Harbinger Theatre, dedicated to producing impactful Capital Region premieres by underrepresented playwrights, celebrates 2026 with a season that expands opportunities for women onstage and behind the scenes. The season features four Capital Region premieres staged across Schenectady, Troy, Albany, and Averill Park.
Harbinger co-founder Patrick White notes, “time seems to have expanded and contracted since Covid. We’ve produced 19 shows! It feels like a whole life’s work, but it’s as short as an administration, and we’re just getting started. We are on fire to create impactful work.” This sentiment reflects a theatre driven to create transformative, socially conscious work that speaks to the moment. Through increased opportunities for women onstage, the season reflects a socially engaged approach to representation.
2026 Season Lineup
To begin with, Harbinger’s 2026 season opens with A Distant Country Called Youth by Steve Lawson, directed by Linda Shirey, running April 23 through May 3 at The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady. The one-man theatrical piece explores playwright Tennessee Williams spanning the twenty-five years from boyhood to the opening of “The Glass Menagerie.” Through his letters audiences witness a hilarious, raunchy and poetic portrait of a young artist discovering his voice.
The season continues in June with Ladies’ Day by Amanda Whittington, directed by Rachel Stewart, performing June 12 through June 19 at the James Meader Little Theatre in Troy. The comedy will explore rebellion, self-empowerment, friendship, and challenging societal roles. Following four women who escape factory life for a transformative day at the races the play will hilariously explore how a new realm of possibility emerges through risk.
In September, Harbinger presents Downstate by Bruce Norris, directed by Patrick White, running September 17 through September 26 at the Albany Barn in Albany. The play explores themes of retribution, following a group home for men convicted of sex crimes against minors. This gripping and provocative new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning ensemble member Norris zeroes in on the limits of our compassion and questions who society truly deems as forgivable.
To conclude, the season in November Emily Feldman’s, The Best We Could (a family tragedy), directed by Chris Foster, running November 13 through November 22 at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts in Averill Park. The play hones in on a dysfunctional family exploring themes of connection, integrity, and the limits of empathy. The family doing the best they can, unfolds through a father-daughter road trip revealing long-buried truths.
Tickets are $15 for all performances, with $50 Flex Subscriptions available for four tickets by emailing [email protected] or making a Venmo payment to @HarbingerTheatre. Additionally, the Flex Subscription can be used all four for a party to experience a single show or see the whole season in four plays. Moreover, A Distant Country Called Youth tickets are on sale now here.
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