Arts Features

The 1988 Pulitzer Prize for drama was awarded to a small, three-character off-Broadway play, Driving Miss Daisy, a play that still has lessons for us today. The Pulitzer Prize is awarded to distinguished work by an American author, preferably original in its source, and dealing with American life. Driving Miss Daisy premiered 35 years ago, […]

MILD SPOILER ALERT: Near the end of My One and Only, Captain Billy Buck Chandler bypasses fame and fortune to try and reunite with his true love, renowned ex-channel swimmer Edythe Herbert. When he does find her, the ever-optimistic Billy speaks a simple truth that has stuck with me ever since the first time I […]

Continuing the theme of fighting for what’s right and dipping into our nation’s history for lessons learned, the Springfield Muni Opera presents its the third show of the season, Disney’s Newsies, a story based on the 1899 newsboys’ strike which forced a change in the way newspaper hawkers (many of them orphaned children) were compensated. […]

“You are a complacent man with no thought of history. You have traveled everywhere and learned nothing.” Younger Brother, Ragtime The Springfield Muni Opera’s production of the Tony Award-winning Ragtime, the Musical (book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens), is a profound civics and history lesson told through captivating performances and […]

Betsy Dollar, executive director of the Springfield Art Association (SAA), is committed to engaging local citizens in the arts in a myriad of ways. Summer art camps for youth, adult art classes, exhibitions of work by local artists, community art projects and the Edwards Place Fine Art Fair are just a few examples. Showcasing high-quality […]

A Victorian-era novel is next on stage as Theatre in the Park at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site is back producing outdoor theater after a two-summer absence. The show is A Little Princess, based on the 1905 children’s book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, opening this week, running June 10-12 and 16-18 at 8 p.m. […]

Springfield’s Muni Opera is back after two silent summers, and the first show is a celebratory musical, SpongeBob Squarepants, which opened last week and runs thru June 5. This 2017 musical is based on the popular children’s animated series that has been running since 1999. I asked my nine-year-old great-nephew, Archer Adkins, about the TV […]

Springfield has long championed community-based and what’s known as grassroots theater. We are now seeing a resurgence of such theater performances after a long COVID pause. It has caused me to reflect and wonder, what is it about these community projects? What brings these people together? Donna Jefferson’s theater journey has been a long trajectory […]

Inspiring and creative art, music, poetry, performances and more will be featured in Springfield May 6 -15. The biennial Liturgical Arts Festival is back after a hiatus due to COVID-19. This is an interfaith celebration of the liturgical arts, reflecting mutual appreciation of artistic expression. While the festival is inspired by the diversity of faith […]

Nearly 500 creative and colorful quilts will fill the Orr Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds March 18 and 19. This biennial event features quilts made by members of the Springfield Area Quilt Guild. It is one of the largest quilt shows in the Midwest and is not just for quilters. These aren’t your grandmother’s […]