As we begin a new year, so too we enter into another season of season announcements. And, although a lot is still unknown, I’ll bet that you know more than you think. Without further ado, here’s your guide to the 2020-2021 touring season!
A Quick Note: this guide is only meant as a fun way to predict what could happen. I do not have insider information.
And, although every effort goes into providing accurate information, I am subject to making errors with things often changing without my notice. Make sure you’re kept up-to-date by subscribing to receive notifications, as well as following us on social media (links at bottom of page). Thank you for your understanding and patience!Â
Is there a mistake? Have a tip? Be sure to Contact Us.Â
Website Changes
I would be remiss without giving a huge thank you to the over 10,000 visitors from 70 countries who have had paid a stop to the site since its inception in August 2018. I hope you’ll continue to make Tours To You part of your web experience this upcoming year.
Here are a handful of changes and updates to some of the features you’ll see coming this upcoming year that I’m excited to announce!
- Log: this will be your go-to place for changes to the website–from season and show announcements to casting news and general website updates. The newest information will be displayed at the top of the page.
- Season Announcements: given that many venues have multiple variations of a season announcement, the season announcement page is now broken down into sections: pre-announcements, main season announcements, and post-announcements. Pre-announcements include any show that has been announced prior to the main season announcement. For example, if a new show announces a launch city outside of the main announcement, it is considered a pre-announcement. The main season announcement contains the bulk of shows. Post-announcements include both shows announced after the main season announcement for the upcoming season as well as shows for future seasons. This latter distinction can also be considered a pre-season announcement for the future season.
- Calendar: this page includes both a calendar of the main season announcements as well as a show calendar for each season.
- All Shows by Venue: this season, rather than sort this page chronologically by season announcement, each venue involved will now be placed in alphabetical order by state and country. I will also begin including Canadian and (if applicable) Mexican venues.Â
- Ticket links: one of the new features I am including this year is a link to the venues’ pages where you can purchase tickets, or get more information about a show in their season. (As a disclaimer, I currently do not receive any commission for referring you to their sites.)
- Venue pages: one page I am currently working on is a database of each venue or organization. Each page will feature season histories and contact information. As I am limited with time, the season histories will only include the seasons I already have on the site. I also intend to create a show database in the coming year.
- All Shows: This page is now broken down into sections: Musicals, Plays, Holiday Shows, and Misc. Shows. You can use the buttons above each section to be taken to any other section.
- Shop: I am excited to announce that I have been accepted into both the Amazon and the Sheet Music Direct affiliation programs. The programs are designed to allow me to earn a small commission for purchases you make through their sites. This page will feature merchandise from shows currently on, or expecting to tour.
- Individual Shows: beginning this season, I am going to be including more information on the individual show pages, including: previous season stops (if applicable), a video associated with the show, related news, show merchandise from my affiliations, and links to websites and social media platforms.
Important Dates
- Tuesday, April 28, 2020: Nominations for the 74th Annual Tony Award announced
- Sunday, June 7, 2020: The 74th Annual Tony Awards
- Saturday, July 18, 2020: 20/21 touring season unofficially begins
- Sunday, July 25, 2021: 20/21 touring season unofficially ends
- In addition, here is a general timeline for any additional events:
- January-October, 2020: 20/21 season announcements
- March-August, 2020: 21/22 touring announcements
- May-October, 2020: 20/21 casting announcements
New Shows
Below are the list of new shows entering or re-entering the touring circuit:Â
- Direct from Broadway: A Celebration of Cole Porter, Ain’t Too Proud, Hadestown, Moulin Rouge!, Oklahoma!, Pretty Woman, The Cher Show, The Ferryman, The Lightning Thief, The Prom, To Kill A Mockingbird*, Tootsie
- Non-direct: An Officer and a Gentleman, First Date, Hairspray, South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, The Heroin Diaries
- Expected (but not confirmed by publication): A Christmas Carol, Aida, An Inspector Calls, Avenue Q, Clue, Darren Brown: Secret, Freestyle Love Supreme, Godspell 50th Anniversary Tour, Groundhog Day, Grumpy Old Men, Smokey Joe’s Cafe
*Although technically the show is launching during the 19/20 season, it could still be considered a new show considering it is only playing in one venue late in the season.
Departing Shows
The only confirmed shows leaving after the 19/20 season are The Phantom of the Opera and Aladdin, with the latter going through a season-long revamp before returning in the 21/22 season. The reason for this, according to Disney Theatricals, is so that the show can become more accessible to more audiences nationwide. Whether this changes the current, long-term engagement format when the show returns remains to be seen.
2020/2021 Seasons
One of the more unique circumstances going into the 20/21 season is that we already know the complete main season for two venues, Providence’s Performing Arts Center and the Steven Tanger Center in Greensboro, NC, which is in its inaugural year. Also of note is the Buddy Holly Hall in Lubbock, TX, which is also entering its inaugural year. Earlier this month, they announced that Les Misérables is part of its 20/21 season.
In addition, La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA has already announced a partial season which includes What the Constitution Means to Me.
