Throughout April 2026 I’m sharing the 2026-2027 seasons announced by each of Cincinnati’s professional theater companies. This week’s update is about offerings from Know Theatre, found on Jackson Street in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
Know, the city’s black box professional theatre, is thriving as it looks to its third season under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Bridget Leak and Managing Director Ri Moodie. Known for its intimate performance spaces and for showcasing local writers and artists, the Know continues to build “belonging” through bold theatre.
According to Leak, “It always starts with great storytelling, and this season’s playwrights are unraveling form to find deeper truth. We meet all of our characters as adults who are reaching back into the past: siblings finding what they left in the attic, a father who still wants to play at being cowboy, half-brothers fumbling to reach across a chasm, and childhood soulmates who will never get it right. There is an undercurrent of trauma and regret in this season, but even when our past feels dark and shameful, shining through is a glimmer of hope.”
The season begins with the regional premiere of Bess Wohl’s Make Believe (Sept. 10–26, 2026), directed by Leak. A mystery set in the attic playroom of their childhood home, four adult siblings grapple with the ghosts of their childhood. Once upon a time the four Conlee kids arrived home from grade school, hungry and tired, but their parents were nowhere to be found, and the downstairs phone kept ringing. Thirty years later, they return to grapple with events from that still haunt their lives. From the writer of Camp Siegfried, a well received Know production in September 2024 that kicked off Leak’s first season, comes a mystery about the lingering impact of childhood trauma. Rated: PG-13
For the spooky season, Know is bringing back octKNOWber Nights, a month of programming from local artists. October 2026 will be full of original live performances by local artists who dare everyone to close their eyes, hold their breath and venture into the shadows. It will culminate in a one-night-only variety show, The Kinda-Weird Spooky Cabaret by veteran storyteller Erika MacDonald. A call for submissions is coming in July 2026.
Know’s second best-selling show ever, Die Hard is a Christmas Movie (Dec. 3–20, 2026) returns for its third holiday season. Penned by local writers A.J. Baldwin and Alexx Rouse and directed again by Tatiana Godfrey, this MainStage comedy has built a following. Imagine this: The blockbuster action classic 1988 actually happened, and the play is a dramatization of hero John McClane’s memoir. Years after that daring rescue, fame has taken its toll on his family. His teenage kids decide to hire actors to kidnap Mom inspiring McClane to spring into action, save her and boom … marriage saved. When their plan goes off the rails and the family faces real peril, they must work together to make it to Christmas morning together … or die hard trying. Rated: PG-13
In January 2026, SERIALS returns for its 17th season featuring more work by local writers. Over the course of five Monday evenings five 15-minute episodes of new and different plays by local playwrights will be presented on Know’s Underground Cabaret Stage, (Jan. 25, Feb. 8 and 22, and March 8 and 22, 2027). At the season finale, the audience will vote on which production will get a three-night run in its entirety. Each episode starts with a “previously on …” recap to catch the audience up to speed. A call for submissions will happen in early October with an early December 2026 deadline.
The regional premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s Grangeville will happen early in 2027 (Feb. 11–27). His A Case for the Existence of God was a strong offering in February 2025. Two estranged half-brothers, one in Amsterdam, one still living in Grangeville, reconnect to discuss their ailing mother’s estate. They must question whether it’s possible to move on with their lives without finding forgiveness. This script is a defiantly optimistic meditation on masculinity, memory and forgiveness.Rated: PG-13
Cincinnati playwright Hannah Gregory’s Wuthering: A Musical on the Moors gets its world premiere (April 2-18, 2027). Inspired by Emily Brontë’s classic novel about the anxieties of love, class and race in Victorian England, this was originally a one-act show during the 2022 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. This version has been developed into a two-act folk musical. After her father’s death, once bright and wild Cathy Earnshaw marries wealthy Edgar Linton in order to provide financial security for herself and her true love, Heathcliff. Devastated by her betrayal, Heathcliff disappears, only to return three years later as a wealthy man obsessed with revenge. Directed by Caitlin McWethy. Rated: PG-13
The 24th annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival (June 4-19, 2027) will bring another iteration of Cincinnati’s “Summer Theatre Party.” Local, national and international theater artists will perform in pop-up venues across Over-the-Rhine — more than 40 hour-long shows will provide 170+ performances. A 14-day celebration of curated new work and uncensored live performance from indie theatre artists, the Cincy Fringe is the region’s largest and longest-running performing arts festival. It includes KidsFringe programming on weekend afternoons and free “Late Night” events that start at 10pm at Know’s Underground Bar performance space. Produced by Katie Hartman, this jury-curated festival will be open for applications in early October 2026. For more information go to www.cincyfringe.com.
During its regular season Know offers “Arts & Service Industry Mondays” with $20 tickets for selected MainStage productions. On “Welcome Thursdays,” MainStage Know productions can be seen for a $15 advance reservation ticket; an hour before each Thursday performance, it’s Pay-What-You-Wish for walk-up tickets if seats remain. Season subscription information: www.KnowTheatre.com or call 513-300-5669.