Where The Musical Goes Next: Our 2026-2027 Slate
We have been building toward this moment since the day we opened Drama Club's doors.
Not toward any one show. Toward a body of work — a constellation of projects that, taken together, say something about where we believe the American musical is going, and who we believe should be telling its stories.
Today, we're sharing our full 2026–2027 slate. Five projects. Two in active development. Three in production. All of them, in our view, essential.
The Productions
WANTED — Broadway, November 2026
WANTED is the story of Mary and Martha Clarke — Black twin sisters in 1890s Texas who passed as white and became outlaws in the Wild West to save their family. It is an American family legend: a story of sisterhood, loyalty, survival, and the choices we make when everything is on the line.
This show has earned everything it's about to receive. A sold-out run at Signature Theatre. A New York Times Critic's Pick at Paper Mill Playhouse. A dynamic, contemporary score that has generated extraordinary audience response at every stage. And now, a Broadway debut featuring Grammy Award-winner Ledisi alongside Liisi LaFontaine — two powerhouse performers bringing the Clarke sisters to life on the Great White Way.
WANTED centers Black women, stars Black women, and was written by a Black woman. It is claiming space on Broadway. We are proud to help it get there.
THE HEART — Off-Broadway, October 2026 / Broadway, Spring 2027
When a young surfer's life is cut short, a heart begins its 24-hour journey toward a stranger — and toward the possibility of saving them. The Heart follows that journey, and the lives it touches along the way.
The creative team alone would make this a must-watch: book by Kait Kerrigan, a thrilling electronic score by Anne and Ian Eisendrath, choreography by Mandy Moore, and direction by Tony Award-winner Christopher Ashley. The world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2025 sold out and extended twice. Junkyard Dog Productions — the team behind Come From Away — are leading it to New York.
We believe in this show with our whole, well, heart.
DIRTY DANCING — N.A. Tour, August 2026 / Broadway, January–June 2027
The story that awakened a generation is back — reimagined for a new stage, with a completely new vision from acclaimed director Lonny Price. Based on the beloved Lionsgate film, Dirty Dancing: The Musical brings Baby and Johnny back to life in a production built for the road and bound for Broadway.
The model here is one we find compelling: a North America tour, a limited Broadway run, and then the tour continues. The built-in audience is enormous. The new creative vision gives it something fresh to offer them.
THE INTERESTINGS — Berkeley Rep, January 2027
Sara Bareilles. Meg Wolitzer. Sarah Ruhl. Michael Arden. If you stopped reading there, you would already understand why we're in.
The Interestings — adapted from Wolitzer's beloved novel — follows six friends across several decades, exploring art, money, and the friendships that define us. With music and lyrics by Bareilles (whose last musical, Waitress, recouped in under ten months), a book co-written by the novel's own author, and direction by a Tony Award-winner, this is one of the most anticipated new musicals in the pipeline. We are investing now to position Drama Club as a co-producer on the Broadway production.
The Development Projects (Pre-Broadway)
DISCOVERY — In Development
Discovery tells the story of the NASA astronaut corps in the aftermath of the 1986 Challenger tragedy — and the long, painful road back to the 1988 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. At its center is Dr. Sally Ride: iconic astronaut, queer outsider, truth-teller.
Writers Alex Higgin-Houser and Dan Gibson had the audacity to dream this show into existence — and to go speak directly to the astronauts who lived it. The result is an entirely original, prestige score in the tradition of Ragtime or Carousel, with an ensemble-driven story in the spirit of Come From Away. Drama Club is the lead producer, and we are raising the initial capitalization for what we believe will be a landmark production with a Broadway future.
We still remember where we were when Challenger exploded. We think others do too.
THE ASCENDANTS — In Development
The Ascendants is something different.
An immersive rock musical — words by Shannon Morrison, music by Stephen M. Barnett — it plunges audiences into the heart of The Seraphim, a contemporary cult promising ultimate perfection through radical enlightenment. The score draws from Radiohead, NIN, The Killers, and The Doors. The experience blurs the line between theatre and something far more unsettling.
Immersive theatre remains one of the most underexploited frontiers in our field. The thriller genre is underproduced. And audiences are hungry for experiences that don't just ask them to watch — but to participate, to question, to feel genuinely unsafe in the best possible way.
Drama Club is the lead producer. We are developing this from the ground up, and we believe it will find its audience in a significant way.
Why We're Sharing All of This
We present our full slate because Drama Club is about more than any one show.
Our value — and our values — are determined by the constellation of work we choose to champion. Each of these projects reflects something we believe about where the musical is going: toward new stories, new voices, new forms, and new audiences.
A Strange Loop.MEXODUS.CATS: The Jellicle Ball. Those weren't accidents. They were choices — made early, made with conviction, and made in partnership with writers and producers who share our vision for what this art form can be.
This slate is the next chapter of that vision.
Most producers wait to see where the musical is going. We decide.
If you're a writer wondering whether Drama Club is the right home for your work — we hope this slate tells you something about who we are and what we believe in.
If you're a producer or partner looking for collaboration — let's talk.
If you're an investor ready to be part of where the musical goes next — we'd love to share more.
Drama Club is Where the Musical Goes Next. We are both the destination and the pathway.
