September 2026

The Awards Issue

Essay: The Importance of Theatrical Identity

What distinguishes one theatre from another? It is more than the productions appearing on its stage. Theatres that understand their identity (what they believe, whom they serve and why their work matters) can make more consistent decisions and form stronger relationships with their communities.

A clear identity also changes the nature of competition. When organizations occupy distinctive places within the cultural landscape, patrons have reasons to support more than one of them. That clarity can also make collaboration easier and help donors understand precisely what their contributions make possible.

Branding may communicate an identity, but it cannot create one. That identity must be reflected in an organization’s programming, partnerships and priorities.

Perhaps the clearest test is this: If a theatre disappeared tomorrow, what would its community lose that no other organization could replace?

Read Full Essay

2026 Sound on Stage Awards Wrap-Up

We at The Sound on Stage can’t thank you enough for joining us at Tacoma Little Theatre this past Monday for the 2026 Sound on Stage Theatre Awards, as well as online for our live stream. It was a night of celebration, recognition, and fun, and we couldn’t be more proud of our theatre community for turning out in numbers and helping to bring joy and love to our event. We honored some amazing performances, theaters, and shows, but nothing beats the relationships that were kindled or rekindled. It’s a night we won’t forget and one that has buoyed us to keep going in our mission. Click the link below for the Awards page on our website, where you’ll find the list of award recipients, the recording of the live stream, and soon photos from the evening from our photographer Ashley Roy Simpson.

A lot came together to make this unforgettable night happen, and there are a number of people to thank. Brian Guy and Josi Twigt were amazing hosts, Shawna Avinger was our music director and responsible for the fantastic performances we all saw, along with pianist Will Sanders, and Tim Duval coordinated the live stream (thanks to Centerstage Theatre for the use of their camera equipment). Finally, once again Chris Serface came through as an amazing partner, and his team at TLT is top shelf.

We deeply appreciate the support you’ve given us over the past five years and can’t wait to see where the next five takes us.

Awards Page

Introducing our New Website

As if planning a theatre awards show wasn’t enough, we’ve also redesigned the look of our website and the functionality within some of its pages. We hope you like our lighter look, and be sure to check out our redesigned calendar page and new functionality added to our reviews page. Speaking of both, our newly designed home page now has links to our latest reviews and a scrollable snapshot of what is on stage in the area today! Let us know what you think!

Website Home

Find a Show

Wondering what to do tonight? Curious as to what is on stage in the region? Click the link below to access our newly designed Theatre Calendars page, where you can access our filters and searches to narrow down what kind of show you’re looking for or where you’re looking to attend some of the best theatre in the country.

We’ve tried to anticipate the groupings and filters that most might be interested in, but it’s very possible that we’re missing something, so as always, feel free to reach out with any (constructive) feedback and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

Theatre Calendars

Support The Sound on Stage

The Sound on Stage is a 100% volunteer organization, and as such everything we do is wholly out of our love for the performing arts and with a desire to help promote the work that you are all doing on the stages in the area. If you’d like to help support the work we’re doing, please consider donating on the Support page of our website, or by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below. With our recent fiscal sponsorship with Shunpike, every dollar you contribute is now completely tax deductible.

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