A winter full of fine Springfield theater

The new year begins with exciting theater in Springfield, with the now-playing Chess, a musical by Benny Anderssen and Bjorn Ulvaes (of ABBA fame) with lyrics by Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evit

The 25th annual First Night

On New Year’s Eve come downtown for a bargain celebration of the arts

On Dec. 31, 1987, Springfield became the first city in Illinois to host a First Night event celebrating the new year through the arts. Penny Wollan-Kriel, executive director of the Springfield Area Ar

A family’s clash of values in a time of war

Shenandoah at New Salem July 15-17 and 21-24

Don’t let the music fool you. The stage adaptation of Shenandoah is a drama. Set in the Commonwealth of Virginia during the Civil War, the play explores the impact of the war on a family whose p

Springfield playwright brings ice cream to comedy

What could possibly be more fun than a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake? How about two ice cream cakes and one wedding ring? Throw in a rich software developer named Alvin Chandler, a veterinarian named

A rich season of summer theater

Summer theater is upon us and there’s quite an exciting list of possibilities for area theater-goers over the next three months.Theatre in the Park at New Salem outside Petersburg opens its seas

Slavery in the shadow of Lincoln

Presidential Museum commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with Flight

Playwright Charlayne Woodard has something in common with her characters. Like Oh Beah, Mercy, Ezra, Alma, and Nate – the five slaves in Flight’s ensemble – Woodard is compelled to t

Spotlight on Ice

This year’s show features witches, greasers, and man-eating plants!

What do an Olympic figure skater, your favorite musicals and the greatest family entertainment in the area have in common? If you’re thinking of the Ice Capades then you’re in for a season

A rich season for local theater

The new year has begun with some new titles on area stages and several more are coming up in the coming weeks.Seeing the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee recently (a Springfield Thea

Springfield’s Mature Mob is back

Veteran performers host annual show to benefit Senior Services

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that members of The Mature Mob – Springfield’s over 50 singing and dancing troupe – are a little more “hip” than average senior citi

Onstage, a vet tells it like it was

A Long Way Home depicts the struggle of coming back from war

When Springfield resident Tom Jones reads about or meets a young veteran returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, something deep within him stirs. Jones remembers well the difficulties of adjusting to life