The Contemporary Theater Company in Wakefield, United States, is set to captivate audiences in 2026 with a diverse and engaging lineup of plays. From improvised murder mysteries to beloved musicals and classic Shakespearean comedies, the program promises a truly immersive experience for theater lovers. Each play brings a unique narrative, offering something for everyone to enjoy. Let's take a closer look at these upcoming events and the dramatic worlds they promise to unfold.

Dive into Drama: Exploring the Contemporary Theater Company's Captivating 2026 Lineup

Classic whodunits with a twist: it’s all improvised! Our actors weave webs of secrets, deception, and mystery as we wind our way through a different murder each week.


Somewhere off the coast of England in 1812, a ship carrying a colorful variety of passengers from around the globe crashes on a cold and stormy barren island. 

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As the sun dips below the horizon, our survivors' tensions mount, and secrets of a doomed voyage come to a head, their lanterns are blown out! When the lights are lit again it is revealed that one of our crew has been murdered! And next to the corpse… a clue. 

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Will the remaining survivors find out who amongst their dwindling ranks is a murderer? Will the villainous murderer kill again? Will our passengers make it off the island, or does fate have something else in store? Every week is different, so you never know what might happen… and neither do we!

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Whodunit? An Improvised Murder Mystery

Contemporary Theater Company

Our longest-running signature event is back for the 21st Annual! Six short plays are written, rehearsed, and performed all within 24 hours. Come enjoy this incredible feat of creativity! The shows can be surprising, delightful, thoughtful, or bizarre - but they are always new and exciting. This only comes around once a year, so don't miss it!

The 21st Annual 24-Hour Play Festival

Your favorite Christmas tale told with fantastical puppets made by CTC artists. The magic of the season is in the air as three ghosts work to reform Scrooge in time for Christmas! A classic the whole family will love!

A Puppet Christmas Carol

Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the US. In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human show, Heidi resurrects her teenage self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

What the Constitution Means to Me

This joyful festival features amazing Black Improvisers and troupes from across the country! The festival features nightly headliner performances, guest troupes, mixer shows, and workshops!

4th Annual Ocean State  Black and Funny Improv Festival

In this brave, bold, and moving play, a Sicilian fisherman who makes his living salvaging the bodies of migrants, and a young woman working as a debt collector confront the dehumanizing aspects of their jobs while finding hope and connection across cultural divides.

Lampedusa

As you wish! Join us for a fun new event with roaming musicians, an immersive atmosphere, vendors, sword fights, and a live D & D game! Don't forget to wear your best medieval outfit!

1st Annual CTC Renaissance Faire

Get ready to see your favorite past Wakefield Idol Champions go head to head in this ultimate sing-off! Pass holders will get to pick their seats for all three performances

Wakefield Idol Tournament of Champions

A piece of paper that will shape the world as we know it today is on the table and fights, deals, and history are in the air. In this award-winning musical, the Founding Fathers grapple with the decision to declare our independence

1776

Shipwrecked twins Viola and Sebastian search for each other and along the way find love, secret identities, and mischievous schemes in one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies. Join us for a lovely evening outside on our Riverfront Patio.

Shakespeare on the Saugatucket: Twelfth Night

On a farm in 1927, Ruby has a dream. She's going to invent television. This captivating show follows her as she struggles to bring her revolutionary vision to life and as her daughter fights for how Ruby's story is told in a McCarthy Era TV studio.

The Ruby Sunrise

It's a whirlwind of scandalous secrets and jaw-dropping twists! This season our soap opera is a medical drama, and each week's "episode" builds on the last! You'll never see what's coming next in this soap opera... and neither will the actors! Escape into a world of drama, intrigue, and non-stop entertainment, all made up right before your eyes!

To Be Continued...  An Improvised Soap Opera

Based on true events, Predictor is the real-life story of Margaret Crane who, in 1967, defied all odds and expectations to become the inventor of the first home pregnancy test. This show is a fast-paced, fun, and thoughtful look at one of the forgotten women of history.

Predictor

Classic whodunits with a twist: it’s all improvised! Our actors weave webs of secrets, deception, and mystery as we wind our way through a different murder each week.

This time, it's the early 1900s, and we're backstage at a vaudeville theater where mysteries lie behind the velvet curtain. Every week is different, so you never know what might happen, and neither do we!

Wakefield Idol is a karaoke-style singing competition where 64 local singers compete for a $1500 cash prize! In the final rounds as the competition heats up, the audience votes to see who goes on and who will be crowned the Wakefield Idol Winner.

It's our most popular event of the year, so get your tickets early to check out all of the amazing local talent we have! This is our 10th season, so come celebrate!

Wakefield Idol

The Revolutionists is about four very real women who lived boldly in France during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.



Playwright Olympe De Gouge, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, lose their heads, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in the Paris of 1793. What was a hopeful revolution for the people is now sinking into hyper-violent hypocritical male rhetoric. (Oh, how will modern audiences ever relate.)

The Revolutionists

Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom, wishes are made, bargains are struck, and someone loses a slipper. A baker and his wife set out to reverse a curse, while Cinderella, Jack, Rapunzel, and Little Red chase their own dreams. But wishes come true, not free... This witty, poignant, and beloved musical with Stephen Sondheim’s gorgeous score reveals what lies beyond “happily ever after.”

Into the Woods

Shakespeare on the Saugatucket returns for our 10th summer with the Bard in the gardens and under the stars. In Love’s Labour’s Lost, the King of Navarre and his friends forswear all romance—until the Princess of France arrives and turns their plans upside down. Full of witty wordplay, disguises, and laughter, this comedy sparkles on our beautiful riverfront patio.

Love's Labour's Lost

Two young bachelors invent alter egos to escape social obligations, only to have their romantic schemes hilariously unravel. Overflowing with sharp wit and outrageous twists, The Importance of Being Earnest is a delightful romp that proves the truth is rarely as entertaining as a good lie.

The Importance of Being Earnest

A comedic tribute to the 1968 ground-breaking horror film just in time for spooky season. Six strangers in a lonely farmhouse surrounded by brain-eating zombies and an incompetent local sheriff - what could go wrong? This play comes with a gore warning, a splatter zone, and is recommended for audiences 14+!

Contemporary Theater Company

Jan 24 - Mar 28, 2026

Whodunit? An Improvised Murder Mystery

1 - 23 May, 2026

The Revolutionists

Jun 26 - Jul 25, 2026

Into the Woods

Jul 8 - Aug 2, 2026

Love's Labour's Lost

Aug 7 - Sep 12, 2026

The Importance of Being Earnest

Jan 24 - Mar 28, 2026

Whodunit? An Improvised Murder Mystery

Jan 10, 2026

The 21st Annual 24-Hour Play Festival

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Contemporary Theater Company