Normally, a crowd of 50 for a show at the 1,525-seat Virginia Theatre would not sit well with longtime director Steven Bentz.
With the state set to enter Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan, staff writer Anthony Zilis examines what various of University of Illinois venues are anticipating will change once students and visitors return.
'We were in the process of becoming a temporary drive-thru restaurant if we were not allowed to open as a theater for the time being, so we could survive until the restrictions were lifted.'
Who out there could use a good laugh right about now? We reached out to 100 stars of stand-up comedy and others in the funny business and asked them to make us laugh.
Here are three things you should know.
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CHAMPAIGN — Playing at Parkland College’s Second Stage Theatre over the next four days: “Steel Magnolias,” a production of the Champaign Urbana Theatre Company.
For the last four years, Schlarman grad Daniel Hampel has worked to bring the show to State Farm Center. His efforts will become reality at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
The reality of the situation is clear to Jaclyn Loewenstein, who is involved with several local groups: The value of space in downtown Champaign is on the rise, while local nonprofit troupes can’t pay steep prices and are hurting for space.
It is rare that a theater’s opening night also doubles as breaking news, unless Lin-Manuel Miranda is involved.
A $900,000 rehab of the performance space was unveiled to the public Thursday night at the debut of its spring musical, 'Mamma Mia.'
The stories are connected by the theme laid out in the title, love that slipped away. The play also includes original music by Scott Knier, who plays the guitar and sings between readings.
This production, skillfully directed by Latrelle Bright, features impressive performances by Corey Barlow as the Emcee, Connor Kamradt as Cliff, Erica Cruz-Hernandez as Frau Schneider, and Anna Benoit as Sally Bowles.
After the opportunity to rent a version of the title vehicle fell through, a team led by the father of one the leads, who took a week off work, spent a combined 150 hours creating 'almost the exact replica of it' based on a picture from the classic film.
A show of this scale isn't common, but as part of Krannert's multiyear 50th anniversary celebration, Illinois Theatre, Lyric Theatre at Illinois and Dance at Illinois decided to create something larger than they each could produce on their own.
Wendell Diller reminds me of why I began writing about audio 44 years ago. Diller, the marketing manager for Magnepan speakers, exudes the now rare passion, enthusiasm and expertise, once common in the speaker business. Diller, although eligible for social security, continues touring the cou…
The national director of That’s What She Said, owner of Key Light Consulting, Girl Scout troop co-leader and co-founder of The Family Room opened up to staff writer Alexandria Kobryn.
Tuesday’s dress rehearsal for the Illinois Theatre production of 'The Wolves' included soccer players from two teams.
Playwright Sarah DeLappe paints an endearing portrait of female adolescence with her inaugural play, “The Wolves,” now playing at the Studio Theatre at Krannert Center for Performing Arts.
What was it about the 1990s that inspired playwrights to make legendary (and troubled) actor John Barrymore a central figure in no fewer than four plays?
So far, it has showcased a Gospel Explosion, Spittin’ Figures, a discussion of the Tuskegee Airmen and World War II), Soul Train Karaoke and bowling at the Illini Union. At 7:30 p.m. tonight, the group will host its annual fashion show.
Despite its name — 'I Hate Hamlet' — audience members may walk out of the Station Theatre's new play with a greater appreciation for Shakespeare. It debuts tonight at the Urbana theater and runs for the next three weeks.
Starting tonight, the Studio Theatre at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts will be turned into an indoor soccer field for the play about how the nine girls on a high school soccer team navigate life and high school.
In the play, Quasimodo signs with the characters he feels connected to, including the gargoyles who come to life and Esmerelda, who becomes his friend. With other characters, he doesn't sign, which Central theater director LaDonna Wilson said shows the distance between those characters.
The Shanghai Ballet came to the Tryon Festival Theatre at the Krannert Center on Jan. 28-29 for two performances of the ballet “The Butterfly Lovers.” I attended the first of these performances.
Due to its sensitive subject matter, Paula Vogel’s thought-provoking one-act, “How I Learned to Drive,” now playing at the Parkland College’s Second Stage Theatre, is not for the faint of heart.
If you enter Champaign’s Sodo Theater through the Walnut Street entrance, the unexpected sight of a 1950s-style eatery will greet you as you pass through the glass doors.
The company’s stay at Krannert wraps up today with a Youth Series performance at 10 a.m. and a show for the general public at 7:30 p.m.
'This play is nonlinear, nontraditional in terms of its structure, and it requires the audience to participate in creating the scene and that kind of thing because it moves around a lot,' faculty adviser Michael O’Brien said.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, we turned to those in the love business — romance novelists, a dating coach and others — for gift-giving advice.
Five years into its difference-making CU’s Got Talent fundraiser, Champaign West Rotary has found a home at the Virginia Theatre.
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