Connecticut College ups its game for 2026-27 Guest Artists series
Connecticut College in New London has announced an impressive slate of dance and music events for its 2026-27 onStage Guest Artist series, including a season-opening concert by two of the original stars of the musical “Rent,” Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. Connecticut College has also announced a big change in who’s programming the series. Rob Richter, the director of arts programming at the college for decades, is retired. The new director of arts programming is Jay Silva, a longtime New London resident active in the city’s thriving local music scene. Silva has worked in arts programming previously at The Bushnell and the Garde Arts Center. The 2026-27 season includes: “Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp: Celebrating 30 Years of Friendship and Music,” Sept. 25. Pascal and Rapp were the original Roger and Mark, respectively, in the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of “Rent” in 1996, roles they reprised in the 2005 film version. The concert will feature other songs beyond the expected “Rent” standards. Both Rapp (who appeared on all five seasons of TV’s “Star Trek Discovery”) and Pascal (whose films include “School of Rock” and “SLC Punk” and its sequel “Punk’s Dead”) have brought their solo concert acts to Connecticut numerous times. Rapp also starred in a special Hartford Stage engagement of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” in the summer of 2003 and in the memorable national tour of the musical “If/Then” at The Bushnell. Pascal was at The Bushnell in national tours of “Something Rotten!” and “Pretty Woman.” “The City of Tomorrow: A Town Hall,” Nov. 6. The innovative and immersive touring wind chamber ensemble, The City of Tomorrow, will use a performance three days after the 2026 general election as an opportunity for a music-based conversation about community and civic engagement in the present day. The concert will include audience members being asked to recite prose and poetry selected by City of Tomorrow. The Limón Dance Company, Feb. 6, 2027. Connecticut College has a long history of supporting modern dance performances. From 1948 to 1977, the college was home to the American Dance Festival where some of the greatest choreographers in the world developed new works. One of those iconic choreographers, José Limón, premiered his piece “The Moor’s Pavane” at the festival in 1949. Limón died in 1972, but his company lives on and is premiering a new version of the dance reimagined by contemporary choreographer Abram Khan, as well as a rendition of Limón’s 1958 Chopin-scored classic “Mazurkas.” Sandeep Das and the HUM Ensemble, Feb. 19, 2027. Sandeep Das is an internationally renowned player of the Indian percussion instrument the tabla. HUM stands for “Harmony and Universality through Music.” Das, who lives in the Boston area and has performed with Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Paquito D’Rivera and major symphony orchestras, founded HUM in 2009. The Acting Company’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” April 2, 2027. The Acting Company was founded by John Houseman and Margot Harley in 1972 as an opportunity for young professional actors to gain experience by touring in both classics and new works. The current artistic director of The Acting Company is Devin Brain, who did several Shakespeare productions including an outstanding condensation of the four-play “Wars of the Roses” cycle titled “Rose-Mark’d Queen” when he was a student at the Yale School of Drama in 2011. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is one of the most popular Shakespeare comedies. The Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival did it just last month at the University of Saint Joseph and the Elm Shakespeare Company did it last summer in New Haven. According to Silva, there are special opportunities for Connecticut College students to engage with the guest artists. Das, for example, will give a talk to students about the relationship between music and mathematics. Silva noted that the 2026-27 was booked by Richter, since it takes about a year of planning and negotiations with the artists before a full season can be confirmed and announced. He said he had a hand in selecting which show The Acting Company would do from its current repertoire, calling the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” a “new take on a fun, whimsical classic.” Besides booking the onStage Guest Artist series, Silva’s job requires him to oversee “theater services” for Connecticut College, including helping with the student productions. The college has multiple performance spaces, from the 1,000 capacity Palmer Auditorium (where the Guest Artists concerts are held) to the 360-seat Evans recital hall to the Myers Dance Studio (which has a professional-level sprung dance floor) to a couple of black box theater spaces, one of which has only 40 seats. Connecticut College performances are open to the general public. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Single tickets are on sale and range from $26 to $50 depending on the show. Senior, student and Connecticut College faculty discounts are available. More information is at conncoll.edu.
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