New Village Arts

Enjoy exceptional award-winning plays and musicals, improv comedy and other entertaining shows at this premiere arts venue in the heart of Carlsbad Village. Since its recent renovation and renaming to the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center, NVA has expanded into a multi-faceted community space hosting a 100-seat theatre, full bar, multiple performance spaces and classrooms.

This fall, catch “RENT,” (Oct. 31-Dec. 24), the hit Broadway musical that follows friends and artists in New York City’s East Village who navigate various romances, the shadow of HIV/AIDS and of course, rent prices.

In the new year, don’t miss “The Apiary” (Jan. 23-Feb. 22, 2026), a provocative comedy by Kate Douglas about sacrifice, ambition, and honeybees. Set 22 years in the future, two lab assistants hatch a plan that could change the world.

The curtain then rises on the San Diego premiere of “Matt & Ben,” (March 27-April 26), a comedy written by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers. The play is a one-act satirical re-imagining about how pre-fame actors and pals Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote their Oscar-winning movie “Good Will Hunting.”

Season 24 closes with “Hairspray” (June 5-July 19), the Tony Award-winning musical based on John Waters’ iconic 1998 film. Set in Baltimore in 1962, the show follows spirited, plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad as she dances her way onto local television — and into social change. The show’s beloved score — featuring hits like “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Welcome to the ’60s,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat” will have audiences on their feet.

Winter and spring will also feature comedy acts and Opera à La Carte — delightful aria performances and musical theater works by local singers, and much more. View the complete schedule and buy tickets at newvillagearts.org.

New Village Arts is at 2787 State St., Carlsbad • (760) 433-3245