photo by: KU's Department of Theatre & Dance/Luke Jordan

KU Department of Theatre & Dance students during the University Dance Company Fall 2024 Concert performing ¿Te suena?. The KU Theatre and Dance department announced its lineup of six shows for the 2025-26 season.

Astronomers and astronauts, a Tony-winning musical and stories of grief and community are all on the schedule for the University of Kansas’ 2025-2026 theater and dance season.

The KU Department of Theatre & Dance on Thursday announced the productions it will perform for its 2025-2026 season. The season kicks off with Lauren Gunderson’s “Silent Sky,” which tells the story of pioneering female astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, whose work allowed scientists to more accurately calculate vast distances in space. It will open on Oct. 3.

“This story reminds us that art and science share a common spirit of curiosity and courage,” said Markus Potter, professor and artistic director, in a news release announcing the schedule. “I can’t wait to see our students inhabit these trailblazers with the sensitivity and intelligence they deserve and to share this inspiring history with our community.”

The next production will be the Tony-winning musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” which opens Oct. 24.

The first of two University Dance Company concerts will open Nov. 14 and will feature a new, contemporary work by New York-based choreographer Jessica Chen inspired by the experiences and stories of astronauts.

In the spring semester, the first production will be “Corners Grove” by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, which the Dramatists Play Service describes as a modern twist on the Thornton Wilder classic “Our Town.” It will open March 6, 2026.

The University Dance Company’s second concert of the academic year will open on April 10, 2026. And the 2025-2026 season will conclude with “The Laramie Project,” a play about the town of Laramie, Wyoming, after the murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in 1998. The play portrays the town’s reaction “and the community’s determination to confront hate,” Potter said in the release. This show will open on April 24, 2026.

Henry Bial, a professor and chair of KU’s Department of Theatre & Dance, said in the release that it was important for student artists to “explore the relationship between individuals and their broader community,” and he thinks the shows on this season’s schedule will “surprise and delight audiences with the outstanding efforts of our students, staff and faculty.”

For showtimes, a complete list of performance dates and to purchase tickets, visit the KU Theatre website or the University Dance Company website. The box office will open Aug. 19 in Murphy Hall, 1530 Naismith Drive, and it will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.