Kerry Washington and Kara Young to Star in The Whoopi Monologues as Part of Lincoln Center Theater's 2025-26 Season

Lincoln Center Theater has announced its 2025-26 season programming, the inaugural season under the artistic direction of Lear deBessonet.

“I am honored to welcome these beautiful artists to Lincoln Center Theater, and to roll out the red carpet for audiences next year in my first season as Artistic Director,” said deBessonet in a statement. “The richness and range of work speaks to theater as a place for wonder, truth, and heart—a place where democracy thrives, and we can experience a restored sense of human connection. I’m excited for all that is to come, and grateful to steward this magnificent theater into its next glorious chapter.”

As previously announced, a revival of Ragtime will open on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. The 14-week limited engagement will begin September 25 ahead of an October 16 opening, running through January 4, 2026. The cast will feature Tony nominee Joshua Henry (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.), Olivier and Grammy nominee Caissie Levy (Mother), Tony Award winner Brandon Uranowitz (Tateh), Nichelle Lewis (Sarah), Colin Donnell (Father), Ben Levi Ross (Younger Brother), Tony winner Shaina Taub (Emma Goldman), John Clay III (Booker T. Washington) and Rodd Cyrus (Harry Houdini). 

Opening the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater season off-Broadway will be the U.S. premiere of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Good Chance production of Kyoto. The new play by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson (The Jungle) will star Tony Award nominee Stephen Kunken with direction by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin (Stranger Things: The First Shadow). Performances begin October 8, opening November 3. 

Next at the Mitzi will be Gian Carlo Menotti’s family holiday opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon and starring Grammy and Olivier Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in association with The Metropolitan Opera. Performances will run from December 16 through January 4, 2026, with an official December 18 opening. 

Closing out the Mitzi season will be The Whoopi Monologues, a reimagining of Whoopi Goldberg’s 1984 Broadway play, directed by Tony Award nominee Whitney White and adapted for an ensemble of women, including Emmy Award winner Kerry Washington and Tony Award winner Kara Young. Performances will begin July 7, 2026, opening July 14.

The LCT3 season at the Claire Tow Theater will also include The Comedy Series, featuring Jenny Slate and more to be announced; the new musical Night Side Songs, written by The Lazours and directed by Taibi Magar; and A Woman Among Women, written by Julia May Jonas and directed by Sarah Hughes, in partnership with The Bushwick Starr and New Georges.

An additional Broadway offering at the Vivian Beaumont Theater will be announced at a later date.