The Shaw Festival has announced its 64th season, unveiling a diverse lineup of productions set to begin April 2, 2026.

Artistic director Tim Carroll said the upcoming season celebrates the power and magic of live performance, with shows ranging from thrillers and musicals to farces, classics and new works.

“This season celebrates theatre itself — illusion, disguise, performance — and all the ways that we delight, mislead, amaze and seduce each other,” Carroll said. “Life is a theatre, and theatre is life. We can’t wait to share the unique thrill of live performance with our amazing audience.”

The season will mark a return to the festival’s roots following the closure of the Royal George Theatre at the end of December. Productions will move to the Niagara District Court House, where the festival first staged performances in 1962.

Executive director Tim Jennings said the newly reconstructed space will open with Anthony Shaffer’s thriller “Sleuth,” the first show in the venue, along with the comedy “Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense” and a special workshop of a new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Other highlights include the Broadway musical “Funny Girl,” opening April 24 at the Festival Theatre under the direction of Eda Holmes, and the farce “One for the Pot,” directed by Chris Abraham and set to premiere May 27.

Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus,” directed by Carroll, opens July 8 and explores genius, jealousy and obsession through the rivalry between composers Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The 2026 season also features “The Wind in the Willows,” “Heartbreak House,” “Ohio State Murders,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” and the family musical “A Year with Frog and Toad.” More details about casting and creative teams will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Shaw Festival’s 2026 season runs from April 2 to Dec. 23. Tickets go on sale Nov. 1 for Friends of The Shaw and Dec. 6 to the public. Further information is available at shawfest.com.