MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – Alabama Shakespeare Festival announced its 2026-2027 season Thursday, featuring seven productions ranging from comedy to award-winning drama.

The season opens Oct. 1 with “The Play That Goes Wrong,” a farce about a mystery production plagued by mishaps. The show runs through Oct. 25 on the Festival Stage.

“August Wilson’s Fences” plays from Oct. 29 through Nov. 15 on the Octagon Stage. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama tells the story of Troy Maxon, a former Negro League baseball player working as a sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh. The production is presented in association with Theatrical Outfit and Dominion Entertainment.

“Elf The Musical” runs Nov. 25 through Dec. 27 on the Festival Stage. The holiday show is based on the film about Buddy the Elf’s journey to discover his identity and bring Christmas joy to his family.

The season includes the world premiere of “Marian: An Original Musical,” running Feb. 25 through March 14, 2027, on the Festival Stage. The musical tells the story of Marian Anderson, who gave the first integrated concert in the nation’s capital on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.

William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” runs April 15 through May 2, 2027, on the Festival Stage. The romantic comedy follows Rosalind as she flees to the Forest of Arden disguised in men’s clothes.

“The Rocket Men” runs May 13-30, 2027, on the Octagon Stage. The play tells the story of former Nazi scientists who moved to Huntsville and became part of NASA’s space program.

The season closes with an unannounced Disney musical running July 7 through Aug. 8, 2027, on the Festival Stage.

Subscriptions are on sale now. Individual show tickets go on sale July 20. Tickets can be purchased by calling 334-271-5353, visiting the box office or online at ASF.net.

The current season includes “Chicken & Biscuits,” running June 4-21 on the Octagon Stage, and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” running July 16 through Aug. 16 on the Festival Stage.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!

Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday formally announced the state will be beginning this historic summer with an America 250 Alabama Celebration at the State Capitol next Thursday. During the event, the governor will officially unveil a massive, 250th edition of the U.S. flag that will hang between the columns of the Capitol this summer.

“We live in the greatest nation on this Earth, and it is only fitting Alabama pay tribute to this country we are proud to call home. I am excited to invite my fellow Alabamians to the Capitol for a salute to our nation and to kick off this historic summer,” said Ivey. “There is truly no better time to be an American and an Alabamian than right now.”

The event will be open to the public and is set to occur on the front steps of the State Capitol Thursday, May 21 at 11 a.m. ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Leading up to the program, guests will be able to enjoy the sounds of the 151st Army Band. The governor invited Pell City High School student and fellow Girls Stater Amelia Alverson, who went viral for her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” to perform.

The program will feature a musical performance by Randy Owen of Alabama. At the close of the program, four F-35 fighter jets will roar over the State Capitol for an official flyover. 

The governor first announced the event Wednesday during a speech in Huntsville. There are no tickets required. Governor Ivey said she looks forward to America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, and she “is thrilled to kick off this milestone summer with her fellow Alabamians,” Ivey’s press release concluded.

SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WKRG) — Beneath thousands of headstones, a life of service and sacrifice is honored at the Alabama State Veterans Cemetery in Spanish Fort.

“It is pretty profound the sense of pride in the work,” said cemetery director Joe Buschell.

“The beauty is just overwhelming, and there is so much honor here for our veterans for the community,” said Commissioner of Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Jeff Newton. “It’s just a solemn place.”

Buschell accepted the Excellence in Veterans Cemetery Operations recognition, but he says it is a team effort.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes. When the day starts, our obligation is to honor that veteran and their family,” Buschell said.

The only state veterans cemetery in Alabama is the final resting place for almost 5,000 veterans and their spouses.

“They truly care for the veterans of the state of Alabama,” said Glenn Powers, Deputy Under Secretary of Cemetery Operations for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that sets the standards for all 124 state veterans cemeteries across the U.S. “They do exactly what we want them to do, what the American citizens want them to do, take care of our veterans, honor them in perpetuity.”

Established in 2013, the 130-acre property off Highway 225 has room to expand for generations to come.

“They gifted everybody at least a part of their life, said Buschell. “At this cemetery, we have at least a couple that gifted the whole thing, so that means a lot.”

A debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid.