Arts Features

Hark, good citizens! Attend thee a mirthful spectacle unfolding upon the Hoogland stage. The most wondrous Something Rotten! – book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick – is a musical comedy set in the 90s….the 1590s to be sure. Huzzah! ‘Tis the Renaissance, where struggling playwright […]

The iconic butter cow sculpture is a perennial “must-see” at the Illinois State Fair. Since the 1920s, the life-size figure traditionally made of 500 pounds of unsalted butter has drawn crowds of fairgoers to the Dairy Building. Bessie and her friends in the exhibit are no longer the only butter sculptures there, though, after a […]

Two shows opened last weekend in area outdoor theaters: the one-weekend-only run of Agatha Christie’s Murder On the Orient Express at New Salem’s Theatre in the Park and School of Rock at the Muni Opera (running Aug. 10 to Saturday, Aug. 12). Muni Opera’s production of School of Rock is a stage version of the popular […]

I recently listened to an interview about post-pandemic struggles within regional theaters stemming from low ticket sales and flagging membership renewals. This, unfortunately, has led to things like staffing cuts and other programmatic revisions in what would otherwise be thriving seasons. Listening to this I was disheartened. Especially as they went on to say the […]

If you are a Lincoln history buff or if you simply love musical theater, treat yourself to The Lincolns of Springfield, currently playing at the Hoogland Center for the Arts through July 16. Be ready for songs that will fill your heart, stir your soul and stay with you long after the performance. I experienced […]

Bullets Over Broadway The show is lively if not timely THEATER | Jamila Wicks The production of Bullets Over Broadway at The Legacy Theatre has a few enjoyable moments. However, it does not fully meet expectations in terms of providing “the best medicine for the times,” as the musical’s director, Chaz Wolcott, hopes. In his […]

Ahhh, the 80s. That transcendent, evolutionary time in our cultural history that ushered in mullets, mall bangs, day-glo, Lycra and Memorex. Sure, there were way more important things happening in the world at the time, but for those of us who were teenagers and too young to understand or care about anything else, we would […]

Terrence and Rebecca Powers Cranert recently relocated to Springfield from California, where they had raised a family and enjoyed successful careers. Terrence Cranert was chief trial attorney for Zurich Insurance in Los Angeles. And Rebecca Cranert held leadership positions in theater, education and business. Their shared dream was to create and produce their own musical […]

Welcome to summer outdoor theater. We always ask ourselves why we perform outdoors (with challenges of mosquitos, heat, rain). We all admit, though, there is a kind of extra magic that goes with it. Summer outdoor theater has always been a festive addition and has been around for decades. For years, the major summer fare […]

The Springfield Theatre Centre’s production of The Color Purple is an absolute musical delight. The cast and crew put their hearts and souls into bringing the story to life, and their passion and energy are contagious. You might even find yourself tapping your foot to the music. Nevertheless, The Color Purple puts generational trauma experienced […]

Stich ‘n Go is “a way to do what we love, have a purpose and bless so many other people,” says Marty Dahlquist who co-founded this Laurel United Methodist Church mission group with Barb Needham in 2017. What began as an informal gathering of eight women who love to sew has blossomed into a group […]