The theme of Spartans’ 2026 production is simple. It’s a show about a show.
“We’re telling the story of getting ready for a show,” said Spartans program coordinator Fred Ford, “or in this case, getting ready for a carnival opening night.”
With its program, “On the World Stage,” the Nashua, New Hampshire show will invite audiences across the Drum Corps International Summer Tour into the world behind the spectacle.
Framed through the lens of a vintage traveling carnival, the production follows all of the moments leading up to opening night — the arrival, the setup, the dress rehearsal and ultimately the performance itself.
According to the designers, the show blends the nostalgia and wonder of carnival culture with the shared experience of performers preparing to put something meaningful in front of an audience.
“This is what drum corps is, right?” said color guard designer Addison Kaetterle. “We travel the whole summer, we set up, we rehearse, we get better, and then we get ready for that big show. So, that’s the journey that we are taking people on — what it means to our members and what it means to the drum corps community.”
At its core, though, the show mirrors Spartans’ own journey into a new level of competition; after a “hybrid” competitive season a year ago, the three-time defending Open Class champions were approved to make the official move to World Class participation for 2026.
As such, “On the World Stage” serves as both a theatrical production and a metaphor for the corps’ arrival onto one of drum corps’ biggest competitive platforms. Designers expect the show to be one of Spartans’ most ambitious productions to date, combining large-scale visual storytelling and character-driven performance.
“It was very intentional,” Ford said, referring to the show title’s reference to the corps’ new classification. “In the sense that this is a show about putting on a show, we’ve spent 70 years preparing to put on a World Class show.”
The production opens with the arrival of the carnival itself, utilizing the end title theme from HBO’s “Carnivàle,” by Jeff Beal, establishing the show’s vintage atmosphere. From there, the corps transitions directly into the setup of its carnival, utilizing the music of German drummer Benny Greb.
The bulk of the production then centers around a dress rehearsal, featuring a variety of performance-driven and character-based moments inspired by familiar carnival imagery. Spartans plan to utilize Pat Matheny’s “Finding and Believing,” as well as Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” — the leads shifts the show into a quieter, more reflective “behind the curtain” moment.
Drum corps fans may recognize each of those two titles from recent seasons; “Finding and Believing” served as an integral element of Bluecoats’ 2023 program, while Lana del Rey’s hit made appearances in the likes of 2017 Blue Stars and 2018 Colt Cadets.
Spartans’ production will also feature music from the popular 2017 film, “The Greatest Showman.”
“The kids are excited about the opportunity to play a role in the show,” Ford said, “and that there’s very character-driven moments in the show that they can communicate.”
Visually, designers mentioned that audiences can expect an array of prop pieces in order to evoke the magic, mystery and spectacle associated with traveling shows and circus culture.
“You’re going to see some trunks on the field,” Kaetterle said. “You’re going to see the magic of juggling and the magic of a menagerie.”
“You’re going to see a lot of things that you’re used to seeing in a carnival,” he added, “but we’re going to twist them in a way that is new to the activity.”
The corps also expects its color guard to play a particularly prominent role in the production. Kaetterle said it’s the largest and most ambitious color guard the corps has ever fielded.
There’s precedent for Spartans’ color guards being a features element of the corps; last season, Spartans earned 18th place overall — the corps’ best-ever finish — but ranked an impressive 15th in the color guard caption.
“The kids are super excited because we’re doing things that we’ve never even done before,” he said. “We’ve been very successful as a color guard program here at Spartans, so people are always like, ‘What are you guys going to do next?’ So, we’re really excited for people to see us take our color guard program to the next level.”
Ultimately, through spectacle, nostalgia and sheer scale, Spartans believe “On the World Stage” will be appointment viewing.
And as the corps explores unfamiliar competitive horizons, its members look forward to taking their new stage by storm.
“We’re really pleased to see a large number of members coming to us from other drum corps,” Ford said. “We’re excited that it’s been a very successful offseason. Hopefully, that will result in a very successful season.”
