By 1808Delaware
Arena Fair Theatre’s 2026 mainstage season isn’t tied to a single venue, and that’s part of the point. This year’s lineup moves between the historic Willis Theater in downtown Delaware and the Buckeye Valley High School Theater, giving the company flexibility for different kinds of shows and giving audiences a couple of familiar places to gather.
The basics are straightforward: four mainstage productions, $15 general admission tickets, and season passes that cover all four. A Delaware County tourism post has been circulating the same dates while spotlighting the $15 price and the sense that opening night is close.
The quick snapshot
- Four mainstage shows in 2026
- Tickets: $15 each (general admission)
- Season pass: admission to all four shows (a $60 value)
- Venues: Willis Theater (Downtown Delaware) and Buckeye Valley High School Theater (for Anastasia, with full air-conditioning)
- Tickets and season passes: arenafair.com
The Play That Goes Wrong
March 13–15, 2026
Willis Theater, 74 W. William St., Delaware, Ohio
If you like comedy that’s smart enough to look dumb, this is the one. The Play That Goes Wrong follows a fictional amateur theater group attempting a 1920s murder mystery, only to have the production unravel in increasingly spectacular ways: missed cues, malfunctioning props, and a set that seems determined to collapse.
It’s a modern farce built on perfectly timed “mistakes.” When it works, it feels effortless. In reality, it’s a high-skill show disguised as chaos.
Anastasia
June 26–28, 2026
Buckeye Valley High School Theater (fully air-conditioned)
Anastasia shifts the season into big, sweeping musical storytelling. Set in the shadow of the Russian Empire’s collapse and then in the glow of 1920s Paris, it follows a young woman with a mysterious past who may or may not be the lost Grand Duchess. Two would-be schemers see an opportunity, and then discover they’re tangled up in something more human than a con.
This is a show that likes scale: ensembles, travel, romance, and that cinematic feeling audiences expect. Putting it in a fully air-conditioned venue in late June is not just comfort. It’s smart planning.
Next to Normal
October 16–18, 2026
Venue not specified in the details provided
Next to Normal is the season’s hardest swing, in the best way. It’s a rock musical about a family navigating mental illness, grief, and the ripple effects that spread through a household when one person is struggling.
It’s not a “big show” in the spectacle sense. It’s big emotionally. For community theater, it’s also a statement: we’re willing to take on material that’s contemporary, raw, and complicated.
Little Women
December 4–6, 2026
Venue not specified in the details provided
Little Women closes the season with a story that still has a strong grip on people’s imaginations. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s novel, it centers on the March sisters as they grow up, chase their ambitions, and learn what they’re willing to give up for family and for love.
It’s a natural fit for early December. The story is warm without being syrupy, familiar without feeling stale, and it leaves you with the kind of emotional aftertaste that works well at the end of a year.
Tickets and season passes
Arena Fair Theatre is advertising $15 general admission tickets for each of the four mainstage shows. Season passes are also available and include admission to all four productions, offering savings compared with buying individual tickets. Tickets and season passes are sold online through Arena Fair Theatre’s “Tickets” page at arenafair.com.
If you’re the kind of person who keeps saying, “We should go to more local theater,” this is a pretty easy season to actually do it.
