Circle Theatre scraps planned shows, shifts season as leaders address challenges
See full Fort Worth Report article by David Moreno here.
Circle Theatre in downtown Fort Worth has scrapped three planned shows as venue leaders work to address operational challenges.
The shows “Jagged Little Pill,” “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire,” and “The Leopard Play” scheduled from June through November have been dropped from the company’s 45th season.
The lineup now includes a production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show” in October and “Scrooge in Rouge” from November to December. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” was on stage at Circle last year and the latter has previously been performed at Stage West Theatre in 2021.
Executive Director Tim Long said the company is exploring the best types of shows to produce moving forward to ensure the theater’s long-term success.
He emphasized that Circle Theatre is not at risk of shutting down, but that the company has struggled with low attendance despite “artistic success.” Recent shows like the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Rent” sold out, while others like buddy comedy “King James” sold few tickets, he said.
“Financially, we’re not in a bad position, but we’d like to do a lot better," Long said. "It’s just a thoughtful decision to get butts in seats.”
The two replacement shows are familiar to Fort Worth audiences and can be produced in a short time amid future planning, he said.
What were the plays removed from the 2026 season about?
- “Jagged Little Pill” is a Tony Award-winning musical about members of a suburban family navigating drug addiction, sexual assault and repressed identities.
- “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire” is a dark comedy about an eighth grader who kidnaps the star of “Spider-Man” and chains him to her basement.
- “The Leopard Play” follows a young man returning to his small Texas town to confront family secrets and address generational trauma.
Public tax filings from Circle Theatre show that the downtown venue’s expenses have exceeded revenue since 2022.
In 2024, the theater’s $848,587 expenses surpassed its revenue of $706,994. The venue lost $91,482 in 2023 and nearly $33,000 the year before.
Board President Jeremy Dontray Davis said the midseason shift allows the company’s artistic team to take a reset, given that the theater operates year-round.
Some may view the sudden changes as a risk, he added, but the nine-member governing board is doing what it believes is best to keep the theater in a positive light.
“I personally don’t think that it’s a negative thing,” Davis said. “I wouldn’t say that it’s common, but we have Circle Theatre's best interest at heart.”
“Jagged Little Pill” will hit the Circle Theatre stage in August 2027 as a coproduction with the Dallas-based venue Uptown Players.
Davis expressed gratitude to the theater’s patrons and teased that the company’s upcoming season will be bigger and better than ever.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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Circle Theatre
230 W 4th Street