The 11th season of the El Paso Community Foundation Jewel Box Series at the Philanthropy Theatre will offer a bit of everything — its first all-Spanish production, a little opera, a lot of jazz, a Christmas show, and the triumphant return of a play that debuted last season.

Seven local performing arts groups will be featured in the 2026-2027 season, with performances on Sunday afternoons from October 2026 to May 2027 (there’s no November show). All shows start at 2:30 pm.

Performances will be in the intimate “jewel box” of a venue, the 200-seat Philanthropy Theatre in the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre.

General admission tickets are $15 for each show, on sale at the Plaza Theatre Box Office (no service charges) and Ticketmaster (with service charges).

The season opens October 11 with the Jewel Box’s first all-Spanish show, La Tropa’s production of La Vida de Inútil de Pito Pérez, a monologue based on the iconic, fictional Mexican vagabond philosopher introduced in José Rubén Romero’s classic 1938 novel.

It will be followed by the Eden Performing Arts production of the seasonal small-town comedy, A Tuna Christmas, on December 13.

El Paso filmmaker and writer Diego Muñoz Holguin’s play Rey de la Luna, which debuted at the Jewel Box last December, returns with some revisions on January 10 after a sold-out run in Los Angeles earlier this year.

The rest of the season includes performances by the Mark Fowler Group, a jazz fusion group, on February 7; the return of the Next Stage Theatre Co., a young adult offshoot of Kids-N-Co., with Yasmina Reza’s ART on March 14; and Science Friction, a new drama from writers Stephanie Karr and Mark Watts on April 11. It will be staged by the returning Star on the Mountain Theatrical Productions.

The season concludes May 16 with the Jewel Box debut of JVBstudios, who’ll highlight opera and musical theater with A Bit of Broadway, A Touch of Opera.

The Jewel Box Series was created in partnership with El Paso Live in 2014 to host local performing artists and groups in the Philanthropy Theatre. The Philanthropy Theatre has a clear bag policy. Go to elpasolive.com for details.

Jewel Box Series 2026-2027 Season

La Vida de Inútil de Pito Pérez
La Tropa
2:30 pm Sunday, October 11
Español: Interpretado en español, este monólogo del querido personaje ficticio Pito Pérez combina la ironía, el sarcasmo y el lenguaje poético mientras reflexiona sobre las tradiciones culturales.
English: Performed in Spanish, this monologue by the beloved fictional character Pito Pérez blends irony, sarcasm and poetic language as he discusses cultural traditions.

A Tuna Christmas
Eden Performing Arts
2:30 pm Sunday, December 13
Set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, this comedy offers an affectionate look at small-town Southern life and attitudes during the holiday season.

Rey de la Luna
Diego Muñoz Holguin/Lost Cable Productions
2:30 pm Sunday, January 10
After a sold-out Los Angeles run, Rey De La Luna returns the Jewel Box, where it debuted in 2025. It’s a story of family, loyalty, loss, and an impossible dream.

Mark Fowler Jazz Group and Friends
Mark Fowler Group
2:30 pm Sunday, February 7
The Mark Fowler Group plays jazz fusion that feels both adventurous and familiar, from fearless improvisation to melodies you can sing.

ART
Next Stage Theatre Co.
2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 14
ART by Yasmina Reza is clever, witty, and full of laughs. It centers around a conflict over a piece of “art.”

Science Friction
Star on the Mountain Theatrical Productions
2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 11
Stephanie Karr and Mark Watt’s new play is a sharp, thought-provoking drama about ambition, love, and the dangerous space between genius and deceit.

A Bit of Broadway, A Touch of Opera
JVBstudios
2:30 pm Sunday, May 16
A Bit of Broadway, A Touch of Opera is a celebration of storytelling through music, blending the passion of opera with the high energy of musical theater.