Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, announced its 2026–27 season, beginning with its annual a Heckscher Theatre for Families production – the world premiere of “Baker Street Beginnings” commissioned for Theatre Lab and written by local playwright and educator Gina Montét. All performances take place at the Heckscher Stage in the Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre in FAU’s Performing Arts Building, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus.
“These family productions are meant to entertain and engage the imaginations of audience members of all ages, and they’re some of my favorites of our past productions,” said Matt Stabile, producing artistic director at Theatre Lab. “’Baker Street Beginnings’ is a fantastic evening of mysteries and detective work that will thrill audience members from ages 8 to 108. It will also inspire thousands of students across South Florida to create and share original stories of their own.”
The production also serves as the centerpiece of The Future PAGES Project, which offers free in-school creative writing workshops and field trips for students in grades four to 12 across Palm Beach and Broward counties. Since its launch in 2015, the program has served more than 13,000 students at no cost.
“Our program starts with a visit to partner schools, where we provide a writing workshop to help students identify and utilize the parts of a story,” said Jill Carr, Theatre Lab’s director of education and community outreach. “This year’s theme is ‘Mystery Solved,’ and we’re excited to read the dynamic and surprising stories the show and program will inspire.”
This production will be the first in the company’s new performance space, having moved their “Heckscher Stage” from the 99-seat venue in Parliament Hall to the Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre, which offers 50 percent more seating.
Free pre-show events will be held one hour before the performances. Activities include free “Detective Science” stations, slime making and coloring, offering a wide variety of educational fun for students of all ages.
A book drive benefiting The Literacy Coalition and Friends of Boca Library will take place in conjunction with all events. To support the drive, guests can bring a new or gently used book to donate for the cause.
Performances are open to the public on Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., from Sept. 5 – 20. Tickets are $25 for adults, and each adult ticket includes one free student ticket. Additional student tickets are $5 each. Tickets and season subscriptions are available at fauevents.com or by calling 561-297-6124.
