Bridge Street Theatre opens MainStage Season with ‘Bakersfield Mist’

CATSKILL―Bridge Street Theatre is launching its 2026 MainStage Season with Bakersfield Mist by Stephen Sachs, a razor-sharp and unexpectedly moving two-person showdown inspired by true events.

Directed by Mark Perry, the production runs April 16–26, with performances Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

When Maude Gutman, an unemployed bartender living in a California trailer park, buys a painting at a thrift store for a few dollars, she becomes convinced it may be a long-lost Jackson Pollock worth millions. Enter Lionel Percy, a world-renowned New York art expert, who arrives expecting to debunk her claim—and instead finds himself pulled into a volatile, hilarious, and unexpectedly personal showdown.

What begins as a question of authenticity erupts into a fierce and often hilarious battle over class, credibility, and the right to be believed—a collision between lived experience and institutional authority, instinct and expertise, and the deeply human need to be seen, valued, and taken seriously.

**By turns laugh-out-loud funny and quietly devastating, Bakersfield Mist explores who gets to define worth—in art, in life, and in one another. With its razor-sharp dialogue and emotional depth, the play has earned international acclaim. Vanity Fair called it “Not to be missed,” while The New York Times described it as “a battle of wits.” The Los Angeles Times hailed it as “a perfect marriage of emotion and ideas.”

Opening Bridge Street Theatre’s 2026 MainStage season, Bakersfield Mist sets the tone for a year of bold, intimate storytelling centered on the deeply human need to be seen—and what happens when that need is denied, challenged, or finally fulfilled.

Bakersfield Mist offers a gripping, entertaining, and thought-provoking theatrical experience that is as accessible as it is profound.

Tickets are available at https://bridgest.org/bakersfield-mist.

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