SUFFS Tour and More Set for 5th Avenue Theatre Company and STG 2025/26 Season

The 5th Avenue Theatre Company and Seattle Theatre Group are launching a new strategic alliance that will strengthen and preserve the musical company’s role in staging award-winning locally produced live theater, while protecting and expanding the impact of The 5th Avenue Theatre venue to increase the number of downtown visitors and supporting local businesses year-round. 
 
In this alliance, STG is the new leaseholder and has assumed overall management of The 5th Avenue Theatre venue. This protects The 5th Avenue Theatre Company’s independent use of the historic facility, allowing The 5th to continue to produce and perform shows for 26 week seasons, or approximately half of the year. STG is responsible for maximizing the use of the theater space for the remainder of the year outside The 5th Avenue Theatre Company’s season. The building will remain owned by the University of Washington.
 
This is not a merger or an acquisition; The 5th Avenue Theatre Company will retain its identity and mission, remaining a separate, nonprofit 501c(3) organization.  
 
This visionary announcement is a necessary and critical step in:

Protecting and preserving the making and staging of local productions - for more than 45 years, The 5th Avenue Theatre Company has produced world-class seasons of locally produced musical theater productions. The theatre company plays a critical role in the local artistic community - providing hundreds of living-wage jobs supporting local actors, professional stagehands, musicians, and other specialists. Like arts organizations throughout the region and nationally, the theatre company has struggled financially to recover from the impact of the recent global pandemic. The new alliance will help stabilize the theatre company’s operating model to focus solely on producing live theater and supporting local arts professionals. 

Maximizing the use of a 100-year-old venue - STG is known for its expertise in managing historic Seattle theaters and producing year-round live events. STG’s mission is to operate and steward historic venues (The Paramount, Moore, and Neptune Theatres, and Kerry Hall) and provide engaging programming that benefits our community. Their care of The 5th Avenue Theatre will ensure it remains a vital and active part of downtown, continuing to host events that make Seattle unique.
 
Increasing the number of visitors to the downtown core - The University of Washington, as the owner of the Skinner Building and theater space, is committed to using the 100-year-old theatre as a downtown anchor in driving visitors to the city core to the benefit of local merchants and residents. The alliance will expand and strengthen the year-round use of the theatre and the positive impact it plays in the downtown business recovery. 
 
“This alliance allows us to harmonize our strengths,” said Bill Berry, Executive Director of The 5th Avenue Theatre Company. “It enables The 5th to focus on what we do best in curating and producing first-rate musical theater specific to audiences of the Pacific Northwest. Together, we are transforming The 5th Avenue Theatre venue into a year-round cultural hub, enriching the community and driving economic impact for local businesses in downtown Seattle.”
 
The 5th Avenue Theatre Company also revealed their 2025/26 season today. The five-show lineup includes: the debut National Tour of SUFFS premiering at The 5th Avenue Theatre, the National Tour of Chicago (in partnership with Broadway at The Paramount), a locally-produced production of ELF-THE MUSICAL, the National Tour of Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, and a locally-produced production of Jesus Christ Superstar. The 2025/26 season will run September 13, 2025 to May 17, 2026. 

SUFFS

A debut National Tour, premiering at The 5th Avenue Theatre
By Shaina Taub
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Choreography by Mayte Natalio
 
Run: September 13 - 27, 2025
 
Direct from Broadway, comes the acclaimed Tony Award-winning musical SUFFS about the brilliant, passionate, and funny American women who fought tirelessly for the right to vote. Created by Shaina Taub, the first woman to ever independently win Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score in the same season, this “thrilling, inspiring and dazzlingly entertaining” (Variety) new musical boldly explores the triumphs and failures of a struggle for equality that’s far from over. Winner of the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Musical. 
 

The National Tour of Chicago 

Presented in partnership with Broadway at The Paramount and performed at The 5th Avenue Theatre
Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
 
Run: October 22 - November 2, 2025
 
Chicago is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. In the whirlwind of Chicago’s Jazz Age, two of the Cook County Jail’s most notorious murderesses – vaudeville star Velma Kelly and chorus girl Roxie Hart–become fierce rivals as they compete for headlines amidst a media frenzy. 
 
Broadway’s longest-running musical has been razzle dazzling audiences for 28 years, and after more than 10,000 performances, six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy we’re just getting started. Come on, babe! Head to CHICAGO! We’re hotter than ever. 
 

The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Production of ELF-THE MUSICAL

Based on the New Line Cinema film written by David Berenbaum
Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin
Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
 
Run: November 28 - December 28, 2025
 
Buddy the Elf has spent his life fulfilling his elf-ly duties in the North Pole helping Santa get ready for Christmas. The only problem is, he’s always been a little different. He stands feet above everyone else, is slower at making toys, and can’t quite fit in a standard elf-sized bed. After finding out he’s actually a human, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to discover his true identity - while also bringing a little Christmas spirit to everyone he meets. Based on the 2003 holiday film favorite starring Will Ferrell, this musical adaptation is a hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy that’s full of heart, adventure, and holiday cheer. Whether you’re young, or just young at heart, make sure you’re on the nice list - because this show is a festive treat you don’t want to miss.

The National Tour of  Monty Python’s SPAMALOT

From the original screenplay by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Book & Lyrics by Eric Idle
Music by John Du Prez & Eric Idle
Directed & Choreographed by Josh Rhodes
 
Run: February 4 –15, 2026
 
The musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has everything that makes a great knight at the theatre, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake. SPAMALOT features well-known song titles such as “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” “Find Your Grail” and more that have become beloved classics in the musical theater canon. 
 

The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Professional Production of Jesus Christ Superstar

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