Fall 2025: What’s on at the HRDC?
Graphic by Neshama Ryman
As always, the start of the fall semester comes with the Harvard-Radcliffe Drama Club’s announcement of upcoming shows and productions to take place at Harvard this season. The stage is set for an exciting lineup of performances ranging in genre, style, and scale.
Learn more about the upcoming HRDC productions for Fall 2025:
Loeb Experimental Theater
The Loeb Experimental Theater is slated to host a variety of performances this fall, both original and traditional works. More commonly known as “The Loeb Ex,” the space is a smaller black-box theater inside the Loeb Drama Center. “The Scottish Improv Show,” presented by Three Letter Acronym, will be the first performance to take stage at the theater. In residency from Oct. 20-26, the show will be directed by Katie Silverman ’27 and produced by Gunnar Sizemore ’27 and Amy Morissey ’28. TLA is Harvard’s only improv troupe that follows the Harold format, a long-form improv style.
“Get A Clue,” an original musical written and directed by Olivia Data ’26, with music composed and orchestrated by Preston Bushnell ’26, will take stage at the Loeb next. It will be in residence from Nov. 13-16. Transporting the audience to the glamour of speakeasies in 1920s New York City, the show is a detective noir dramedy following six characters at a soirée that takes a turn. Tickets will be free to all.
Debuting next is “Ex Machina,” the Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company’s fall production. Kathryn Nairn ’26 and Olivia Ma ’26 will direct this performance, which will incorporate the show’s historically stunning visual elements and energy. It is set to be in residence from Nov. 17-23.
The Ex’s final production of the season will be “The Glass Menagerie,” directed by Texaco Texeira-Ramos ’26 and produced by Katherine LeBuhn ’26. Written by Tennessee Williams, “The Glass Menagerie” is a memory play with autobiographical elements that follows the narrator, Tom Wingfield, as he looks back on his life with his family in the Great Depression era. Through recollections of his mother, Amanda, and his sister, Laura, who receives a gentleman caller, the play touches on concepts of love, disillusionment, and dreams. “The Glass Menagerie” will be in residence from Dec. 1-7.
Loeb Proscenium
Two performances will take the stage at the Loeb Proscenium, the largest venue featured with over 550 seats and shared with the American Repertory Theater. “Merrily We Roll Along,” directed by Ben Arthurs ’27, will be the first production of the year. The musical was originally based on a 1934 play of the same name, with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Set over the span of 20 years, the comedy follows Franklin, Charlie, and Mary as they pursue their dreams and artistic careers. This follows the play’s recent revival on Broadway from 2023 to mid-2024, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez. “Merrily We Roll Along” will be in residence from Sept. 29-Oct. 26.
Next at the Loeb Proscenium will be “Nocturne,” the Harvard Ballet Company’s fall show, from Oct. 27-Nov. 9. The play will be directed by Emma Nagler ’26 and Olivia Callander ’26 and marks a return back to the Proscenium after their past spring show at the Harvard Dance Center. Both extensive productions will thrive in the grandeur of the Proscenium’s stage.
Agassiz Theater
Last but not least is the Agassiz Theater, the historic 350-seat venue in amphitheater design, where a mix of musicals and opera style shows will occur. The first production to take place at the Agassiz is “The Addams Family,” directed by Riley Jackson ’27 and Mia Schenenga ’27. With lyrics and music written by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman, “The Addams Family” was originally based on Charles Addams’s cartoons in the New Yorker from the 1930s. The musical follows the eccentric and dark Addams family when Wednesday, their daughter, falls in love with a normal boy, Lucas. Her father, Gomez, must keep the romance a secret from his wife, Morticia, leading to a night of chaos when Lucas is invited to family dinner. The adored show, in residence from Oct. 13-26, will be a lively way to ring in Halloween, and is perfectly timed with the recent release of season two of “Wednesday” on Netflix.
Next up is “The Pirates of Penzance,” a comic opera full of energetic characters, in residence from Nov. 3-16. Originally written by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan and first performed in 1879, the show will be directed by Alicia Chu ’28, music directed by Jack Damon ’28, and choreographed by Cooper Skenyon ’27. The show tells the story of Frederic, a pirate apprentice, who falls in love with Mabel but soon finds out he is unexpectedly indentured to the pirates for decades more.
Finally, “City of Peace” will be the last production in the Agassiz this fall, taking residency from Nov. 17-Dec. 7. “City of Peace” is another original operetta, with book and lyrics by Paul Palmer ’26 and music by Christian Liu ’26, to be directed by Jolana Kampfova ’28. The production is inspired by Ukrainian author Mykola Hohol and follows Khoma and Khalivia, who leave the Kyiv-Brotherhood Monastery, only to end up on an intense escapade.
This season promises a magical range of performances that spotlights Harvard’s creative talent, with both traditional and original pieces, and is the perfect time to explore theater on campus. Find out more about this season’s productions on the HRDC’s website or Instagram.
Meena Behringer ’27 (meenabehringer@college.harvard.edu) is the Arts Editor of the Independent.