Central Florida’s leading professional regional theater adds ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles,’ moves ‘Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors’ to 2026-27 season

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Shakes has made a change to its 2025-26 season lineup, moving one show to the following 2026-27 season while replacing it with another fan-favorite.

The rights to Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors have changed and it is no longer available for production in Orlando in the fall of 2025. Therefore, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, Central Florida’s premiere professional regional theater, has moved its production of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors to Fall 2026.

In its place, Orlando Shakes will now feature The Hound of the Baskervilles, the most popular play produced in Shakes’ Goldman Theater. In this comic spoof, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson investigate the mysterious case of the Baskerville family. Holmes is on the case in this hilarious madcap take on the most famous detective of all time. “We are so excited to bring back this popular comic spoof,” said Jim Helsinger, Orlando Shakes’ artistic director, “a trio of actors play a dozen roles in a production that is a master class in funny and perfect for the Halloween season!”

The Hound of the Baskervilles will take the spot left open by Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, running September 24 through November 2, 2025. The upcoming season will still feature five productions as part of its Signature Series, two children’s shows, and its Christmas time audience favorite, A Christmas Carol.

Orlando Shakes’ mainstage season will kick off in August with Anna in the Tropics, the Pulitzer Prize winning drama of love, longing and betrayal set in a Cuban cigar factory in Ybor City, 1929. In September, The Hound of the Baskervilles will run through Halloween, while the first children’s show of the season, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, begins in October. The annual holiday tradition of A Christmas Carol closes out calendar year 2025 with performances from late-November through Christmas Eve.

2026 kicks off in January with Shakespeare’s tragic story about forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet, followed by the Pulitzer Prize-winning sizzling cookout comedy, Fat Ham, an uproarious southern-fried take on Hamlet in March. The season ends in April 2026 with the popular Fire and Reign series, a Bare Bard / Original Practices production of the Wars of the Roses, Henry VI Part 3: The Rise of Richard, and the final children’s show, DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! THE MUSICAL!

PlayFest, the two weekend festival of new plays that features readings of raw, unproduced works, also returns to Orlando Shakes the weekends of October 24-26, and October 31-November 2. And the Concert Series brings regionally-and-nationally-known entertainers to our Margeson Theater stage with four weekend performances throughout the season, including Nat Zegree (Million Dollar Quartet’s Jerry Lee Lewis) live for three shows (“The History of Rock ‘N Roll”) June 6-8, 2025. (Full Concert Series details to be released soon.)

Current Orlando Shakes Signature Series subscribers still have a few weeks to renew their season tickets. New subscriptions will go on sale in May, as will single tickets and Choose Your Own packages.

** 2025-2026 titles and dates, as well as renewal and on-sale dates, are subject to change.

Orlando Shakes’ (Revised) 37th Season | 2025-26

SIGNATURE SERIES

Anna in the Tropics

By Nilo Cruz

August 27 – September 21, 2025

The Hound of the Baskervilles

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson

September 24 – November 2, 2025

Romeo & Juliet

By William Shakespeare

January 14 – February 8, 2026

Fat Ham

By James Ijames

March 4 – March 29

Henry VI, Part 3: The Rise of Richard

By William Shakespeare

April 1 – 19, 2026

CHILDREN’S SERIES

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show

Created by Jonathan Rockefeller
Based on the books by Eric Carle
Produced by Rockefeller Studios
Original Direction / Staging – Jonathan Rockefeller
Composition & Sound Design – Nate Edmondson
Puppets created by The Rock Shop
October 14 – November 9, 2025

DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! THE MUSICAL!

Based on the book by Mo Willems

Script by Mo Willems and Mr. Warburton

Lyrics by Mo Willems

Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma

Dramaturgy by Megan Alrutz

April 14 – May 8, 2026

SPECIAL PRODUCTIONS AND EVENTS

A Christmas Carol 

By Charles Dickens | Adapted by Jim Helsinger

November 26 – December 24, 2025

Massey Services Opening Nights

Every opening Friday night of the season becomes a not-to-miss party starting 90 minutes before the curtain goes up! Featuring a live musical guest, a delicious restaurant partner for small bites, and an exclusive pre-show chat with each production’s creative team. Entering its fourth season as a staple of Orlando Shakes’ Opening Nights, the party continues bigger and better in our 37th season.

37th Season Gala

Save the date now for our annual fundraising extravaganza – Sunday, March 22, 2026.

All shows are subject to rights pending and/or changes in production schedules.

ABOUT ORLANDO SHAKES
Currently in its 36th season, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF is Central Florida’s leading non-profit professional theater, featuring classic, contemporary, and children’s plays at the John & Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. Conveniently located in Loch Haven Cultural Park, just minutes from the heart of Orlando’s Mills 50 and Ivanhoe Village Main Street entertainment districts, Orlando Shakes is one of the region’s top date-night destinations. Visit OrlandoShakes.org to learn more about our annual Signature Series, Children’s Series, PlayFest, concert series, and immersive educational programming.

** Orlando Shakes is sponsored in part by the City of Orlando, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the State of Florida. Orlando Shakes is funded in part by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program. Orlando Shakes is supported by United Arts of Central Florida, host of OrlandoAtPlay.com and UAArtsEd.com. **

The mission of Orlando Shakes is to enrich our community with engaging professional theater, inspiring educational experiences, and thought-provoking new plays.

 “We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” – The Tempest

CONTACT: Isabella Rodrigues, Public Relations & Marketing Manager

EMAIL: Isabellar@orlandoshakes.org