You've walked past the marquee. Maybe on your way to dinner on Old Main, maybe on a slow loop along the Riverwalk. The Manatee Performing Arts Center sits right there downtown, and every so often you think, "we should really catch a show," and then you don't. This is the season to finally do it. From August through May, MPAC is running one of its fullest calendars in years, and Producing Artistic Director Rick Kerby has stacked it with titles you'd normally drive to Tampa or Sarasota to catch.
Here's the part people forget: this is a community theater. The people up on that stage are your neighbors, local volunteer performers, plus the kids from MPAC's Youth Education Program. So when you buy a ticket, you're not just getting a night out downtown. You're watching Bradenton talent do the thing they've spent months rehearsing. Let's walk through what's worth circling on the calendar.
The Main Stage Musicals
Six musicals fill the big house this season, and they swing for the fences. The season opens early, in August, with Fame the Musical (Aug 6 – 16, 2026). It's the high-energy story of New York performing-arts students chasing the spotlight, and a fitting kickoff for a house full of local talent. Then the headliner lands: Dear Evan Hansen (Oct 22 – Nov 1, 2026), staged as an Area Premiere. It's the Tony-winning show about a lonely teenager and a lie that spins out of control, and it's a genuinely big title for a community theater to pull off.
From there the range opens up. Anastasia (Dec 3 – 13, 2026) brings the lost-Russian-princess story and 1920s Paris to the stage right at holiday time. Come From Away (Jan 21 – 31, 2027) tells the true story of Gander, Newfoundland, the little town that took in thousands of stranded air travelers after 9/11. Ninety minutes, no intermission, and it'll wreck you in the best way. Alice by Heart (Mar 4 – 14, 2027), from the creators of Spring Awakening, reimagines Wonderland in a WWII London tube station. And the season closes on Guys and Dolls (Apr 22 – May 2, 2027), the brassy 1950 classic full of gamblers, missionaries, and a fourteen-year engagement.
The Kiwanis Theater: Black-Box Plays
MPAC's second stage, the Kiwanis Theater, runs the season's plays and edgier work in a smaller black-box space. You're closer to the actors, and it's a different kind of night. It opens with Arsenic and Old Lace (Sept 3 – 20, 2026), the black comedy about two sweet old aunts with a very dark hobby. Fast, funny, and the perfect low-stakes way to try MPAC if you've never been.
Then it gets bolder. Carrie: The Musical (Oct 15 – Nov 1, 2026) turns Stephen King's prom-night nightmare into a score, and its Halloween-night performance encourages costumes and hands out a trick-or-treat bag. The Da Vinci Code (Jan 14 – 24, 2027) adapts Dan Brown's thriller — a Louvre murder and a chase across Europe. Appropriate (Feb 18 – 28, 2027) is a darkly comic drama about siblings and the ugly things they surface sorting through their late father's estate. And Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Apr 8 – 18, 2027) is Edward Albee's blistering marriage drama, the kind of night that leaves the whole car quiet on the ride home.
One heads-up: Carrie, Appropriate, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? are staged for mature audiences and carry content warnings. Check the show page before you book family seats, not at the door.
The 2026-2027 Season at a Glance
Want every staged show in one place? Here's the full run across both stages, in order, so you can hold the dates before tickets move:
Show | Dates | Series |
|---|---|---|
Fame the Musical | Aug 6 – 16, 2026 | Main Stage |
Arsenic and Old Lace | Sept 3 – 20, 2026 | Kiwanis (black box) |
Carrie: The Musical | Oct 15 – Nov 1, 2026 | Kiwanis — mature |
Dear Evan Hansen | Oct 22 – Nov 1, 2026 | Main Stage |
Anastasia | Dec 3 – 13, 2026 | Main Stage |
The Da Vinci Code | Jan 14 – 24, 2027 | Kiwanis (black box) |
Come From Away | Jan 21 – 31, 2027 | Main Stage |
Appropriate | Feb 18 – 28, 2027 | Kiwanis — mature |
Alice by Heart | Mar 4 – 14, 2027 | Main Stage |
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Apr 8 – 18, 2027 | Kiwanis — mature |
Guys and Dolls | Apr 22 – May 2, 2027 | Main Stage |
Most staged runs stretch across two or three weekends, so a "sold out" Saturday usually isn't the end of the road. There's often a Thursday or a Sunday matinee with seats. Making it a date night? Grab dinner on Old Main Street beforehand and walk over.
The Tribute Tuesday Concert Series
Between the plays, MPAC runs a Tribute Tuesday Concert Series. Touring tribute acts, mostly one night each. This season brings six. Almighty Queen (Oct 27, 2026) channels Freddie and the band. Old Time Sailors (Nov 17, 2026) turns the hall into a rowdy 19th-century tavern for an immersive sea-shanty singalong. It's one of the odder, more joyful nights on the whole calendar.
The rest keep the hits coming. Larger Than Life (Jan 26, 2027) is the boy-band throwback, A Motown Revue with Soul Sensations (Feb 9 – 13, 2027) brings the Detroit catalog, ShaToby (Mar 9, 2027) honors Shania Twain and Toby Keith, and Liverpool Live (Apr 27, 2027) does the Beatles. These sell as single tickets and the popular ones move fast, so don't sit on them.
Also on the Calendar
The three ticketed series aren't quite everything. Two family favorites are worth flagging. The Nutcracker (Dec 22, 2026) is performed by the International Ballet of Florida with professional guest artists. And Madagascar KIDS (Dec 12, 2026) is a fast 30-minute musical starring MPAC's young Fall Camp performers. MPAC also books one-off concerts and youth productions through the year, so it's worth a look at the full calendar. Rounding out the rest of what's on around town that weekend? We keep a running list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Manatee Performing Arts Center?
MPAC sits at 502 Third Avenue West in downtown Bradenton, two blocks off the Riverwalk. It has two stages: the Main Stage (Stone Hall) and the smaller Kiwanis Theater black box. For personalized help, the box office answers Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (941) 748-5875.
How do I get tickets for the 2026-2027 season?
Tickets are available on the Manatee Performing Arts Center season page or by calling the box office at (941) 748-5875. The staged shows run multiple weekends, but the Tribute Tuesday concerts have a single date each. Buy those early.
Is there parking near MPAC?
Yes, and most of it downtown is free. The City Centre garage on 3rd Avenue West has 500 free spaces a short walk from the theater. Our downtown Bradenton parking guide breaks down which lot to use so you're not circling the block before curtain.
Which shows are okay to bring kids to?
The family-friendly picks are The Nutcracker (Dec 22), Madagascar KIDS (Dec 12), and Fame. A few Kiwanis Theater titles, Carrie, Appropriate, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, are staged for mature audiences and carry content warnings, so read each show's page before booking family seats.
Who performs at MPAC?
Mostly your neighbors. The Main Stage and Kiwanis Theater productions are community-theater shows with local volunteer performers, and the youth productions come out of MPAC's education program. Touring professional acts fill the Tribute Tuesday concerts. The 2026-2027 season was programmed by Producing Artistic Director Rick Kerby.
What to Know Before You Go
Every show this season happens at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Avenue West, right in the heart of downtown. Buy tickets through the MPAC season page or the box office at (941) 748-5875, check the show page if you're bringing kids to anything, and give yourself ten minutes to park.
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