Adams — The Adams Theater will open its 2026 season earlier than usual, presenting performances and events from April through October that range from music and dance to literature, comedy, and community celebrations. The season includes appearances by choreographer Omar Román de Jesús, Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Stacy Schiff, and the nationally known storytelling program “Selected Shorts.”
The theater will again spotlight local artists and organizations while welcoming nationally recognized performers. Returning highlights include the Majesty of the Berkshires Pride Pageant, live music, comedy, and partnerships with area schools and cultural groups. Tickets and details are available at Adams Theater’s website.
The season opens April 17 with bluegrass musicians Michael Daves and Jacob Jolliff. The duo, who appeared at the FreshGrass Festival in 2025, will perform ahead of the release of their album “We Like Jim & Jesse!,” due in March on Wild Geranium Records.
Artist residencies will also begin earlier in the year. From April 20 to May 2, choreographer Omar Román de Jesús and his company, Boca Tuya, will take part in a residency culminating in a performance May 2. De Jesús is currently presenting work at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and comes to Adams through the Works & Process residency program, which supports the development of new work and offers audiences insight into the creative process.
De Jesús is the inaugural Baryshnikov Arts Center Fellow at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and a recipient of multiple national awards, including a Princess Grace Award in choreography and a Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Award.
On May 23, the Adams Theater will host “Selected Shorts,” produced by New York City’s Symphony Space. The evening will feature actor David Strathairn, with additional performers to be announced. The long-running series presents actors reading short fiction centered on a shared theme, in this case stories about outsiders and life on the margins. A pre-show cocktail event will be held at the nearby Revival House.
In June, the theater will join statewide commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution through a series of MA250 events. On June 13, Gibson and composer and storyteller Guy Mendilow will present “Different Ships, Same Boat,” an interactive performance combining spoken word, music, and storytelling. A high tea hosted with the Friends of the Adams Free Library and the Adams Historical Society will follow June 14.
On June 20, Schiff will appear in conversation with author and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Professor Sara Houghteling. Schiff is the author of “The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams,” as well as “Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov)” and “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America.”
The season also features the Majesty of the Berkshires Pride Pageant on May 29, performances by Misty Blues and Harvest and Rust, and the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter School’s annual musical, May 14 through 17.
The Adams Theater participates in the Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program, offering free admission to EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders.
