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.

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Arkansas 3, Kentucky 2 — Middle 6th Inning

Nolan Souza drew a 2-out walk but that was all for the Razorbacks in the sixth inning. Alexander Peck grounded out in the next at-bat against lefty Jackson Soucie. 

Arkansas 3, Kentucky 2 — End 5th Inning

Gabe Gaeckle worked a perfect fifth inning with a couple of flyouts and a strikeout. His pitch count is at 84. This has been one of his better outings this year. 

Arkansas 3, Kentucky 2 — Middle 5th Inning

The Razorbacks loaded the bases and forced a 1-out pitching change in the fifth inning. 

After Alexander Peck grounded out to begin the inning, Zack Stewart walked, Damian Ruiz singled and TJ Pompey walked on a 3-2 pitch after a couple of foul balls. 

Ryder Helfrick hit a double-play ball against new right-handed reliever Ira Austin, but the Wildcats’ middle infield botched it a bit and Helfrick was able to reach first safely, which scored Stewart. 

Kuhio Aloy struck out to end the half inning and strand runners at the corners. 

Ben Cleaver pitched 4 1/3 innings for the Wildcats and allowed 3 runs, 5 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. He threw 84 pitches with 57 strikes. 

Arkansas 2, Kentucky 2 — End 4th Inning

Hudson Brown led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run the other way off the top of the left-center field wall. That was Brown’s fifth home run. 

Caeden Cloud added a 1-out walk after working a full count. After Jayce Tharnish struck out, it appeared Tyler Bell might hit a go-ahead homer, but the wind knocked down a well-hit ball near the warning track in right field. 

Arkansas 2, Kentucky 1 — Middle 4th Inning

Camden Kozeal worked a nine-pitch at-bat and stroked a 1-out solo home run 400 feet to right-center field on a 3-2 pitch. It followed the third straight he fouled off. 

That was Kozeal’s team-leading 17th home run. 

Arkansas 1, Kentucky 1 — End 3rd Inning

The Wildcats struck during their second time through the lineup, but that was secondary to a scary scene involving Braxton Van Cleave who was taken off the field on a stretcher after about a 15-minute delay. 

Jayce Tharnish was hit by Gabe Gaeckle’s first pitch of the inning and stole second base. A second base runner, Luke Lawrence, reached on a 1-out walk. 

Ethan Hindle flied out for the second out of the inning before Van Cleave’s bouncer found its way between shortstop Camden Kozeal and second baseman Nolan Souza for an RBI single. 

Van Cleave tried to take second base and as he did he and Kozeal had a nasty collision, with Van Cleave hitting Kozeal from behind. Kozeal appeared to unknowingly be standing in the base path and Van Cleave had his head down. It did not appear any player saw the collision coming. 

Van Cleave was on the field for several minutes while being tended to by the training and medical staffs of both teams. He was eventually taken off on a stretcher. They appear to be concerned about an injury to his head and neck area. 

The game resumed after an 18-minute delay. Gaeckle got a groundout to end the inning and strand Wildcats at second and third base. 

Arkansas 1, Kentucky 0 — Middle 3rd Inning

Zack Stewart led off the third inning with a 395-foot home run to right-center field. That was his second home run in as many pitches after he hit the leadoff homer in the ninth inning last night. 

That was Stewart’s 10th homer of the season and 54th of his career. 

That was Arkansas’ only hit of the inning. Damian Ruiz and Ryder Helfrick flied out and TJ Pompey struck out. 

Arkansas 0, Kentucky 0 — End 2nd Inning

Will Marcy led off with a walk and Hudson Brown followed with a single to set up Kentucky for a potential big inning, but Gabe Gaeckle pitched out of it. 

Owen Jenkins failed twice to put down a bunt, then struck out looking on the third pitch of the at-bat for the first out. Gaeckle then picked off Marcy at second base before Caeden Cloud struck out to strand a base runner. 

Arkansas 0, Kentucky 0 — Middle 2nd Inning

Nolan Souza beat out a 2-out infield single and was stranded when Alexander Peck flied out to right field. Peck had a couple of good takes after falling behind 0-2. 

Kentucky lefty Ben Cleaver has thrown 21 of 28 pitches for strikes. 

Arkansas 0, Kentucky 0 — End 1st Inning

Both teams stranded 2-out base runners in scoring position in the first inning. 

Ryder Helfrick hit a 2-out double for the Razorbacks and was out when Kuhio Aloy flied out. 

Luke Lawrence and Ethan Hindle had back-to-back singles for the Wildcats against Gabe Gaeckle. Damian Ruiz made a sliding catch in left field to end the inning on a well-hit ball by Braxton Van Cleave. 

