Now that Ralphie got his BB gun, Scrooge became a better person and George Bailey decided he really did have a wonderful life, it’s time for North Bay theater companies to get their 2026 shows on the road.
Petaluma’s Mercury Theater is first out of the gate with Woody Guthrie’s American Song. It’s a musical tribute to the American folk singer and poet that uses adaptations of Guthrie’s prose, poetry and 30 of his songs to narrate his life and the historical and social forces that shaped him and the nation. The show, with direction by Elizabeth Craven, musical direction by Tom Martin and vocal direction by Justin Pyne, opens Jan. 9. mercurytheater.org
Then things go quiet for a couple of weeks until four productions open in Sonoma County.
Healdsburg’s Raven Players will be presenting John and Gabriel Fraire’s Who Will Dance with Pancho Villa? It’s a work originally written in 2008, but updated as part of the Raven Players’ ScripTease new works program. It will feature performances by the Ballet Folklórico Legado de Mi Alegría de Cloverdale as dancing spirits who are intertwined throughout the play. The show’s seven performances begin Jan. 22 at the Raven Performing Arts Theater. raventheater.org
A little further north, the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center will be presenting The Outgoing Tide. The family drama about a strong-willed father, his wife and their son grappling with aging and quality of life issues opens on Jan. 23. cloverdaleperformingarts.com
For audiences whose tastes lean to classic Broadway musicals, Cinnabar Theater will be presenting Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady. The iconic musical, based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, will be directed by Christian Arteaga. Eliza Doolittle will be screeching in the Warren Theatre at Sonoma State University beginning Jan. 23. cinnabartheater.org
If Shakespeare’s your thing, how about Romeo & Juliet? 6th Street Playhouse’s Monroe Stage becomes the fair Verona where two households, both alike in dignity, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny. The ubiquitous Drew Bolander directs the tragedy that also opens Jan. 23. 6thstreetplayhouse.com
Over in Napa, Lucky Penny Productions kicks off 2026 with Peter and Alice. The 2013 play by John Logan dramatizes a fictional meeting between Alice Liddell Hargreaves (the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland) and Peter Llewelyn Davies (the inspiration for Peter Pan). The show opens Jan. 30. luckypennynapa.com
The North Bay is fortunate to have the number and variety of live theater companies that it does. Please continue to support them by attending a show.
