Gloria Estefan's BASURA and More Set For Alliance Theatre's 2025/26 Season

Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre has announced its full 2025–26 season, highlighted by the world premiere of BASURA, a new musical by Gloria Estefan and Emily Estefan. Inspired by the true story of Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra, BASURA tells how young musicians transform discarded materials into instruments—and their lives. Directed by Michael Greif (Rent, Dear Evan Hansen) with a book by Karen Zacarías and music supervision by Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton), BASURA will close the Alliance’s 57th season.

“This is a story that has been close to my heart for several years,” said Gloria Estefan. “Emily and I are thrilled for our music to be a part of telling their story. We could not be more excited for BASURA to begin its theatrical life in a city as influential and diverse as Atlanta with a theater as consequential as the Alliance.”

The Estefans co-wrote the score for the musical, which is based on the award-winning documentary Landfill Harmonic. The creative team also includes Patricia Delgado (choreographer) and Ken Cerniglia (dramaturg). BASURA is a tribute to resilience and creativity, bringing global attention to music’s transformative power.

The 57th season kicks off with Milo Imagines the World, a musical for young audiences based on the book by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson. Featuring songs by Christian Magby and Christian Albright and a book by Terry Guest, Milo will be staged on the new Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families.

In the fall, the Alliance teams up with The Atlanta Opera to present Fiddler on the Roof on the Coca-Cola Stage, directed by Tomer Zvulun. On the Hertz Stage, Covenant—described by The New York Times as “a striking Southern Gothic work”—will have its Atlanta premiere, directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.

For the holiday season, A Christmas Carol returns to the Coca-Cola Stage. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls the production “high art of the season…a nostalgic feast for the eyes.”

January 2026 marks the official launch of the Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families, a new space for year-round programming curated by the Alliance Theatre and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Supported by the $10 million Imagine Endowment (with $9 million raised to date), the stage will offer accessible pricing, school trip resources, and global streaming for classrooms.

The Alliance will also present Duel Reality, a high-energy cirque production by The 7 Fingers (known for Water for Elephants), inspired by Romeo and Juliet and combining storytelling, acrobatics, and visual spectacle.

World Premieres and Playwriting Competitions

On the Hertz Stage, the Alliance will stage Fires, Ohio, the 22nd winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition. Written by Beth Hyland (UC San Diego), the play updates Uncle Vanya for modern audiences. Past winners include Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), Mansa Ra (Too Heavy for Your Pocket), and a.k. payne (Furlough’s Paradise).

The 2025–26 Kendeda Competition finalists are:

• Moe is a Dick by Ida Cuttler (Yale)

• Mira & Dill by Ally Merkel (NYU)

• Barren by Alex Lin (Juilliard)

• The Words of Ants by Xiaoyan Kang (University of Iowa)

These plays will receive workshops and readings during Alliance/Kendeda Week 2026.

Youth & School Programming

The Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young will present four new productions for children ages 0–5 and their caregivers:

• Rhythm & Thread (quilting and storytelling)

• The Birthday of the World (inspired by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen)

• (Knock, Knock) (celebrating diverse holiday traditions)

• Dinosaur (a dino-themed comedy for little ones)

Two touring productions for school audiences include:

• Roob and Noob – A Rube Goldberg-style journey through the seasons for elementary students

• The Melvin Invention – A middle-school story about self-discovery and 3D printing

Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab Projects

Three projects from Round 10 will be featured at the 2025 Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab Festival (May 15–17):

• May 15 – PEPS! COLA BITCH
  By Dalyla Nicole and Amanda Washington – A play confronting heteronormativity and consumerism through a Queer lens

• May 16 – DAY
  By Emma Yarbrough, Cait Greenamyre, and Melissa Word – A solo journey through illness, grief, and rediscovery

• May 17 – Plastic Bottle Genie
  By Vynnie Meli, Jimmica Collins, and Cedwan Hooks – A beachside genie grants chaotic wishes with unintended consequences

The following Round 11 projects will debut in spring 2026:

• in spite of years of silence – On Black parent-child relationships by Ryan Jones, Kristen King, and Tadiwa Nashe

• Our Confederate Dead – A discovery reshapes the meaning of Latinx identity in 2025 by Lee Osorio, Lilliangina Quiñones, and Maria Sager

• Threads/America’s Unraveling – A garment-industry thriller by Lauren Morris, Ian Sawan, and Alejandra Ruiz