Pre-Season Announcements
One of the best ways to predict which shows are going to a particular venue is knowing if that venue has already made a pre-season announcement. These are announcements that are made prior to the main season announcement. They can include announcements made at the previous main season announcement, whenever a new show announces a tour, or any time else during the current season.
Below is a listing that outlines which shows have already been announced for the upcoming season:
- Columbus, OH
- Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
- Opera House (Detroit, MI): August 19–September 6, 2020*
- Opera House (Boston, MA): September 9–October 4, 2020*
- Civic Center Music Hall (Oklahoma City, OK): Spring 2021
- Golden Gate Theatre (San Francisco, CA)
- ASU Gammage (Tempe, AZ)
*These engagements are expected, but have not been confirmed
- Denver Center (Denver, CO)
- Hobby Center (Houston, TX)
- Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
- Orpheum Theatre (Minneapolis, MN)
- Saenger Theatre (New Orleans, LA)
- Kimmel Center (Philadelphia, PA)
- ASU Gammage (Tempe, AZ)
- Washington, D.C.
Note: certain locations may be in the Philip Company
- Popejoy Hall (Albuquerque, NM)
- Morrison Center (Boise, ID)
- Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (Calgary, AB)
- Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (Edmonton, AB)
- Saroyan Theatre (Fresno, CA)
- Smith Center (Las Vegas, NV)
- First Interstate Center (Spokane, WA)
- ASU Gammage (Tempe, AZ)
- Centennial Hall (Tucson, AZ)
- Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Vancouver, BC)
Note: certain locations may be in the Angelica Company
- Playhouse Square (Cleveland, OH): September 22–November 1, 2020
- Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore, MD): June 8–July 3, 2021
- Aronoff Center (Cincinnati, OH)
- Blumenthal Performing Arts (Charlotte, NC)
- DPAC (Durham, NC)
- Peace Center (Greenville, SC)
- The Bushnell (Hartford, CT)
- Orpheum Theatre (Minneapolis, MN)
- Saenger Theatre (New Orleans, LA)
- Benedum Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Landmark Theatre (Syracuse, NY)
- Straz Center (Tampa, FL)
- Buddy Holly Hall (Lubbock, TX)
- Saenger Theatre (New Orleans, LA): November 2020
- Nederlander Theatre (Chicago, IL): December 17, 2020–February 21, 2021
- Orpheum Theatre (San Francisco, CA): Summer 2021
- Civic Center Music Hall (Oklahoma, OK)
- Auditorium Theatre (Rochester, NY): October 2020
*Note: these locations were under consideration at the time of the tour announcement
- Boston, MA
- Charlotte, NC
- Chicago, IL
- Cleveland, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Hartford, CT
- Los Angeles, CA
- Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
- San Fransisco, CA
- Schenectady, NY
- Seattle, WA
- Tampa, FL
- Toronto, ON
- Washington, D.C.
- Bass Performance Hall (Fort Worth, TX): January 13-31, 2021
- Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
- Shea’s PAC (Buffalo, NY): October 6-11, 2020
- DPAC (Durham, NC): September 30–October 25, 2020
- Kravis Center (West Palm Beach, FL)Â
Predictions
There are many factors that go into consideration when it comes to building a season. However, when trying to make predictions for your local venue, consider the following: what type of shows typically come to your location? Are they new shows (meaning, is this their first or second year touring), or are they shows that have been on the road for a long time? Which older show could potentially return? Do you typically have a show with a long-term engagement, such as Hamilton or Wicked? How many shows does your venue typically present? What’s the makeup of those shows?
Another trick to predicting a season is understanding a show’s habit. This is particularly true for Hamilton. As the show currently has two traveling companies (Angelica and Philip), they often swap geographic locations from season to season. So, one season Angelica will be on the western half of the US while Philip is on the eastern half. Then, the following season, the companies swap sides. In addition, some long-term engagement shows will often stay within a certain geographic region for several months. This includes shows like The Lion King and Wicked.
New Shows
Launching in Providence, the production is set to play in more than 50 cities across North America over a 100-week period. The show will notably return to the Kennedy Center around Christmas 2021. For the upcoming season, here are some of the stops where I believe the show will play:
- Atlanta, GA
- Charlotte, NC
- Chicago, IL
- Cleveland, OH
- Denver, CO
- Detroit, MI
- Durham, NC
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Greenville, SC
- Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles, CA
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- Orlando, FL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Tampa, FL
Although a launch city has yet to be announced, several locations were mentioned when the show announced its tour. Using the city list above in the Pre-season Announcements as a guide, here are some of the additional locations where the show may tour:
- Austin, TX
- Charlotte, NC
- Chicago, IL
- Cleveland, OH
- Durham, NC
- Greenville, SC
- Las Vegas, NV
- Philadelphia, PA
- San Antonio, TX
- San Francisco, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Tampa, FL
- Tucson, AZ
After running technical rehearsals in New Orleans, the show will head to Chicago for 10 weeks. That long-term engagement, which ends in February 2021, means that fewer locations will have an opportunity to present the show in the 20/21 season. Additionally, a stop at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre is almost guaranteed to also be long-term. So, with that in mind, here’s a list of some of the potential stops:
- Denver, CO
- Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles, CA
- Minneapolis/St. Paul
- Portland, OR
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
Launching in Oklahoma City, the minimalistic and modern updated version of the show should make it one of the shows that tours at a wide array of venues. One question still unanswered is: will they serve cornbread and chili at intermission?Â
- Los Angeles, CA
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Chicago, IL
- Atlanta, GA
- Charlotte, NC
- Durham, NC
- Las Vegas, NV
- Cleveland, OH
- Greenville, SC
- Austin, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- Houston, TX
With international tours also starting up, the US National Tour is launching from Providence’s PPAC. Could the show make a return to Chicago, where it made a pre-Broadway run? My two thumbs say, “yes!”
