BroadStage sets 2026/27 season, names Tectonic Theater Project resident artist

BroadStage has unveiled its 2026/27 season after drawing nearly 10,000 people to the inaugural Santa Monica International Jazz Festival and before its 20th anniversary milestone. The Santa Monica venue is expanding its residency model, adding Tectonic Theater Project, a new theater partnership, and a broad slate of music, dance, comedy and family programming. Why it matters: - BroadStage is using its 2026/27 season to push deeper into theater, jazz, dance and community programming on the Westside of Los Angeles. - The season is also a bridge to BroadStage’s 20th anniversary, with the organization positioning Santa Monica as a cultural destination ahead of major international events in Los Angeles. - The residency model is becoming a bigger part of BroadStage’s identity, with the goal of creating longer relationships between artists and audiences. What happened: - BroadStage announced its 2026/27 Season on June 18, 2026. - The season spans theatre, music, dance, opera, jazz, family programming and community-centered experiences. - BroadStage also named Tectonic Theater Project as its next three-year resident artist. - The new theater residency will formally begin in spring 2027 with a kick-off event, followed by summer engagement opportunities. - BroadStage said additional details on the residency will be announced in the coming months. The details: - The announcement follows the inaugural Santa Monica International Jazz Festival, which drew nearly 10,000 attendees across four main events. - Festival venues included downtown Los Angeles, Third Street Promenade, BroadStage and Tongva Park. - The second edition of the jazz festival is planned for spring 2027. - BroadStage is also partnering with The Road Theatre Company in North Hollywood on a co-production of the world premiere of Kaiju by Dan Caffrey. - Kaiju opens September 25, 2026. - The play centers on two 250-foot-tall monsters debating the morality of the destruction they caused, alongside human theatergoers arguing after a play. - BroadStage says Kaiju turns destruction into conversation and conversation into destruction in a satire of monster movies, post-show talkbacks and art-making. - The season also includes Lost Lear, a devised theatre work from Ireland that reimagines Shakespeare’s King Lear through memory, aging and family connection. - Other theater and live storytelling offerings include Scott Silven’s Wonders, Broadway concert engagements with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sierra Boggess, and comedy and music from Michael Winslow. - Music programming includes Hiromi with her trio, LUCÍA, Keyon Harrold and The Hot Sardines. - The concert lineup also includes Camila Fernández, Perla Batalla, Nella and Aga Khan Master Musicians. - Classical highlights include Takács Quartet with Jeremy Denk, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Isata Kanneh-Mason, Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Conrad Tao, Delirium Musicum and LA Master Chorale’s Lagrime di San Pietro, directed by Peter Sellars. - The Celebrity Series will feature Lise Davidsen in a holiday program and Huw Montague Rendall in his BroadStage debut. - Dance programming includes Ragamala Dance Company, Versa-Style Dance Company’s 20th anniversary program Guardians of Street Dance, and Gravity & Other Myths with 10,000 Hours. - The Blackbox series, curated by The Reverend Shawn Amos, will focus on blues programming. - BroadStage Sundays will replace the long-running Sunday Morning Music / Santa Monica series, shifting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - BroadStage Sundays will expand beyond classical music to include other styles, dance and family-friendly programming. - Season subscriptions and tickets will be available to members starting June 17, 2026 at BroadStage’s website . Between the lines: - BroadStage is moving away from single-event presentations and toward multi-year artist relationships that can shape both programming and community engagement. - Naming Tectonic Theater Project signals a stronger theater focus after the jazz festival helped validate the residency approach. - The mix of classical, jazz, opera, dance and family offerings suggests BroadStage is trying to widen its audience while keeping core arts patrons engaged. - The new Sunday format appears designed to draw a more intergenerational crowd by broadening both the time slot and the programming mix. What’s next: - Tectonic Theater Project’s residency launch in spring 2027 will be the next major test of BroadStage’s expanded residency model. - The second Santa Monica International Jazz Festival is slated for spring 2027. - More details on the Tectonic residency and other season programming will be released in the coming months. - BroadStage’s 20th anniversary celebration will take place during the 2027/28 Season and continue into 2028. The bottom line: - BroadStage is turning a successful jazz festival into a broader institutional shift, using its next season to deepen theater, extend community reach and set up its 20th anniversary.