Theatre Lab
A New Play Experience Second-To-None!
Big News About Theatre Lab’s Next Decade of New Plays
Since 2015, Theatre Lab has made its home in an unused cafeteria space in Parliament Hall, a
dormitory for FAU students. Over the past decade, Theatre Lab presented more than 30 full
productions and more than 100 developmental readings of new plays – despite the obvious
limitations of producing in a space which was never designed to be a working theater.
“Theatre Lab always understood that this was a temporary situation and that, as we grew along
with the University, the time would eventually come to move operations to a more suitable facility,”
said Louis Tyrrell, Founding Director. With the expansion of the east side of campus, including the
construction of a new dormitory set to house over 600 students, the need to accommodate Student
Life – an absolute priority of any University – combined with Theatre Lab’s own visions for the
future, means the time for that change has come.
With the full support of the Department of Theatre & Dance, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts &
Letters, and the University, beginning in the 2026/27 season, Theatre Lab will produce out of the
Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre. Over the next few seasons, Theatre Lab will share space with
the Department of Theatre & Dance as a new permanent home is developed, right here, on the
Boca Raton campus.
“This is an incredibly exciting step in our organization’s growth. Theatre Lab will continue to
provide a ‘new play experience second-to-none’ alongside our robust educational outreach
programming as we deepen our engagement with and provide even more opportunities for
students to work with the professional resident company on campus,” continued Tyrrell.
Additionally, Theatre Lab will gain the equipment, facilities, and audience capacity to further
enhance the caliber and scope of their work.
“We are all deeply grateful for Theatre Lab’s invaluable addition to our college and programs,” said
Michael Horswell, Dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters. “Their work here in
our community and budding national reputation have also helped to raise the profile of our
programs and we are very excited about the amazing opportunities this collaboration will
generate.”
“Florida Atlantic University is entering a period of incredible growth and looking ahead to an even
brighter future,” said Adam Hasner, President of Florida Atlantic. “We recognize the undeniable
bene[its Theatre Lab has brought to our campus and students over their first decade. As we
envision the future of the university and develop our new strategic plan, we look forward to
working together to support the performing arts with state-of-the-art facilities in the years ahead.”
“Theatre Lab faithful can expect a few minor adjustments to our standard season calendar, but our
mission of “inspiring, developing, and producing new work, artists, and artists for the American
Theatre” remains unchanged,” shared Matt Stabile, Producing Artistic Director. “Theatre Lab is as
[inancially, culturally, and artistically sound as ever and eagerly anticipating the wonderful
opportunities ahead in this next stage of our existence. We look forward to expanding existing
partnerships – including the continued growth of the annual Owl New Play Festival, presented in
partnership with the Department of Theatre & Dance – and welcoming even more audience
members to our productions as we continue to establish Theatre Lab and FAU as the premiere
location for new plays in the Southeast and, eventually, the nation.”
2026 / 2027 Season
Heckscher Theatre for Families Production:
Baker Street Beginnings by Gina Montét
A World Premiere and Heckscher Theatre for Families Commission
Directed by Matt Stabile
September 5-20, 2026
Journey into the bustling streets of 1870s London to uncover the story behind one of the world’s greatest fictional detectives. Young Arthur Conan Doyle, an aspiring doctor with a curious mind, is taken under the wing of the brilliant Dr. Joseph Bell, a man with sharp observations and keen intellect. When a thrilling new mystery emerges, Arthur and his lively circle of friends must unravel a web of intrigue, danger, and deception. An exciting adventure that blends suspense, history, and heart, imagining how the seeds of a legend could have been planted in the mind of a young storyteller.
On the heels of last season’s hit, Heebie Jeebies: Tales from the Midnight Campfire, local playwright & educator, Gina Montét, returns to The Lab with another play commissioned specifically for our annual Heckscher Theatre for Families Production. With characters inspired by historical figures, this action-packed detective story is an entertaining and educational thrill-ride for audiences of all ages!
Performances: Saturdays at 7pm, Sundays at 3pm
Field trip performances for partner schools & orgs Wednesday-Friday 10:30am
Individual Ticket Prices
$25 for adults, up to 1 child free with each adult purchase.
Additional child tickets $5.
MainStage Season:
VIRGINIA and Joanna Castle Miller’s Bad Faith Trilogy
Written and performed by Joanna Castle Miller
Directed by Matt Stabile
December 5-20, 2026
Raised within fundamentalist Christian nationalism, Joanna was given a clear script for identity and acceptance. Joanna Castle Miller’s Bad Faith Trilogy traces the process of questioning, dismantling, and ultimately rewriting that script, culminating in a life that stands in stark contrast to where it began. Performed by the playwright in rep, this trilogy explores the lure of Christian Nationalism, the punishment of women and girls, and the playwright's discovery of Judaism as a new way to understand the world. At a time of deepening divisions, how can we challenge the cultural and ideological forces that shape our lives and attempt to contain us? And how can we help others find their own path to a freer, more openhearted life?
After producing the world premieres of two of her plays earlier this year, we’re thrilled to welcome this incredible playwright/performer back to Theatre Lab to kick off our 26-27 MainStage season! Theatre Lab faithful will be the first audiences to enjoy the full trilogy, in the order it is meant to be experienced, before it lands on stages throughout the country (and beyond). All three shows will run in rep - beginning with the newest play, VIRGINIA, and followed by re-imagined versions of both of last season’s productions of INFERNA and CONVERSA. On Sunday, December 20th, fans of Ms. Castle Miller can join us for the unique opportunity to see all three in a single day!
