Lafayette’s historic Town Hall Theatre is getting ready to raise the curtain on a new Main Stage season, beginning with a production of the beloved comedy-drama “Steel Magnolias.”
Previews are scheduled for September 10 and 11, followed by the official opening on September 12. The show will continue through October 3 at the theater’s longtime home at 3535 School Street.
Written by Robert Harling and directed by Richard Perez, “Steel Magnolias” follows six women whose lives intersect inside a Louisiana beauty salon. The story unfolds over three years, mixing sharp humor and salon gossip with more serious moments involving illness, loss and the strength of close friendships.
The cast includes Lexy Grant, Melody Payne Alonzo, Aero England, Allison Gamlen, Kristine Ann Lowry and Marsha van Broek.
The production runs approximately two hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission. Standard tickets are $25, while the September 10 and 11 previews will be offered on a pay-what-you-can basis with a suggested price of $2. A special senior matinee on October 1 will have $10 tickets.
Town Hall’s lobby will open one hour before each performance, with live music from local Bay Area performers. The theater is also bringing back its pre-show happy hour, offering $1 off beer, wine and cocktails during designated periods before evening and afternoon performances.
Tickets and additional performance information are available through the “Steel Magnolias” production page.
A Full Season Built Around “Belonging”
“Steel Magnolias” is the first of four Main Stage productions in Town Hall Theatre’s 2026-2027 season. The company says the season is centered on the theme of “Belonging,” with each show exploring community, relationships and the places people create for one another.
The second production may be the most distinctly Lafayette show of the year.
“Robin Hood of the Reservoir: A Holiday Panto” will run from December 5 through December 19. Written and directed by Heather Cousins, Lulu Braunstein, and Kathleen Olson, the family-oriented production puts a local spin on the Robin Hood legend.
In the story, a power-hungry sheriff threatens to drain the community’s beloved reservoir. Marian must find a way to protect her family, her neighbors and the town. The show will include pop songs, slapstick comedy and audience participation, with theatergoers encouraged to cheer for the heroes and boo the villains.
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The season will resume in March with “Native Gardens,” a comedy by Karen Zacarias directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza. Running March 6 through March 27, 2027, the play begins when a young couple moves next door to longtime homeowners — and a disagreement over a fence line and a prized garden rapidly escalates.
The comedy uses the increasingly absurd conflict to examine class, culture, race, privilege and the sometimes-surprising meanings people attach to their homes.
The final Main Stage production will be Sarah DeLappe’s “The Wolves,” directed by Erika March and running June 5 through June 26, 2027. The play follows a girls’ indoor soccer team as its teenage players warm up before games, moving between everyday gossip and much larger conversations about identity, competition, politics and growing up.
The complete lineup and individual show descriptions are available on Town Hall Theatre’s 2026-2027 season page.
Town Hall is also offering flexible Hall Pass packages that allow patrons to use a set number of tickets across Main Stage productions. Packages begin at $90 for three tickets and include priority seating, free exchanges and assistance when a patron accidentally misses a scheduled performance.
Founded in 1944 as the Dramateurs, Town Hall is the oldest continuously active theater company in Contra Costa County. Its Lafayette building is even older: the community-built Town Hall was completed in 1914 and has hosted performances, dances, meetings, movies and other local events for more than a century.
