The Washington Center for the Performing Arts’ 2026-27 season, announced Tuesday, June 17, features the center’s traditional mix of Broadway shows, comedy, music, dance and family — plus two leading lights of literature.
Photo by Ruth Fremson
“We are intentionally putting authors on stage,” said Jill Barnes, the center’s executive director. “We’re very excited to have Amy Tan and Tim Egan coming in this season. We had been working on both of those shows at the same time, and I was struck when I was sending a message to the staff about them. These are two of the most acclaimed popular writers right now, and it is so exciting that they are coming to Olympia. We have a lot of bibliophiles here.”
Other literary events include an appearance by travel tycoon Rick Steves (Jan. 8), a prolific producer of guidebooks, and a twist on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island retold in a graphic-novel format and with a female protagonist (Feb. 3).
Also among the season’s big names are satirical singing sensation Randy Rainbow (Oct. 15), comedy icon Tig Notaro (Nov. 13) and gospel giants The Blind Boys of Alabama (April 1).
Photo courtesy of The Washington Center for the Performing Arts
The season brings two Broadway touring shows: Clue: Live on Stage (March 1), inspired by the Hasbro game and based on the 1985 film, and Waitress (June 23 and 24), featuring music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles.
“Waitress is a big, big show, like The Book of Mormon,” Barnes said. Sets and equipment fill four trucks, she said, and that’s a lot for the center to accommodate.
Photo by Marie-Andrée Lemire
Two internationally known dance companies, both revered for their athleticism, are part of the season: MOMIX (May 18) and Compagnie Hervé Koubi (Feb. 9), a French company that blends contemporary dance with urban street dance and martial arts.
Such perennial local favorites as God Is a Scottish Drag Queen (Dec. 4), the Seattle International Comedy Competition (Nov. 19) and Ladies of Laughter (March 19) are back, as are Silent Movies, Black Box Jazz, Comedy Underground and the Adventure Series, featuring explorers, photographers and filmmakers who focus on the outdoors.
Missing this year is the popular Center Salon, which gathers local artists, writers, musicians and more for a thought-provoking evening in the Black Box. That will return in fall 2027, Barnes said.
Tickets are on sale now for subscribers. Single tickets are available July 16.
Here’s the full lineup:
Amy Tan (Oct. 7): The award-winning author — whose most recent book is The Backyard Bird Chronicles — will invite her audience into the avian world of quiet wonder she found in her yard.
Photo by Elizabeth Kelly Gillogly
Skerryvore (Oct. 9): This internationally known band, which blends contemporary Scottish traditional music with rock, made a splash when it played the center in 2025.
Randy Rainbow: National Freakin’ Treasure (Oct. 15): The Internet sensation, whose last name really is “Rainbow,” pokes fun at politics in comedy and song.
FDR’s Very Happy Hour (Nov. 5-7): This immersive play revives Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s legendary White House cocktail hour.
Tig Notaro: Out of Nowhere (Nov. 13): The Emmy- and Grammy nominee was among Rolling Stone’s picks for the 50 best stand-up comics of all time. (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/50-best-stand-up-comics-of-all-time-126359/)
Seattle International Comedy Competition (Nov. 19): The famed comedy competition stops in Olympia for a semi-final round. The show is recommended for ages 18 and up.
God Is A Scottish Drag Queen: A Christmas Special (Dec. 4): God (aka comedian Mike Delamont) takes on Christmas carols, Tiny Tim and even Star Wars.
Rick Steves: Travel as a Political Act (Jan. 8): Travel guru Steves, who lives in Edmonds, talks about the power of seeing the world first hand.
International Guitar Night (Jan. 31): This year’s program features a French classical virtuoso, an Italian acoustic rocker, a Hawaiian slack-key guitarist and an Australian blues guitarist.
Treasure Island Reimagined: Jane Hawkins and the Pirate’s Gold (Feb. 3): This family-friendly show changes the classic adventure story into a graphic novel with 1,200 hand-drawn images and live performers.
Timothy Egan (Feb. 5): The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and National Book Award-winning author regales audiences with stories that illuminate the American experience.
Compagnie Hervé Koubi: Sol Invictus (Feb. 9):The France-based dance company, influenced by both Mediterranean and Moroccan culture, weaves together contemporary dance, street dance, capoeira and martial arts.
Clue: Live on Stage (March 1): The Broadway touring company production of the board game-inspired whodunit brings comedy and mystery to the center stage.
Photo by Evan Zimmerman
Dwayne Gretzky: The Ultimate Throwback Party (March 6): Dwayne Gretzky — named for hockey great Wayne Gretzky — is a Canadian combo that bills itself as the ultimate party band.
Lightwire Theater’s The Adventures of Tortoise and Hare: The Next Gen (March 12):This glow-in-the-dark spectacle tells a sequel to one of Aesop’s fables.
Ladies of Laughter (March 19): The touring show, a perennial favorite at the center, features top comics from national LOL competitions. It’s recommended for ages 18 and up.
Batsu (March 27): This game show-style improv performance is based on the Japanese tradition of batsu, in which the losers face humorous physical punishments. The 6 p.m. show is recommended for ages 16 and older and the 9 p.m. show for those 18 and up.
Blind Boys of Alabama: Songs in the Key of Life (April 1):The legendary band celebrates Stevie Wonder’s landmark Songs in the Key of Life alongside selections from their own repertoire.
Phat Cat Swinger (April 13): Pop meets swing in this 10-piece led by Marco Palos and American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis.
The Wellermen (April 16): The group that sparked a global sea shanty phenomenon blends East Coast folk roots with British musicianship and West End theatrical flair.
The Little Mermaid Sing-Along (April 24): The center dives under the sea for its 2027 movie sing-along.
Bill W. and Dr. Bob (April 25): The play, which ran off-Broadway in 2007, tells the story of the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous.
MOMIX: Botanica (May 18): The legendary dance company, known for its world-class athleticism, takes a surreal journey through nature.
Waitress (June 23 and 24): The Broadway touring company of the Tony-nominated musical — with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles — makes a two-day stop in Olympia.
Series performances
Silent Movies: The series features organist Dennis James playing the organ for High-Rise Hijinks, a double bill with Laurel and Hardy’s Liberty and Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last (Sept. 27), and a program featuring the pioneering 1926 “race film” The Flying Ace and the music of Fats Waller (Feb. 21).
Black Box Jazz: The cabaret-style concerts will showcase David Joyner and Nathan Breedlove (Jan. 15), Eugenie Jones (Feb. 19), Cyrus Nabipoor (March 26) and the Duende Libre Trio (May 21).
Adventure Series: Among Wild Predators (Jan. 24) spotlights filmmaker Casey Anderson and his work with lions and tigers and bears. Forces of Nature (April 29), with photographer and storm chaser Keith Ladzinski, reminds us of the vulnerability of our world and our profound connection with the environment.
Comedy Underground: The cabaret-style series, recommended for ages 18 and up, continues with performances Jan. 28, Feb. 25, March 25 and April 22 in the Black Box.
WHAT:
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts season
WHERE:
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia
SEASON TICKETS:
A 15 percent discount is available for those who buy tickets to five or more shows. Those who buy eight or more can stay in the same seats for the shows they choose.
SINGLE TICKETS:
On sale July 16
LEARN MORE:
https://www.washingtoncenter.org/