Mercer Theatre has announced its 2025-26 season, featuring productions led by Mercer University students in key creative and leadership roles. The upcoming lineup at Tattnall Square Center for the Arts includes senior capstone projects that allow student actors, directors, designers, writers, and stage managers to shape the theater experience.
“Our fall season is guided by student interests, featuring productions that showcase senior capstone projects in acting and directing,” said Frani Rollins, associate professor of theatre. “Having students who contribute so grandly to a Mercer Theatre season in their final year always makes the department stronger and more vibrant.”
Rollins described the two scheduled titles as distinctive works aimed at adult audiences. “They are productions you simply will not find being produced anywhere else in Middle Georgia,” she said.
The spring production will be a collaborative project devised with both students and community members. Details about this show’s subject matter, schedule, and location will be released later in the year.
“Each performance, and the transitions in between, will ask a lot of our space and production team,” Rollins said. “We recognize the incredible growth and potential that comes from this challenge, and our program’s strength in collaborating effectively with students, staff and faculty will help us rise to the occasion.”
Participation is open to all interested individuals, including those without prior theater class experience. Those wishing to get involved can contact Rollins at rollins_f@mercer.edu.
The season opens with “Gidion’s Knot” by Johnna Adams (Sept. 11-14 and Sept. 18-21), which centers on a tense parent-teacher conference following a tragic student suicide. The play examines themes such as grief and responsibility.
Next is “A Night at the Grand Guignol: The Crimson Stage, When My Body Cried Out” by Angie Taylor Anderson (Oct. 31-Nov. 2 and Nov. 6-9). This original production draws inspiration from French horror theater traditions with short plays exploring dark human impulses through horror elements.
The spring features a devised work developed collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, and community members. The free outdoor performance will incorporate movement, music, puppetry, and visual storytelling for audiences of all ages.
Mercer Theatre continues its focus on inclusive participation while offering opportunities for student growth through hands-on involvement in each aspect of production.
