Performing Art | Thursday, March 3,2005

backstage pass 3-3-05

How long has it been since a high-school show caused controversy? A few years ago, Springfield High School’s production of a harmless Gilbert and Sullivan operetta caused a stir when a

Performing Art | Thursday, February 17,2005

Taken by Take

By Phil Funkenbusch

A deliriously affectionate ensemble of actors is having a ball in Springfield Theatre Centre’s production of the 1930s comedy You Can’t Take It with You, by Moss Hart and George

Performing Art | Thursday, February 3,2005

backstage pass 2-3-05

By Phil Funkenbusch

Many area theaters take the opportunity to present new and innovative works during the winter months, something I noted in my last column. The latest example of this trend is Born with

Performing Art | Thursday, January 20,2005

Milo learns a lesson

By Phil Funkenbusch

The theater department at Parkland College in Champaign invites community members to participate in campus productions. By combining the talents of student and community actors, Parkland has be

Performing Art | Thursday, January 6,2005

A glimpse back, a look ahead

By Phil Funkenbusch

Let me mention some of the many good things that happened on area stages in 2004 before taking a look at what's planned for the Springfield-area theater scene this year. The Hoogland Center f

Performing Art | Thursday, December 9,2004

backstage pass 12-9-04

By Phil Funkenbusch

If you're looking for an alternative to Christmas-show overload, check out the Portuguese Rodeo Clown Company, which features three actors performing improvisations and other comic antics onsta

Performing Art | Wednesday, November 24,2004

backstage pass 11-25-04

By Phil Funkenbusch

It's Thanksgiving, and that means the start of the Christmas season. The holiday theater season kicks off next week with A Yuletide Festival of Song and Dance, a show by the Mature Mob that's being

Performing Art | Wednesday, November 10,2004

backstage pass 11-11-04

By Phil Funkenbusch

Springfield Theatre Centre opens its production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman this week on the main stage of the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Don Russell, Loretta Hess, Mac Warren, an

Performing Art | Thursday, October 28,2004

backstage pass 10-28-04

By Phil Funkenbusch

Halloween is here, and it seems that theater practitioners have decided to produce more than the usual haunted-house fare this year. First, the Roxy Group has created an original show of its own

Performing Art | Thursday, October 14,2004

backstage pass 10-14-04

By Phil Funkenbusch

The community has lost another champion of the arts with the passing of Martha Jackson of Petersburg. Jackson and her partner, Linda Nordeman, owned the City Arts Venue art gallery, a space ded