GUEST ARTIST SERIES

Sept. 15, 2026 – May 4, 2027

Featuring Taj Ruler, Katy Kessler, Rita Boersma, Butch Roy, Tim Hellendrung, and Jen Scott

Veteran group Nudge creates one long mono scene of improvised comedy: grounded, relational, sometimes sweet, often awkward, and always funny.

OPEN EYE MAINSTAGE

Sept. 10 – 20, 2026

Directed by Steven Dietz 
Accompanied by musician Rob Witmer

In his newest solo work, Kevin Kling invites audiences into a journey through his own life: from childhood adventures and family experiences to navigating life with a congenital disability and recovering from a motorcycle accident.

OPEN EYE MAINSTAGE

Oct. 1 – Nov. 1, 2026

Music by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer & Alan Stevens Hewitt
Book by Tim Maner
Directed by Joel Sass

Revenge. Betrayal. Sex. Murder! What really happened in the house of Borden? On a sweltering summer in 1892, a wealthy businessman and his wife were found murdered in their own home. Their daughter, Lizzie Borden, was the prime suspect.

GUEST ARTIST SERIES

Nov. 12 – 14, 2026

Hosted by Liz Howls

Join us under the full moon for an adult, rowdy puppet slam. Featuring performances by some of the most innovative Twin Cities puppetry artists and live music between acts!

OPEN EYE MAINSTAGE

Dec. 3 – 27, 2026

Book, music, and lyrics by Josef Evans
Directed by Joel Sass

A brand-new Holiday show – Open Eye style!

It’s the blizzard of the century on the longest night of the year–and you're stranded on a bumpy back road outside a ramshackle tavern that time forgot. Welcome to the Wünderbar–the pitstop for lost souls, broken hearts, and haunted taxidermy!

GUEST ARTIST SERIES

Dec. 21, 2026

Featuring Leslie Vincent & Emily Dussault

The Champagne Drops are known for their jazzy, bubbly holiday shows, but over the years they have been drawn to the darker side of the season... The ghosts of Christmas, the legends lurking in the shadowy corners of history, the yearning melancholy that creeps in when the nights grow longer.

OPEN EYE MAINSTAGE

February 11 – 14, 2027

Curated and Hosted by Phenominique

The Twin Cities’ burlesque and puppetry communities will collide for a bump-and-grind Valentine weekend of tassels, sequins, feathers and fun at Open Eye’s inaugural PEEP SHOW!

OPEN EYE MAINSTAGE

Feb. 25 – March 21, 2027

Sort-of Adapted by Aaron Posner from the Russian classic “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Joel Sass

Hilarious and contemporary, Stupid F*cking Bird forges new theatrical ground just as its predecessor did over a century ago, considering how art, love and revolution can fuel one’s own pursuit of happiness.

GUEST ARTIST SERIES

March 27, 2027

Curated and Performed by Anne Sawyer

The Pollinator’s Gift / El Regalo del Polinizador is a magical, bilingual puppet show by acclaimed author and puppeteer Anne Sawyer. Adapted from her children's book, the adventure follows Mario and Junie into Nana Bea’s vibrant garden, where they discover the vital role busy bees play in growing our food and flowers.

OPEN EYE MAINSTAGE

April 10 - 19, 2027

Led by Co-Artistic Directors Oanh Vu and Sofia Padilla
Featuring new work by PUPPET LAB artists

PUPPET LAB is a 2-week festival of brave, quirky, imaginative, and visually dazzling new puppet work, the culmination of a 6-month development residency for emerging puppetry artists.

GUEST ARTIST SERIES

May 13 – 16, 2027

Featuring Pop Wagner
With McKain Lakey, Rinna Rossi, AJ Srubas, Olli Johnson, and Peter Talbot

Pop Wagner, renowned singer, picker, fiddler, lasso twirler and storyteller will join forces with fellow artists within the Twin Cities urban cowboy community to present a vibrant all-ages program of music, song, storytelling, and rope tricks.