2026 Season — Small Stage, Big World

 

Where small spaces hold the biggest stories

 

In 2026, Sierra Madre Playhouse becomes a window into the wider world. Small Stage, Big World is our most expansive, artist-forward season yet — a year of theater, music, dance, film, comedy, global traditions, and community storytelling that shows just how large an intimate room can feel when the work is true, bold, and human.

 

This season invites audiences to sit close, listen deeply, and experience world-class artistry at an arm’s length. It’s a year built from connections — local and international, classical and contemporary, deeply rooted and wildly new. No matter where the story comes from, it belongs here.

 

 

The Idea Behind the Season

 

 

Big Art, Up Close

 

Our 99-seat historic theater has always held more than its size suggests. Small Stage, Big World embraces that truth and turns it into a guiding vision.

 

The season celebrates creative voices from across genres and cultures, offering audiences a passport to diverse artistic traditions without ever leaving Sierra Madre. A classical ensemble one night, a contemporary dance company the next; a global musical tradition at 2pm and a comedy lineup at 8pm. Every event is a chance to discover something unexpected — and to see it at a scale that honors nuance, detail, and presence.

 

The work isn’t small. The room just makes it feel personal.

 

 

From the Artistic Director

 

“We wanted a season that reflects the world we live in — its complexity, its beauty, its contradictions — but in a space that feels deeply connected. The idea was never to go ‘bigger.’ It was to go truer.”

— Matt Cook, Artistic & Executive Director

 

 

Season by the Numbers

 

• 180+ performances across the year

• 30+ artistic disciplines and styles represented

• Local, national, and international artists featured

• Free livestream access to many shows

• Dozens of world traditions and contemporary voices

• One historic 99-seat home built for connection

 

This is a season designed to stretch what a small space can do — without ever losing the immediacy that makes it special.​