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]]> I admit that I watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show a few times growing up, mostly to learn the dance steps to the Time Warp to fit in at the high school Halloween Dance… ]]> Okay, so for those of you who are looking for a night of fun and games, big acting and an American theater classic at the same time, get your tickets to spend an evening with George and M]]> 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 ]]> 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 ]]> In the second act of Ken Bradbury’s The Spirit of Lincoln, musician Barry Cloyd, who serves as the show’s narrator, says that over 16,000 books have been written about our natio]]> Auditions for Noel Coward's classic 1925 comedy Hay Fevertake place on Sunday and Monday, Feb. 22-23, at the UIS Studio Theatre from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Callbacks are on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The show, ]]> Mark E. Gifford is known throughout the Midwest as a keyboard virtuoso whose concerts at Springfield High School’s restored Orpheum Theater pipe organ are always well attended. But th]]> Five thousand years of Chinese performing arts and culture will take the stage Feb. 9 at Sangamon Auditorium in a multimillion-dollar touring production called Shen Yun (“divine character”]]> Untitled Document This year has already brought exciting theater offerings — including the Springfield Theatre Centre’s Dreamgirls, which warmed things up during two ]]> Some shows keep coming back every few summers--Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan. This summer it's The Wizard of Oz at the Springfield Muni, opening this weekend and running through August 17. ]]> In a city largely absent of activities and events related to African American culture, Springfield’s black residents have long suffered from the “there’s-nothing-to-do syndrome.&rdqu]]> Local youths may be familiar with the confrontation and spectacle of mainstream hip hop, where the words flow effortlessly with messages of violence, money and sex. Less familiar is a close cousin, slam poetry, which also has smooth lyrical moves, but uses them to deliver appeals to social justice, racial understanding and cultural identity.]]> Untitled Document Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, director of the University of Illinois-Springfield theater department’s fall production, Picnic, held rehearsals five nights a ]]> Springfield stages are busy these days, with more new and experimental works being staged here than in most communities of comparable size. Here are just a few of the new shows being hatched loc]]> The Cubs-White Sox rivalry runs deep in Illinois, and plays a significant part in Bob Bartel’s Dinner with the Mafia, an interactive and locally produced show with two performances on Saturday,]]> 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]]> Among the many holiday entertainment offerings in the area — including a beautiful Springfield Ballet Company Nutcracker, LLCC Madrigals, Springfield Choral Society’s A Quiet Chr]]> 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]]>