Get ready to mark your new calendar as Lake Norman's theatre scene is something you can't pass up. Every year, the Davidson Community Players and Davidson College Performing Arts offer great performances featuring local talent. It comprises two divisions that connect with both the adult and youth audience. You can also explore a variety of live shows at Cain Center for the Arts for the 2025 season! If you're planning a trip or are around the area, you must check out these upcoming shows!
Davidson Community Players - Main Stage
Sacred Spaces Volume 1: The Minutes (Feb. 20-March 9)
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "August: Osage County" comes a dark comedy about the agony and ecstasy of small-town government. Good intentions collide with malicious inertia when an upstart young councilman returns from a brief leave of absence. Missing the minutes from the previous meeting, he senses the other council members—from shy civil servants, to buffoonish politicians, to senile elder statesmen—are hiding something awful about what transpired. In hilarious and unsettling fashion, The Minutes shows how fictional towns like Big Cherry and real towns like Davidson wrestle with the uncomfortable task of recording their own histories.
Sacred Spaces Volume 2: A Small and Humble Erasure (March 20-30)
Playwright Stephanie Gardner digs deep into Queen City history to explore a pivotal moment in which the powers that be drove marginalized theatre makers toward founding a venue atop an enslaved people’s burial ground. In a sweeping, generations-spanning, and playful style, Gardner’s artistic rendering begs us all to consider what is sacrificed in the ever-problematic quest for space.
Head Over Heels (June 18-29)
For the flagship summer musical, enjoy one of the quirkiest, most buoyant Broadway bops of the past decade. A wacky mash-up of a classic Renaissance adventure (Magical kingdoms! True love! Mistaken identities!) and the iconic 80s music of The Go-Go’s, Head Over Heels is a joyful, affirming crowd pleaser that bridges centuries with its message of hope and love.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (November 6-16)
Peak belly laughs come to the Cain Center for an adult show! The final masterpiece from the late great comic playwright Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia, and Masha and Spike revolve around a gathering of three middle-aged siblings at their country house in Bucks County. Inspired by Chekhov but requiring absolutely no advance knowledge, this beloved character-driven hit comes to DCP after raucous productions all across the country.
Davidson Community Players - Connie Company
Finding Nemo, Jr (January 30-February 1)
Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush, and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves. Finding Nemo, Jr. brings a vibrant underwater world to life on stage in a story full of family, friendship, and adventure.
The Adventures of Avery and Masa (April 24-May 4)
Two unlikely heroes on a quest to save the planet!
Avery and Masa, a red panda and a slow loris, go on great adventures through exotic locales across the Earth, protecting their planet and its endangered species from the likes of nefarious poacher Nukie Bluff!
Jesus Christ Superstar (August 7-10)
This Teen Summer Stock Series production will be the legendary head-banging musical told through Judas Iscariot’s eyes. The region’s most talented high school and college actors are ready to rock out to one of the world’s oldest stories!
Davidson College Performing Arts
Climate Change Theatre Action (February 27-March 2)
This national initiative consists of dozens of short plays by established and emerging playwrights that "use storytelling and live performance to foster dialogue about our global climate crisis, create an empowering vision of the future, and inspire people to take action." The project will select about six to ten of these plays to be part of the production.
The Outsider (April 3-5, 10-12)
Ned Newley doesn't even want to be governor. He's terrified of public speaking; his poll numbers are impressively bad. To his ever-supportive Chief of Staff, Ned seems destined to fail. But political consultant Martha sees things differently: Ned might be the worst candidate to ever run for office. Unless the public is looking for... the worst candidate to ever run for office. A timely and hilarious comedy that skewers politics and celebrates democracy.
Cain Center for the Arts
Solstice: A Winter Circus Experience (February 14)
This captivating circus show unfolds the story of a character who has lost his inner light, plunging him into a wondrous and surreal world where memories come to life and the ordinary becomes ‘extraordinary. “Solstice” blends over 8 acrobatic acts with lighting, costumes, music, scenery, and snow to create a unique blend of poetry and circus in a 75-minute show!
Puppy Pals (March 22)
A family fun action-packed show where adopted and rescued dogs perform spectacular stunts and breathtaking feats. Watch as puppies are led through the audience with challenging and comical tricks as the pooches show everyone who is really boss!
Buckets N Boards (March 29)
Buckets N Boards is a hilarious and high-energy show chock-full of amazing percussion, ridiculous songs, spectacular tap dancing, inventive instrumentation, and an incredible variety of musical talents. It's sure to get you laughing and tapping your feet!
