Every September the arts calendar in Santa Monica fills back up. Theater companies post a whole season at once, the symphony and the ballet put dates on sale months ahead, and the museums swap in exhibitions that run through winter. Most of it is already up. I went through what’s opening near us this fall, when each one runs, and what it costs to go.

Santa Monica Playhouse & Group Theatre

📍 1211 4th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

🗓️ Dates not yet confirmed for the current lineup

Right now the Playhouse has a full slate of shows rotating through, from the family musical Cinderella with its silent movie segment and elaborate costumes to the mystery comedy Leases, Lies and Alibis and the magic-tinged Letter From David. It’s a small, non-profit house that’s been running continuously since 1960, and it plays out of its own building at 1211 4th Street in downtown Santa Monica, just off the 4th Street exit and a block from the Promenade. The room itself is genuinely tiny and cozy, the kind of setup where you feel like you’re sitting inside the show rather than watching it from a distance. Parking is easy right across the street in the municipal structure, and it’s also a quick walk from the Expo Line stop at 4th and Colorado.

Theatre 40

📍 241 S Moreno Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

🗓️ Sept 17 – Oct 18, 2026

🎟️ $35 single tickets

Theatre 40 just opened The Case-Book of C. Auguste Dupin, its American premiere weaving together Poe’s three Dupin mysteries, and it’s the second production of the company’s 60th anniversary season. Performances run in the Mary Levin Cutler Theatre, tucked inside Beverly Hills High School, a restored 99-seat room where every seat is close to the stage. Getting there takes a little navigating since the school’s front entrance isn’t the theatre entrance. You want the driveway at Durant and Moreno, then into the parking garage, where the entrance is right there and parking is free. Doors open 15 minutes before curtain and check-in starts 20 minutes early, so I’d give yourself a few extra minutes the first time you go.

Los Angeles Ballet at The Wallis – 2026-27 Season

📍 The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

🗓️ Feb 4-6, 2027 (Thu-Sat, 7:30 PM)

Los Angeles Ballet is bringing Movers and Shakers to the Wallis, a mixed rep program built around some of the more inventive choreographers working right now. The lineup includes Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia, the piece that first put him on the map, plus Ma Cong’s Carry Me Anew and a brand new world premiere from Maté Szentes. It all plays out in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills. If you’re curious where ballet is headed rather than just where it’s been, this is the program built for that.

Ruskin Group Theatre Co

📍 2800 Airport Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405

🗓️ Now extended through September 21

Ruskin Group Theatre has Grangeville up on its Kaplan Stage right now, and it’s the run everyone in local theater circles has been talking about this summer. It’s Samuel D. Hunter’s play about two estranged half brothers, one in Idaho and one in Amsterdam, reconnecting over video calls while dealing with their mother’s care. The theatre runs two spaces, the Kaplan Stage and the Audre Stage, out of its building on Airport Avenue in Santa Monica. It’s an intimate room with just two actors carrying this particular show, and the seats are comfortable with easy parking right there. The final performances are extended through September 21, and closing night is already sold out, so if you want in you’ll want to move on it.

Santa Monica Symphony Association

📍 1217 Wilshire Blvd #3101, Santa Monica, CA 90408

🗓️ Saturday, September 19, 2026, 7pm

🎟️ Free

The Santa Monica Symphony opens its 82nd season this month with a concert called Voices of Strength, and like every one of their shows, it’s completely free to attend. This one’s built around a cello taking on the full orchestra. The Symphony has been a fixture in Santa Monica since 1945, made up of top LA area professionals alongside emerging musicians and volunteers, and this concert plays at JAMS Performing Arts Center on Pearl Street. You don’t need a ticket, just an RSVP is recommended since seating is general admission and first come, first served. The doors open an hour before showtime and they suggest getting seated at least 15 minutes early if you want a good spot, plus there’s free parking right on site and on the surrounding streets.

Most of these are on sale now. Pick one, put the date in your calendar, and buy the ticket while you’re thinking about it.

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