Four productions spanning musical comedy to Greek tragedy will fill the Leila Gordon Theatre from October through May as Reston Community Players opens its 59th season. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $28 for the October opener.
The season runs the gamut:
- "Once Upon a Mattress" (musical comedy) — Oct. 16 through Nov. 7, 2026. Directed by Steve Cairns, produced by Liz Colandene.
- "Harvey" (comedy) — Jan. 22 through Feb. 7, 2027. Directed by Rikki Howie Lacewell, produced by RCP Vice President Katie Pond.
- "The Trojan Women" (Greek tragedy) — Feb. 25–28, 2027. Directed by Jessie Roberts, produced by Kate Keifer.
- "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (interactive musical) — April 9 through May 1, 2027. Directed by Board President Michael Barret Jones, with musical direction by Jim Bowen-Collinson and choreography by Kendall Mostafavi. Produced by Jocelyn Steiner.
All four shows take the stage at the Reston Community Center's Leila Gordon Theatre, 2310 Colts Neck Rd., where RCP has performed since 1979. The company traces its roots to the spring of 1966, when three Herndon residents approached Reston founder Robert E. Simon about staging an original musical called "The Greatest Game in Town," according to the group's history page. RCP had mounted more than 200 main-stage productions by its 50th anniversary in 2016.
The season arrives on the heels of RCP's joint summer production of "Dear Evan Hansen" with South Lakes High School students from 11 FCPS schools, which ran July 24 through Aug. 1. In a July 20 article on the FCPS website about that collaboration, RCP Vice President Katie Pond said: "It's been just an absolute honor and treat to work with these teenagers. They have shown such maturity and such grit, and we're learning from them just as much as they're learning from us."
Pond is producing "Harvey" this season. The company is already promoting next year as its 60th anniversary season.
How to get tickets: Contact the Leila Gordon Theatre at [email protected] or call (703) 476-4500, ext. 3. Tickets are also available at restonplayers.org.
Coming up
- Friday, Aug. 21 — "Scripts and Sips" staged reading of "The Shadow Box" by Michael Cristofer, 7:30 p.m., RCP Rehearsal Hall, 266 Sunset Business Park, Herndon. Seats limited; sign-up required.
- Oct. 16 — "Once Upon a Mattress" opens at the Leila Gordon Theatre.
- Oct. 17–20 — Auditions for "Harvey."