Pregame

Arkansas and Kentucky are scheduled to play the second game of a series Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Kentucky Proud Park.

The Razorbacks (34-19, 15-13 SEC) will throw right-hander Gabe Gaeckle against Kentucky left-hander Ben Cleaver. 

Arkansas will be looking to even the series after losing the series opener 4-3.

Here is a look at the Razorbacks’ starting lineup:

LF Damian Ruiz

3B TJ Pompey

C Ryder Helfrick

DH Kuhio Aloy

SS Camden Kozeal

CF Maika Niu

2B Nolan Souza

1B Alexander Peck

RF Zack Stewart 

The Mount Pleasant School House at Bellevue State Park was one of the first public schools in Delaware. Photo by DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation

Part of New Investments in the Park

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control held a ribbon cutting for the historic Mount Pleasant School House at Bellevue State Park, one of the first public schools in the state of Delaware. It is one of several major projects completed in the last six years.

The Mount Pleasant School House was built under the Free School Act of 1829, which divided each county into many school districts and provided funding to build a school house in each district. The one-room school house, designated as School District No. 2, was a common school where children of all ages learned reading, writing, arithmetic and English grammar together, led by a single teacher. It was used for nearly 35 years from 1830 to 1864, primarily serving the children of the local farming community. Today, Mount Pleasant Elementary School and Mount Pleasant High School are schools that descended from the original school house and are part of the Brandywine School District.

“Our state history matters, and I believe it is our duty as Delawareans to preserve what we can so that each generation that comes after us can not only access educational materials, but see these landmarks for themselves,” said Rep. Debra Heffernan of District 6, who serves as chair of the Joint Capital Improvement Committee.

“The Free School Act of 1829 was not perfect, but it began the process of ensuring that every Delaware child has access to quality education, no matter their background. The Mount Pleasant School House is a physical representation of the progress we have made in our state: from a small schoolhouse for the local farming community led by a single teacher, to two spectacular schools that serve students from all walks of life. I am grateful to have played a role in making sure that this piece of history is accessible to everyone in our community.”

After the original school house fell into disrepair in 1857, Hanson Robinson, a Philadelphia wool merchant and an advocate for racial and gender equality who lived at neighboring Woolton Hall, offered to build a new, larger school on the other side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in exchange for the original school and land. The original school property was later used as a guest house and sold to several new owners. In 1893, it was purchased by William du Pont, Sr. and renamed the Bellevue Estate. The school house continued to be used as a guest house or employee housing, most notably by the estate’s lead racehorse trainer.

Bellevue opened as a state park in 1977, and the school house has been used as a park office, holiday venue and gift shop before it sat empty and unused for nearly three decades. Initial restoration began in 2019-2020 thanks to funding advocated for by the Friends of Bellevue State Park in 2020. A thorough preservation plan was created in 2022 for total exterior and interior renovations. It will now serve as an interpretive center for programming to recount the rich history of Bellevue and its community.

“As one of the historical sites in Delaware State Parks, it is critical to invest in its preservation to help educate residents about important landmarks in Delaware history,” said Matt Ritter, director of the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. “We couldn’t have done this project without the dedicated support of the Friends of Bellevue State Park. With more than 390 historic structures in the system, we are continually updating and improving our amenities for future generations to enjoy.”

In addition to the restoration of the school house, more than $5.2 million in capital improvements have been invested in Bellevue over the last six years. Among the improvements are:
• a new roof for the Figure 8 barn, a facility used for events and programming
• parking lot improvements for the Tennis Center and pavilion
• a paved pathway linking the Bellevue Mansion to the Figure 8 Barn and Tennis Center
• upgrades to the track, with a new surface and drainage enhancements

Bellevue State Park offers lots of other activities, such as a fishing pond, a concert bandshell, stables, trails, disc golf and cross county trails. For more information on Bellevue and its programs, visit the destateparks.com/park/bellevue-state-park webpage.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo and the Indian River Marina.  For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Celebrating A Milestone Year
Delaware State Parks is celebrating 75 years of outdoor adventures and lasting memories. What began in 1951 with three parks has grown into a system that now includes 17 state parks, 22 nature preserves, the Brandywine Zoo and the Indian River Marina — together protecting more than 27,000 acres. In 2026, the division will honor the people, parks and partners who built this legacy and invite visitors to join in inspiring exploration, discovery and a deeper connection to the outdoors for generations to come.

Media contact: Beth Kuhles-Heiney, elizabeth.kuhlesheiney@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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