Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts Announces 2026–27 Season Lineup
MALIBU, CA – The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts has announced its 2026–2027 season, running from September 2026 through April 2027, featuring 27 professional presentations, 7 student concerts, and 6 student productions, including the Theatre Department series, opera, and the annual dance performance.
"We are thrilled to announce our new season, with abundant options for joy and connection through the arts," said Rebecca Carson, managing director for the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. "We look forward to connecting our amazing audiences with these outstanding performances."
Among the musicians and bands coming to Pepperdine's Malibu campus are five-time GRAMMY Award winner, Kennedy center honoree, and blues, rock, and gospel halls of fame inductee Mavis Staples; founder and frontman of the Byrds Roger McGuinn, nostalgic favorite Classic Albums Live Performs: The Eagles—Their Greatest Hits; internet sensation and guitar virtuoso Andy McKee, and International Guitar Night featuring acoustic rock dynamo Luca Stricagnoli from Italy and the irrepressible blues slide guitar powerhouse Minnie Marks from Australia.
Dance and spectacle offerings include the athletic artistry of PILOBOLUS: Trips and dynamic female tap dance band Syncopated Ladies. Australian company Circa meets the live music of Cliburn finalist Vitaly Starikov in J. S. Bach’s The Art of Fugue by Circa.
Stars of stage and screen performances include Artifishal Idiots, a hilarious and imaginative new show by the Flying Karamazov Brothers, dynamic ensemble Broadway Boys, and a live screening of the concert film Stop Making Sense: A Film by Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads in a live event hosted by Talking Heads co-star Jerry Harrison.
Family performances include Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia's The Three Little Pigs and Other Tales, Childsplay's The Snowy Day and Other Stories, instrumental trio Simply Three, and the thrilling performance of The Peking Acrobats.
Featuring the talents of young classical musicians, the Recital Series includes performances by pianist Chaeyoung Park, violinist Amaryn Olmeda, accordion player Radu Ratoi, and the Katarina String Quartet.
The Pulitzer Prize winning musical A Chorus Line will serve as this year's Luciana and Daniel Forge Fall Musical, and will be performed by the Pepperdine Music and Theatre Departments in November. Additional theatrical productions this year include Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play Everybody, the fast-paced comedy Boeing Boeing, and Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. The Flora L. Thornton Opera program will present The Merry Wives of Windsor. Audiences can also enjoy the annual Dance in Flight, presented by Student Activities, along with performances by the Pepperdine Orchestra, Chamber Choir, Pickford Ensemble, and Jazz and Wind Ensembles. Guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening will also lead two master classes in Raitt Recital Hall.
Season subscription packages are available now and individual tickets will be on sale starting July 7, 2026. Tickets are available at the Box Office from noon to 5 PM, Tuesday through Friday, and two hours prior to curtain time or online at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts events page. Purchase tickets by calling our Box Office at 310.506.4522 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and two hours prior to curtain time or online at arts.pepperdine.edu/events.
Explore the digital season brochure or the Center for the Arts website for a complete list of upcoming performances.
About the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts
Delighting more than 50,000 patrons and participants annually with live performances, art exhibitions, and local outreach opportunities, the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts serves as a hub for the arts on Pepperdine University’s Malibu campus, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Three performance spaces, including the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 124-seat Raitt Recital Hall, and the “black box” Lindhurst Theatre, host hundreds of performances, rehearsals, and master classes throughout the year. The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, a dynamic, two-story exhibition space, showcases a revolving selection of modern and contemporary art with a focus on art made in California.
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