- Costa Mesa, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Hartford, CT
- Chicago, IL
- Boston, MA
- Minneapolis, MN
- Cleveland, OH
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
It’s hard to tell where this show will play as it is a longer production (3 hours and 15 minutes), which may not cater well to many venues–especially those that don’t normally present plays. With that in mind, I think that the pre-announcement/potential list mentioned above provides an accurate listing of where this will play.
Launching from Rochester, NY in October, we already know that this bio-musical will play in Providence at the end of the year. Here’s a sampling of where I believe the show will also play this season:Â
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Denver, CO
- Miami, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Charlotte, NC
- Durham, NC
- Greenville, SC
- Dallas, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- Houston, TX
Launching in early 2021 makes The Prom currently the last direct from Broadway show coming out this season. Providence’s PPAC is yet again the launching pad for the show, but where else do I think the show will play?
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Washington, DC
- Des Moines, IA
- Chicago, IL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Detroit, MI
- Minneapolis, MN
- St. Louis, MO
- Charlotte, NC
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Nashville, TN
The adaptation of both the controversial and beloved book comes to life in this adaptation by Aaron Sorkin. As previously-mentioned, the play still qualifies as being a new show as it is launching extremely late in the 19/20 season. Here’s the verdict for potential locations for this play:
- San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Tampa, FL
- Chicago, IL
- Boston, MA
- St. Paul, MN
- Charlotte, NC
- Philadelphia, PA
Launching this Fall from Buffalo, this stage adaptation of the film will look to be unstoppable as it begins its tour across North America. Here are a few venues where it could land this season:
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Chicago, IL
- Baltimore, MD
- Minneapolis, MN
- Durham, NC
- Las Vegas, NV
- Schenectady, NYÂ
- Cleveland, OH
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Greenville, SC
Select Returning Shows
- New Haven, CT
- South Bend, IN
- Lexington, KY
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Schenectady, NY
- Syracuse, NY
- Akron, OH
- Toledo, OH
- Eugene, OR
- Hershey, PA
- Chattanooga, TN
- Knoxville, TN
- Nashville, TN
- Norfolk, VA
- Richmond, VA
- Spokane, WA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Tulsa, OK
- Fort Worth, TX
- Boise, ID
- Albuquerque, NM
- San Jose, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Miami, FL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Hershey, PA
- Norfolk, VA
- Richmond, VA
- Spokane, WA
- Madison, WI
- Tucson, AZ
- Fayetteville, AR
- Des Moines, IA
- Denver, CO
- Atlanta, GA
- New Orleans, LA
- Kansas City, MO
- Las Vegas, NV
- Philadelphia, PA
- Greenville, SC
- Costa Mesa, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- New Orleans, LA
- Boston, MA
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Kansas City, MO
- St. Louis, MO
- Schenectady, NY
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Tulsa, OK
- Portland, OR
- Hershey, PA
- Houston, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Seattle, WA
- Appleton, WI
- Madison, WI
- Tucson, AZ
- Fayetteville, AR
- Sacramento, CA
- Hartford, CT
- Washington, D.C.
- Atlanta, GA
- Indianapolis, IN
- Detroit, MI
- East Lansing, MI
- St. Louis, MO
- Charlotte, NC
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Greenville, SC
- Austin, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Houston, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Madison, WI
Although subject to change, the 20/21 season can be found here.
- Tempe, AZ
- Tucson, AZ
- Sacramento, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Miami, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- New Orleans, LA
- Detroit, MI
- Omaha, NE
- Cincinnati, OH
- Columbus, OH
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Â Portland, OR
- Nashville, TN
- Austin, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Madison, WI
- Milwaukee, WI
21/22 Way-Too-Early Shows
Looking into the future, there are a few shows currently on Broadway that I expect to head on tour, including: Beetlejuice, which announced it will tour earlier this month, Diana, Girl From the North Country, Jagged Little Pill, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.
WHEW!
Whew! That’s all for this year’s guide to the 20/21 season. Obviously, things are always subject to change and I may be wrong here and there, but this is always a fun way to start the new announcement season.
Be sure to check back often for updates, and follow me on Instagram and Twitter. You can also subscribe to my channel on YouTube.
May all your season hopes and wishes come true!
