Echo Theater Company doubles down on daring
with 3 offbeat world premieres in 2026
LOS ANGELES (February 12, 2026) — The Echo Theater Company has announced a 2026 season of three audacious world premieres that push boundaries, defy convention and reaffirm the company’s standing as one of Los Angeles’ most adventurous champions of new plays and unconventional voices. Darkly comic, emotionally charged and unapologetically original, each offering promises to keep L.A. audiences on their toes.
The season opens in April with the world premiere of For Want of a Horse by trans playwright, screenwriter and comic book writer Olivia Dufault. Calvin loves Bonnie, but to move forward, he has to open up their relationship to include his new romantic partner, Q-Tip. One complication: Q-Tip is a horse. Echo associate artistic director Elana Luo is at the helm of this intimate, comedic and complicated look into the world of zoophilia. Opening night is April 18, with performances running through May 25. Previews begin April 15.
Next up, Echo artistic director Chris Fields directs the world premiere of F**King Strangers, the newest play from Erik Patterson. (Audiences might remember Patterson’s deliciously off-kilter comic voice from previous Echo productions of One of the Nice Ones and Handjob). Ru hasn’t left his bedroom in years; Mick can’t stop paying for affection; Julianne mourns the person she never became and the dreams she once had; and Dylan will sell himself to anyone if the price is right. In this dark comedy of love and loneliness, four f**king strangers are about to discover they’re connected in more ways than they realize. The run takes place July 18 through August 24, with previews beginning July 15.
The world premiere of The Peterson Show by Emmy nominated writer Janine Nabors will close out the season in September. Five former child stars reunite in Los Angeles as the legacy of their iconic TV father collapses into scandal. With cameras swarming outside, they hilariously confront old rivalries, buried secrets, and what it took to survive growing up on “The Peterson Show” … asking what happens to a “family” when its hero and cultural patriarch is erased. Directed by Michelle Bossy, performances begin September 19 and continue through October 26. Previews begin September 16.
Founded in 1997, the Echo Theater Company has gained a reputation for producing and developing exhilarating new work. Under the artistic leadership of Chris Fields, the company has championed playwrights for more than a quarter century, producing and commissioning numerous world premieres and introducing Los Angeles to playwrights David Lindsay-Abaire, Adam Rapp and Sarah Ruhl among others. The Echo has won countless Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly and Stage Raw awards, and is frequently cited on end-of-the-year “Best of Lists” including by the Los Angeles Times and NPR affiliate KCRW 89.9 FM. The company was anointed “Best Bet for Ballsy Original Plays” by the LA Weekly and was a recipient of a “Kilroy Cake Drop” to honor its efforts to produce women and trans writers. KCRW declared that “Echo Theater Company is on a fierce journey,” and Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote, “Artistic directors of theaters of all sizes would be wise to follow the [lead] of the Echo’s Chris Fields, who [is] building audience communities eager for the challenge of path-breaking plays.” The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle honored the Echo with its prestigious Margaret Harford Award for Excellence in Theatre.
All Echo Theater Company performances take place at Atwater Village Theatre, located at 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039.
To purchase individual tickets and to take advantage of the “Early Bird” subscription rate (through March 23) of only $50 for all three premieres, go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.
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