Wake County
NC State Live strives to connect across cultures and bridge gaps between artists and audiences. The stage and concert series has featured Grammy Award winners and extraordinary large-scale arts performances. Explore the 2026/27 season lineup and mark your calendar!
Raleigh’s Theatre in the Park brings quality theater to the northern side of Pullen Park, where audiences can laugh, cry and celebrate the arts surrounded by beautiful gardens. Its performances draw fans with many different interests, and its 2026 lineup promises another exciting season. Don’t miss Sarah Ruhl’s retelling of the Orpheus myth from the heroine’s point of view in “Eurydice,” the witty historical comedy “The Revolutionists” and singing zombies in “Evil Dead: The Musical.”
Concert-lovers can enjoy a unique entertainment experience with Live Nation Premium at fan-favorite Raleigh venues like Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek and Red Hat Amphitheater. These venues – with capacities of 20,000 and 6,000 respectively – play host to popular singers and groups like Bob Dylan, Chance the Rapper, Bleachers, Paul Simon, Shaboozey, Billy Idol and Simple Plan this year. Premium members get special access and amenities like presale tickets and streamlined private entry all season long.
The North Carolina Opera presents another artistically significant year, kicking off the season with “Carmen,” Bizet’s bold story of passion. All operas will be performed in their original language with English translations projected above the stage.
Durham County
The Carolina Theatre has been a symbol of Durham’s performing arts legacy for a century. The theater presents more than 60 concerts each year that encompass music, comedy, live podcast shows, film screenings and more. The centennial celebration features special programming and events with appearances from comedians like Connor Wood, music from Punch Brothers and classic ballets like “Swan Lake” and “Aladdin.” It also features showings of new and old-school movies year-round, like “Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Forrest Gump.”
Durham Performing Arts Center, locally known as DPAC (dee-pack), is Durham’s largest live entertainment venue. This upcoming season, Broadway at DPAC presents exciting hits such as “Wicked,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Waitress” and many more. Other events include “RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq the World Tour,” local musicians Sylvan Esso in concert and an evening with longtime “This American Life” host Ira Glass.
Duke Arts Presents pushes performance boundaries with its diverse, inclusive and impactful arts programs. Summer brings the American Dance Festival to stages across Duke University’s campus, and 2026/27 season highlights include solo shows with Broadway stars like Renée Elise Goldsberry and Sutton Foster, plus a performance by Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride with band Ursa Major. The Chamber Arts Series also returns with a lineup of eight concerts from world-renowned small ensembles.
Orange County
Audiences at PlayMakers Repertory Company, a professional theater company in residence at UNC, have been entertained with relevant work that tells stories from and for many perspectives for 50 years. Its celebratory 2026/27 season will feature “The Piano Lesson,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama; a world premiere of “Oedipus: King/Colonus,” an adaptation of Sophocles epic tragedy; and “John Proctor is the Villain,” an American classic reimagined.
Planning a full evening? Check out our roundup of great places to grab a bite before or after the show!
