TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Tallahassee Ballet will open its 2026–2027 season with a first-time collaboration bringing ballet, musical theater and live music together on one stage.
“An Evening of Music & Dance: Ballet & Broadway” will be performed Sept. 18 and Sept. 20 at Florida State University’s Opperman Music Hall.
The production marks the first collaboration between The Tallahassee Ballet and Young Actors Theatre. Professional dancers from the ballet will perform alongside Young Actors Theatre students and musicians from the FSU College of Music.
The program will feature works inspired by Broadway favorites including “Cabaret,” “A Chorus Line,” “On Your Toes” and “Rent.”
Highlights include “Care Much,” inspired by “Cabaret,” and “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” along with a new work by Tallahassee Ballet Artistic Director Meagan Helman set to “What I Did for Love” from “A Chorus Line.”
Performers will also present “Seasons of Love,” inspired by “Rent,” while Tallahassee Ballet dancers and Young Actors Theatre students will come together for the opening audition scene “I Hope I Get It” from “A Chorus Line.”
“This collaboration is a wonderful example of what can happen when Tallahassee’s arts organizations come together,” Tallahassee Ballet CEO Lauren Hernandez said. “We have an incredibly talented arts community, and by sharing our artists, audiences, and resources, we make that community stronger.”
Young Actors Theatre CEO Sarah Roy said the collaboration gives young performers an opportunity to work alongside other members of Tallahassee’s arts community.
“Ballet & Broadway brings together the extraordinary talent of YAT, The Tallahassee Ballet, and the FSU College of Music, showcasing how we build a strong pipeline of talent and a thriving performing arts community in Tallahassee,” Roy said.
The performances will also be dedicated to the memory of Marianne Brooks, a former Tallahassee Ballet Guild chair and longtime volunteer who died at the end of April.
Brooks spent years supporting the organization and its dancers, including her daughter, Elizabeth Brooks, a former company member.
The tribute will include a performance connected to one of Brooks’ favorite Broadway shows, “CATS.”
“Marianne understood that the arts are ultimately about bringing people together,” Hernandez said. “She gave so much of herself to The Tallahassee Ballet and believed deeply in the importance of what we do.”
“An Evening of Music & Dance: Ballet & Broadway” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Opperman Music Hall at Florida State University.
Tickets and additional information are available through The Tallahassee Ballet's website.
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