PURE Theatre this week announced their 23rd season, featuring three regional premieres and a world premiere new play. In addition to the five shows in the mainstage season, there will also be a preseason Summer Slam in July and August 2025. Performances in the 2025–2026 season will take place at the Cannon Street Arts Center and virtually through PURE Live, the company’s live-streaming program (subject to rights availability).
“Theatre is critical. It wakes us up, makes us feel more, see more, and connect more deeply with ourselves and each other,” says Artistic Director Sharon Graci. “PURE is asking for six nights (or afternoons) of your time this season. That’s all we need to change your life, broaden your horizons, entertain you, help you get away, and give you something to talk about. Each of these plays is extraordinary, funny, fierce, smart, and unflinchingly human. From a gothic blues myth to a progressive school council in chaos, from a Nobel-obsessed novelist to a psychological thriller for the ages, and a stunning new world premiere set right here in the Lowcountry—Season 23 is dialed in and dialed up in all the right ways.”
You can get a sneak peek of the season to come with the Preseason Summer Slam, Zelda in the Backyard by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder. Based on the playwright's own life, this one-woman show follows Libby as she repairs a 1961 Rolls-Royce left to her by her father. A little broken herself, Libby finds herself with a new understanding of marriage and family during this journey of love, loss, and all the roads in between. PURE resident designer Miles Boinest will be making his directorial debut on this show, which stars Core Ensemble member Camille Lowman.
Season 22 officially kicks off in October 2025 with the Southeast Regional Premiere of Covenant by York Walker. Inspired by the myth of Robert Johnson, this haunting, Gothic play explores the power of belief and tests the thin veil between rumor and truth. Two years after his sudden disappearance, struggling guitarist Johnny “Honeycomb” James returns to his small Georgia town a blues star, sparking rumors that he may have made a deal with the devil to attain his musical genius. Before long, however, it becomes clear he's not the only one with a secret.
Covenant will be followed by the Southeast Regional Premiere of Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector. This 2019 breakout hit follows the antics of five school board members at the Eureka Day School, a bastion of progressive ideals and acceptance. When a mumps outbreak threatens their community, the board realizes with horror that they’ve got to do what they swore they never would—make a choice that won’t please everyone.
Winter 2026 brings another Southeast Regional Premiere and recent Broadway hit, McNeal, by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar. This “brilliant and transfixing new play” (The Atlantic) follows Jacob McNeal as he deals with an estranged son, a new novel, and an unhealthy fascination with artificial intelligence, all while facing perpetual candidacy for a Nobel Prize in Literature. Wickedly smart and startlingly relevant, McNeal is an examination of the inescapable humanity—and increasing inhumanity—of the stories we tell.
March 2026 ushers in the revival of a classic in Steven Dietz’s Gaslight. Based on the critically acclaimed play and blockbuster film, Gaslight is a heart-pounding, haunting classic for the new age, twisting reality into a nightmare as a young wife fights to escape the dark grip of manipulation.
The season concludes in April 2026 with the world premiere of The Ocean We Swim In by Brad Erickson. Developed in the PURE Lab, the show follows disgraced art critic Jack as he and his husband flee to the marshy refuge of South Carolina. “I’m thrilled to be working with Sharon Graci and PURE Theatre on the world premiere of my new play,” says Erickson. “The action is set here in the Charleston area and is steeped in the culture of the Lowcountry. There’s no better theater in the country to bring this story to life for the first time than PURE.”
The Season 23 Flex Pass is on sale now and includes five flexible tickets for the mainstage season, concierge ticketing services, first invitations to all PURE events, and discounts on additional ticket purchases (including tickets for the Summer Slam). The Flex Pass also includes access to PURE’s Dining Benefits Program in partnership with the Charleston Arts Festival, giving you discounts and specials at your favorite local restaurants throughout the season. Current and retired K-12 educators can receive a special discount on their Flex Pass by contacting PURE.
Patrons and ticket buyers should visit PURE Theatre’s website (puretheatre.org) for additional information on Season 23. Information on purchasing season passes as well as individual tickets is also available on PURE’s website, social media platforms, and via PURE Theatre’s box office at 843-723-4444, Tuesday-Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.