SAC's 2025–26 Center Stage Season Spans From ‘Dracula’ and Capote to ‘Gatsby’

Center Stage at Southampton Arts Center has announced its 2025–2026 theatrical season, offering a diverse lineup that ranges from haunting drama to holiday heartwarmers and a literary American classic. The four-production slate begins this fall and runs through spring 2026.

The season opens just in time for Halloween with “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” a chilling stage adaptation of the Gothic horror classic. The show, presented in radio-play format and adapted by Philip Grecian, will run from October 17 to October 26.

“‘Dracula,’ oddly enough, is seldom staged,” director Michael Disher said, adding that the production remains faithful to Stoker’s “brooding tale of seduction, power, eternal life, hungers and thirsts. “I am drawn to Gothic literature, and Dracula may well be one of the finest examples of the genre. Plus, presenting literature on stage is important to Center Stage — and to me.”

The cast includes Daniel Becker, Richard Adler, Mary Sabo, Brian Mott, Franco Pistritto, Elizabeth Wyld, Michaal Lyn Schepps, Kyle Paseka, Michael Ponella and Tim Ferris as Count Dracula.

Next up for the holiday season, Center Stage will reprise its acclaimed production of Truman Capote’s “One Christmas” and “A Christmas Memory,” returning for one weekend only, November 28 to 30. The works, produced with special permission from The Truman Capote Literary Trust, explore the author’s childhood memories in Depression-era Alabama.

The performances reflect on themes of love, loss and enduring friendship through Capote’s bittersweet prose. Audiences last season responded so enthusiastically that organizers brought the show back for an encore engagement.

Set during The Great Depression in the early 1930s, Capotes shines a light on life in rural Alabama, and on his relationship with his lovingly eccentric cousin Sook. Together, during two Christmases, the pair learns lifetime lessons of love, loss and the power of enduring friendship.

In “One Christmas,” young Buddy leaves the warmth and homespun joys of Alabama for a holiday in New Orleans with his largely absent father — and learns life-altering lessons about life and loss. And in “A Christmas Memory,” Capote immortalizes his beloved cousin Sook, who taught him about kindness, sharing and a deep and abiding forever love.

Winter brings a Long Island premiere: Ken Ludwig’s “Dear Jack, Dear Louise,” scheduled for February 13 to 15, 2026. The World War II-era love story, told entirely through letters, is based on the real-life courtship of the playwright’s parents.

When U.S. Army Capt. Jack Ludwig begins corresponding with aspiring actress Louise Rabiner, a poignant connection unfolds despite the uncertainty of war. The Chicago Theatre Review called it “storytelling at its best.”

The season concludes with a stage adaptation of ‘The Great Gatsby” by Joe Landry, presented in radio-play format from April 23 to May 3, 2026. The production celebrates the 100th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s enduring portrait of the American Dream.

“100 years later, ‘ain’t we still got fun?’” said Disher. “In ‘Gatsby,’ we celebrate Long Island with a tale of unrequited love, power, privilege and Prohibition.”

Disher added that selecting the plays for the upcoming season was both “exciting and daunting.”

“I listen to our audience members and supporters — and also try to hold true to Center Stage’s commitment to producing rarely seen, well-known gems,” he said.

Center Stage at Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton. For more information vist southamptonartscenter.org.