-price.

Here is the lineup of shows:

• “Perfect Arrangement,” Oct. 2-11, written by Topher Payne and directed by NMSU Theatre Arts Associate Professor Nichole Hamilton. “Perfect Arrangement” is a comedy-drama inspired by the early days of the American gay rights movement in the 1950s. It was inspired by the true story, as two closeted U.S. State Department employees struggle to maintain their cover.

• “Footloose,” Nov. 13-22, a musical based on the 1984 movie, with stage adaption by Dean Pitchford (who also wrote the lyrics) and Walter Bobbie and music by Tom Snow.  It will be directed by NMSU Theatre Department Head Wil Kilroy. “Footloose” tells the story of Ren, who moves with his mother to a small farming community where dancing has been outlawed. Songs from the show have been nominated for Oscar and Grammy awards.

• “Marcella the Unstoppable,” Mach 5-14, 2027, written by Alexis Elisa Macedo and directed by NMSU alum and A Children’s Theatre of Mesilla Valley Artistic Director Luis Alfonso Castro. The play was chosen from NMSU Theatre’s 2026 High Desert New Play Development program for a full production. Coming from a long line of superheroes disguised as campesinos, Maricela dreams of the day she’ll have the superpowers her family has long hidden. When Maricela is pulled from the fields into her first public school, her family fears their secret identities will be exposed as Maricela struggles to fight for what she believes is right in a world she doesn’t understand.

• “The Amateurs,” April 23 - May 2, 2027, written by Jordan Harrison and directed by NMSU Theatre associate professor Larissa Lury. A traveling group of performers during the time of the Black Death in Medieval Europe (circa 1346-53) tours the countryside trying to avoid the plague in this comedy which was first produced in 2018. Harrison was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his play “Marjorie Prime” in 2015.

“I'm excited for the season we are presenting this year, as we have terrific and diverse selections,” Kilroy said. “Going from the comedy-drama of ‘lavender marriages’ in Washington, D.C, in the 1950's with ‘Perfect Arrangement,’ to the excitement of ‘Footloose’ that I'll be directing, full of dance, music and heart. The spring brings back one of our High Desert plays, with a new title: ‘Maricela, the Unstoppable.’ The play features a young girl discovering resilience in the wake of challenges, and a bilingual script. We finish the season with the dark comedy ‘The Amateurs,’ as a troupe of actors travels through Europe to escape the Black Death.  From characters dancing in cowboy boots to medieval performers to the politics of a by-gone era, all of our productions feature not only insights into other times but relate to our world today. Discounted season tickets are now available.”   

Evening shows start at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Each show will have a 5:30 p.m. preview performance the Thursday before opening night with a talkback following the performance. Each opening night is followed by a reception and meet and greet open to the public.

The nonprofit American Southwest Theatre Company (ASTC) hosts each opening-night reception, and raises money to benefit Theatre Department students. ASTC will host its third annual Boots and Bling fundraiser next spring. Dr. Bruce Streett and Tony-winning playwright Mark Medoff founded ASTC in 1984.

Season tickets can be purchased now through Oct. 2 – the opening night of “Perfect Arrangement.”

For season tickets, call 575-646-4515 or buy online at nmsutheatre.ludus.com.

You can join the NMSU Theatre Department’s Center Stage Society with a donation of $500, which includes two season tickets. Donations of any amount are accepted.

For more information on donations and the Theatre Department, contact Britney Stout at 575-646-5122 and dearbrit@nmsu.edu.