Premier Arts presents: Premier Arts 2027 Season at the Lerner Theatre

Premier Arts, the resident theatre company of The Lerner Theatre, is excited to announce that 2027 Premier Arts Season Packages are now on sale! Packages are available for purchase and renewal through Thursday, December 10, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Premier Package Subscription:

5 Main Stage Productions

• The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
• Come From Away
• Annie
• Les “Surprise”
• A Christmas Carol

Premier PLUS Package Subscription:

5 Main Stage Productions AND 4 All-Youth Productions

• The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
• Come From Away
• Annie
• Les “Surprise”
• A Christmas Carol
• Trolls Jr. – All Youth Production
• Annie Jr. – All Youth Production
• Honk Jr. – All Youth Production
• Elves & the Shoemaker – All Youth Production

In the event of unforeseen circumstances causing the change of dates, titles, locations, or seating arrangements, no refunds will be issued.

MAIN STAGE PRODUCTIONS:

C.S. LEWIS’ THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE (Stage Play)
February 26th, 27th & 28th
A story for the ages, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a riveting play filled with music, love, and magic. Like the C.S. Lewis novel of the same name, the show follows the four Pevensie siblings as they leave a war-riddled London in 1940, to find safety in a large home in the English countryside. It is here that they discover an old wardrobe; one that leads to the magical, snowy world of Narnia. Through a fantastical woodland adventure, the four children must fight evil, trust each other and, most importantly, believe in themselves.

COME FROM AWAY
May 7th, 8th & 9th
Come From Away is based on the true story of the time when the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland, played host to the world. What started as an average day in a small town turned into an international sleepover, when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from around the globe, were diverted to Gander’s airstrip on September 11, 2001. Undaunted by culture clashes and language barriers, the people of Gander cheered the stranded travelers with music, an open bar and the recognition that we’re all part of a global family.

ANNIE
July 16th, 17th & 18th
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations… and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

LES “SURPRISE”
October 15th, 16th & 17th
Though we are contractually unable to announce this “revolutionary” title until August, we have a feeling you’ll hear the people sing its praises! So, look down at your calendar, make a note, and don’t wait one day more to reserve your seats. After all, when the barricades go up, at the end of the day you’ll want to be exactly where you belong — in the audience. Who knows? You may have already dreamed a dream about what this production could be!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
December 10th, 11th & 12th
Ebenezer Scrooge is a prosperous curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge summates his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but he’s forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts on Christmas Eve lead him through his Past, Present and Future. Thanks to their guidance, Scrooge recognizes his faults and greets Christmas morning with a cheerful “Happy Christmas” before spending the day reconnecting and sharing love with those that mean the most to him.

All YOUTH PRODUCTIONS:

TROLLS JR.
Friday, March 12th at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13th at 6:30 p.m.
The Troll thespians in Poppy’s company live by their motto: the show must go on. But when a tyrannical foreign emissary arrives in Bergenland, expectations are raised, forcing the Trolls to totally rework their show or risk being served up in the name of diplomacy by a Chef rehired and out for revenge.

HONK JR.
Saturday, May 8th at 2:00 p.m.
Ugly looks quite a bit different from his darling duckling brothers and sisters. The other animals on the farm are quick to notice and point this out, despite his mother’s protective flapping. Feeling rather foul about himself, the little fowl finds himself on an adventure of self-discovery, all the while unknowingly outwitting a very hungry Cat. Along the way, Ugly meets a whole flock of unique characters and finds out being different is not a bad thing to be.

ANNIE JR.
Saturday, July 17th at 2:00 p.m.
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations… and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

ELVES & THE SHOEMAKER
Saturday, December 11th at 2:00 p.m.
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations… and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

If you need additional assistance, please reach out to The Lerner Theatre Box Office at 574-293-4469 or email brittany@thelerner.com

2027 Premier Arts Season Packages

About The Lerner Theatre:

The Lerner Theatre, an Elkhart landmark, is part of a revival, a new era for the arts, commerce and life in the heart of our community. The Lerner Theatre is a 100-year-old city owned and operated facility, built in 1924. With the completion of an $18-million-dollar renovation in 2011, The Lerner Theatre has truly put the “heart” back in downtown Elkhart. The Lerner is evidence of this rebirth with its timeless, never-lost quality of an old theatre reborn as a state-of-the-art performance and event facility.