Austinites are surrounded by art and entertainment, but one organization takes center stage for thoughtful performing arts. Texas Performing Arts (TPA), part of the University of Texas at Austin but open to everyone, has announced every artist making up its 2026-2027 season, including visits from a Broadway singer, a jazz duo, an African circus, and more.
This is TPA’s 45th season. According to a press release, a priority this season is to share culture from around the world.
“Texas Performing Arts was founded 45 years ago to bring the best of the arts to Austin,” said TPA executive and artistic director Bob Bursey in a press release. “To mark this anniversary, we’re welcoming inventive theatre and dance makers, celebrated musicians, and acclaimed storytellers for a creative passport to the best of American and international performance.
The new season contains 11 productions and festivals, many of which lean toward the traditional, especially when it comes to new interpretations of long-famous works.
Musical performances include:
Jazz artists Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves celebrate saxophonist and composer John Coltrane’s 100th birthday in a tribute show.
Broadway singer Audra McDonald performs historical American standards and more works.
Japanese percussion ensemble Kodo shows off taiko drums, known for their loud sound and the way players use their whole bodies.
Sō Percussion, composer Caroline Shaw, and classical-eletro-pop project Ringdown present Who Turns Out The Light, a work that combines music and theater using percussion, voice, and visual effects.
Kodo | Kodo presents Luminance. | Photo courtesy of Kodo
Theater performances include:
Actors From The London Stage put on Much Ado About Nothing, a popular and easy-to-understand Shakespeare comedy.
Indian Ink Theatre Company visits from New Zealand for a production of Mrs. Krishnan’s Party!, an immersive “dinner party” that the audience experiences as guests.
Cirque Kalabanté enthralls viewers with a multitude of skills including physical stunts, storytelling, African dance, drumming, and other circus skills.
Illusionist Scott Silven tells a magical story about memory, mystery, loss, and the beauty of human connection, The Lost Things.
Indian Ink Theatre Company presents Mrs. Krishnan\\u2019s Party! | Indian Ink Theatre Company presents Mrs. Krishnan’s Party! | Photo by Jon Gitctoff
Dance performances include:
Modern dance troupe Limón Dance Company performs some of its widely renowned works.
Lim\\u00f3n Dance Company | Limón Dance Company performs works from its repertory. | Photo by Kelly Puleio
Festivals include:
The inaugural Terence McNally Festival, in collaboration with Rattlestick Theater and UT Austin’s Harry Ransom Center, presents readings of five new and notable plays by new playwrights, plus an academic symposium.
TPA x Fusebox series presents a variety of works including a performance lecture by multidisciplinary artist Suzanne Bocanegra; a puppetry and multimedia theater piece by All My Relations Collective;and a reimagining of the iconic Antonio Vivaldi work The Four Seasons by Rosas Dance Company.
Broadway in Austin, a program that presents Broadway shows by traveling casts, is also part of TPA. Its 2026-2027 schedule was announced in March; audiences can look forward to Waitress, Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, The Book of Mormon, and more.
This year, TPA is also presenting the msot daytime performances it’s done so far for Central Texas School audiences.
Tickets for the new season go on sale Friday, June 5, at 10 am via on Sale Friday, June 5 at 10 via TexasPerformingArts.org. Texas Inner Circle members get early access starting Monday, June 1, at noon.
