Katie Holmes Leads Bold New Adaptation of Hedda Gabler in San Diego's Balboa Park

In a thrilling theatrical move, Dawson's Creek alum Katie Holmes is set to captivate audiences next winter at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, with a performance of Ibsen's legendary, and famously unsatisfied, Hedda Gabler.

Holmes will headline the Globe's 2026 season in a brand-new adaptation by Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, The Girl on the Train) that promises emotional electricity on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in Balboa Park.

Performances run from February 7 through March 8, with the official opening night slated for February 12, 2026.

This isn't Holmes's first rodeo with the Old Globe. She reunites here with artistic director Barry Edelstein, who directed her in the acclaimed 2023 Off‑Broadway production of The Wanderers. Edelstein will direct this emotionally charged new take on Ibsen's masterpiece. 

On the Globe-commissioned adaptation, Edelstein shared, "Hedda, like Hamlet, rises or falls with the actor in the title role. She's everything: victim, tyrant, femme fatale; funny, scathing, tragic. Only an actor with immense imagination and charisma can take on Hedda Gabler, and in Katie's radiant and powerful performance, Globe audiences are going to witness something rare and special." 

A Role as Legendary as Ibsen's Play Itself

Originally penned by Henrik Ibsen in 1890, Hedda Gabler is a stark, riveting examination of a newlywed's simmering boredom and fierce independence amid societal constraints—a dramatic classic that still clips nerves a century later. Ibsen's Hedda is both cage and key, a figure whose contradictions propel her tragic spiral. B

Wilson's adaptation promises to dig deep into Hedda's unresolved disquiet, breathing fresh urgency into panels of psychological realism and tension. It's a canvas ripe for Holmes's signature blend of charisma and nuance.

Single-ticket sales haven't been announced yet, but subscriptions are already available via TheOldGlobe.org. Given the creative team and Holmes's name recognition, it's safe to say seats will sell fast.

Additional casting and production team details are forthcoming, but for now, Hedda Gabler at the Old Globe is already the most anticipated theater event of early 2026 in San Diego.