THE PLAYS
VIRGINIA
Young Joanna knows America is a white Christian nation, and she plays her part in keeping it that way by staying pure (if you don't count her thoughts about Thomas Jefferson). When her father becomes the 2016 nominee for president for a far-right third party, she decides to make a comedy show about it… and in the process, realizes things might never have been exactly what they seemed.
Performances:
*Saturday, December 5, 2026 Opening Night Celebration
12/6, 3pm; 12/11, 7:30pm; 12/13, 3pm; 12/20, 12pm
INFERNA
Young Joanna desperately wants to be a perfect evangelical and great theatre artist – and fortunately for her, both seem to work perfectly together. But the mentors she adores aren’t who they appear to be, and neither are the scripts they've passed down to her. When it all collapses around her, she will have to untangle how religion and theatre actually set her up for disaster, and what it may cost to write herself a new script.
Performances: 12/12, 3pm; 12/18, 7:30pm; 12/20, 3:00pm
CONVERSA
Young Joanna knows all the Jewish prayers – and how they’re really about Jesus. That’s because, many years ago, her mother, who wanted to be a rabbi, converted to evangelicalism through Jews for Jesus. As a result, young Joanna learns all the tricks of Christian missions, eventually becoming a missionary herself. But when something ancient draws her away, to the traditions she never learned and histories she never studied, she finds herself in a tiny village where, centuries ago, her father’s father’s father faced a similar crossroads and made a very different choice.
Performances: 12/12 & 12/19, 7:30pm; 12/20, 7:00pm
Sheltered by Alix Sobler
A Florida Premiere
Directed by Matt Stabile
January 23 through February 7, 2027
Executive Producers: Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust, Linda & Joe Satz - Trustees
In 1939, Evelyn and Leonard Kirsch, a Jewish-American couple, made an extraordinary decision which would change the lives of generations to come. While millions of Jews were trying to escape Germany, Evelyn and Leonard traveled into Nazi-occupied Europe and made arrangements to take a group of forty children back across an ocean to safety. Facing incredible odds, geopolitical dangers, and intimate personal struggles, this well-intentioned couple finds that doing good often carries an unexpected cost.
The playwright of The Glass Piano (2020) and Last Night In Inwood (2023) returns to Boca for her third production at The Lab! After incredibly successful runs at Alliance Theatre, Theatre J, and Jewish Repertory Theatre, we are proud to present the Florida Premiere of this emotionally stirring play inspired by real-life events.
Performances: Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Saturdays & Sundays at 3pm
No Saturday matinee on opening (1/23)
Recognition by Ken Weitzman
A World Premiere
Directed by Matt Stabile
April 10-25, 2027
Executive Producers: Richard Carpenito; Doreen & David Chemerow
Based on the true and only recently unearthed story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, whose study of Shakespeare uncannily led to a storied career as one of the country’s first codebreakers, influencing the outcome of two world wars, and (along with her husband) laying the foundation for the science of cryptology and modern encryption techniques used to this day by the NSA, FBI, and CIA. Was it because of her covert work and existence that most Americans had never heard of her? Or did someone bury her contributions in an effort to steal credit for themself?
Ken Weitzman, creator of the non-traditional theatrical experience, The Happiness Gym, which enjoyed the start of its own NNPN Rolling World Premiere at our inaugural Owl New Play Festival, is back for another festival and another world premiere. This epic-tale follows the life and career of one of the first American codebreakers, whose contributions helped the US win WWI and WW2 even though most Americans have never heard of her.
Performances: Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Saturdays & Sundays at 3pm
No Saturday matinee on opening (4/10)
TICKET INFORMATION:
Packages
MainStage Opening Night Celebration Package: All opening nights (VIRGINIA 12/5/26, Sheltered 1/23/27, and Recognition 4/10/27), including pre and post-show receptions: $189 ($225 value)
MainStage Season Subscription Packages: All three MainStage productions (VIRGINIA, Sheltered, Recognition): $149 ($180 value)
Joanna Castle Miller’s
Bad Faith Trilogy Add-On: See the full trilogy by adding on INFERNA and CONVERSA for an additional $99 ($120 value)
Individual Ticket Prices
Heckscher Theatre for Families Tickets
$25 for adults, up to 1 child free with each adult purchase.
Additional child tickets $5.
Mainstage Series
Opening Night Celebrations: $75 (includes a pre & post-show reception)
Individual Tickets: $60
If you love new work in American theatre, now there is Theatre Lab,the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University.
Established in 2015 on the Boca Raton campus, Theatre Lab's mission is to inspire, develop, and produce new work, audiences, and artists for the American Theatre.
For tickets please visit www.fauevents.com or call 561-297-6124.
Please note that there will be a processing fee for all FAU College of Arts and Letters tickets purchased online, by phone, at the Student Union Box Office and walk up on day of event. *
*Processing fee does not apply to student tickets, group tickets, subscription/season tickets, Ambassador of the Arts tickets, and Theatre Lab Alliance Member tickets at Theatre Lab shows.
Sign Up for our Email List visit us on facebook