As the calendar turns to fall, the Alden Theatre in McLean is preparing for a new year of movies, music, theater and other entertainment.
Visits by two original cast members of the musical “Rent” and “Hollywood Shuffle” director and star Robert Townsend are among the highlights of the 2026-2027 season formally unveiled this week by the McLean Community Center’s performing arts venue (1234 Ingleside Avenue).
Tickets for the season will go on sale at midnight next Tuesday, Sept. 8. They can be purchased online or at the Alden’s box office, which is open on Saturdays from 3-7 p.m. and Sundays at noon to 4 p.m.
“The 2026-2027 season feels like a family reunion,” The Alden Theatre Performing Arts Director Sarah Schallern Treff said when announcing the lineup. “We’re bringing back many audience favorites, giving returning guests the chance to revisit old friends while allowing new Alden guests to discover their next favorite artist. Every production features fresh, new material, ensuring even long-term visitors experience something unexpected.”
The season kicks off on Oct. 2 with Ballet Hispánico New York, followed by an Oct. 13 staging of “Treasure Island Reimagined: Jane Hawkins and the Pirate’s Gold.” The new “live-action graphic novel” take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic will be making its first appearance after a world premiere in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 18-19.
Later this year, there will be classical music from the Borisevich Duo (Oct. 25) and the Duo Mosaic Piano Duo (Nov. 22) as well as jazz pianist Judy Carmichael (Nov. 8) and a film screening of “Be Kind, Rewind” (Nov. 4). The Alden will celebrate the winter holidays with The Joyfully Jolly Jamboree (Dec. 12), a music and puppet show, and the traditional return of saxophonist Lil’ Maceo (Dec. 19).
Looking ahead into 2027, patrons can look forward to:
- Furia Flamenca’s Navidad Flamenca (Jan. 3), a musical celebration of the Christian holiday Three Kings Day
- We Shall Overcome (Jan. 15), the McLean Community Center’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day concert, led by pianist, conductor and composer Damien Sneed
- A concert by actors Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp (Feb. 6), who played the leads in the original Broadway production of “Rent,” among other screen and stage roles
- Rotten Apples (March 13-14), The Alden’s annual youth production. Auditions will be open to kids aged 10 to 16 who live in or attend school in the MCC tax district on Jan. 5 and 6.
- The Amazing Max (March 25-26), a magic show that includes a sensory-friendly and American Sign Language show at 7 p.m. on March 25
- A screening of the satirical comedy “Hollywood Shuffle” (April 9) with an introduction by writer, director and lead actor Robert Townsend, who will also bring his solo show “Living the Shuffle” to the Alden on April 10
- Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company (May 7) with a family-oriented program showcasing dances inspired by “some of the most ancient cultures in the world”
- The D.C.-based wind quintet District5 (May 23)
The Alden also hosts regular screenings throughout the year of performing arts and foreign language films. The full schedule for the upcoming season can be found on the theater’s website.
