There are performers, and there are observers.
That idea serves as the foundation for The Academy’s 2026 production, “In the Center of the Ring” — a theatrical, spectacle-driven program inspired by the relationship between entertainer and audience.
“We wanted to entertain the audience and we wanted to create a spectacle,” said Academy design supervisor Brian Murphy. “It’s kind of inspired a little bit like a circus, but we’re not doing a circus show. Really, we’re trying to create a spectacle — which is what drum corps is.”
The Academy’s designers described that the production is intended to immerse audiences in the energy, atmosphere and emotional pull of live entertainment itself. Drawing inspiration from circus aesthetics, concert staging and theatrical performance, the corps plans to spend the summer exploring what it means to stand at the center of attention — and what it means to watch.
The corps’ production is divided into four distinct scenes, with much of the source material drawing from “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack.
The opening movement, built around the song, “The Greatest Show,” introduces audiences to Academy’s performance-driven world through the use of a low-pass filter — which creates a “muffled” sound texture — intended to evoke the feeling of stepping toward a performance from outside the room.
“We’re inviting the audience to our party or our spectacle,” said program coordinator John Max McFarland. “So we’ll have that low pass filter, we turn the dial up, and you’re slowly opening the door and entering into the spectacle.”
The corps’ second segment draws inspiration from music featured in the 2008 film, “Slumdog Millionaire” — specifically A.R. Rahman’s “Millionaire” — while incorporating substantial original compositional material from DCI Hall of Fame brass arranger Richard Saucedo.
Saucedo, a notable composer both inside and out of drum corps circles, and member of many DCI championship-winning design teams — most notably those of the early 2000s Cavaliers — joined the Arizona corps’ team following the 2025 season.
“Richard’s done an amazing job of creating an original soundtrack for us,” McFarland said. “It’s something that’s really unique.”
“The professionalism of the team has been outstanding, and it gives me a lot of confidence going into the season,” Saucedo added. “Whatever happens, we’re going to be able to work together to make it all end up for the best for the members.”
The Academy’s ballad movement centers on the song, “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman” and prominently features a soprano saxophone soloist. According to designers, the featured role is intended to become one of the production’s emotional centerpieces.
“The song is really written around this one performer,” Murphy said. “It’s not like a 16-count or 32-count solo. It’s a pretty significant solo.”
The production then concludes with music from Finnish metal band Nightwish, specifically “The Greatest Show on Earth” and “Ghost Love Score,” offering an aggressive, high-energy closing section.
“One of our goals this year is to kind of get our performance level a lot higher,” said McFarland. “This show is basically trying to offer that opportunity for the members to increase their performance quality and show off a little bit more.”
Visually, The Academy plans to lean heavily into color, movement and circus-inspired imagery throughout the production. Members of the corps’ design team referenced rings, hoops, trapeze-inspired fabric work and shifting “stages” created throughout the field — all intended to reinforce the production’s central theme.
“What is it like to be in the center of the ring?” said McFarland. “What is it like if there’s no one in the center of the ring?”
“We do have some gimmicks that we have planned,” Murphy added. “Some ideas are inspired by a circus … but we’re taking it in our own direction.”
Off the field, The Academy’s leaders said the organization has seen encouraging momentum throughout the offseason, particularly in terms of year over year membership retention, returning staff and overall organizational consistency.
The corps has a growing foundation of veteran members, and an aggressive early-season rehearsal process has provided optimism heading into the DCI Tour.
“I’m just so grateful for the faces on this team, and also some other individuals coming back,” executive director Josh Thye said. “There’s no substitute for consistency. We’re really grateful for that going into this 2026 season.”
As spring training rehearsals — and the corps’ DCI Tour debut, July 2 in Camarillo, California — approach, The Academy’s staff sees a high level of anticipation from their corps.
“There’s a great deal of excitement,” Thye said. “We truly hope that everyone else will see and feel that this summer as well, this step forward as an organization.”
