The School of Theatre and Dance is rolling out its 2025–26 season with a pair of high-profile musicals: the Tony-nominated “Fun Home” and the popular “Grease.” The lineup, announced at a season kickoff event this week, also includes the dramatic play “Iphigenia and Other Daughters.”
The announcement of Columbia’s musical productions are highly anticipated. Last year’s season featured “Hair” and “Rent.”
“Grease” will be the fall musical and run from Nov. 13 – 22, 2025, and “Fun Home” will be the spring musical, running from April 30 – May 9, 2026.
Set in the 1950s, “Grease” is about working-class teenagers as they go through romance and friendship. Written and composed by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the musical will be directed by Daryl Brooks, an associate professor in the School of Theatre and Dance.
Senior musical performance major Lillian Urresit, who will be playing Betty Rizzo in the musical, performed a rendition of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” when the musical was announced.
“I’m really excited to go into my senior year, being able to do such a role that I hold so personal to my heart,” Urresti said.
“Fun Home,” is an adaptation of the book by Alison Bechdel, an autobiography of the author’s life exploring her past, from the relationship with her family to exploring her sexuality. The cast has not been determined, but junior musical theatre major Abigail Ehrenberg sang one of the songs, “Changing My Major [to Joan],” at the announcement event.
The school also will host the Comedy Cabaret, which is directed by Ric Walker, associate professor in the School of Theatre and Dance. The Comedy Cabaret is a student-run production that ranges from comedy skits to improv.
The Comedy Cabaret will perform every weekend from Oct. 2 through Oct. 18.
At the unveiling of the productions this week, sophomore comedy majors Claere Cody, Kiron Lison and Emmy Halliwell did a preview of what to expect from the show.
They performed two improv games. The first game was typical improv, where they took in prompts such as “an occupation you would not want.” The audience erupted in laughter from the character performances, which ranged from a retail worker addicted to cocaine to an incompetent lawyer. The second game was called “Freeze,” where a scene would be acted out until someone shouted “freeze!” and took over the scene and changed the story.
“Iphigenia and Other Daughters,” a retelling of the Greek myth about how the House of Atreus fell, will run from Oct. 22 through Nov. 1. The play was written by award-winning American playwright Ellen McLaughlin.
Senior acting major and stage combat minor Amelia Hansing performed a scene from the play, as did junior acting majors Samantha Inciong and Alayna Pickard.
The spring play will be “We Make Monsters” and run from March 11 through March 21.
Brian Shaw, professor in the School of Theatre and Dance said the play will be an “interactive immersive theatre experience.”
The upcoming season also brings new faculty to campus.
McKenzie Chinn, assistant professor of instruction in the school, said she was excited to be in Chicago.
Originally from DC, Chinn is a writer, director and actor who first began her career in Chicago back in 2008. She wrote and directed her short film, “A Real One,” which won a gold Hugo award at the 59th Chicago International Film Festival.
“I think that Chicago is the most vibrant, dynamic, exciting and innovative place to tell stories, to develop our voices as artists,” Chinn said.
Khanisha Foster, a 2002 Columbia alum and associate professor, expressed joy in returning to the college as a faculty member.
“I wanted to come home the whole time I was away so that I could be with all of you,” Foster said.
Copy edited by Brandon Anaya
