This weekend, see an original play based on the wedding of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln. On Nov. 7, 1842, Springfield’s elite gathered at the home of Ninian and Elizabeth Edwards to witness Elizabeth’s younger sister, Mary, give her hand in marriage to a young lawyer by the name of Abraham Lincoln. During the play, […]
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Posted inArts & Culture
Bringing the songs of George Gershwin to life
Paired with a live jazz combo and some of the area’s finest vocalists, the Springfield Ballet Company brings the magic of George Gershwin to life during four performances of Rhapsody in Gershwin. Featured pieces include “Someone to watch over me,” “Fascinating rhythm,” “An American in Paris” and more. The show is choreographed by Anna Bussing, […]
Posted inOpinion
Can Gonzales defeat Madigan?
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS A name from the past has been leading the charge for Jason Gonzales’ Democratic primary campaign against Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Blair Hull, the hugely wealthy but unsuccessful 2004 Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, directly accounts for $100,000 of the $300,000 which the Illinois United for Change PAC has raised […]
Posted inNews
Keep the Lights On
The State of Illinois owes Springfield’s municipal utility $12 million. File photo by Patrick Yeagle As the state passes into month nine of the budget impasse, Illinois’ financial backlog is growing. But higher education and human service providers are not the only people waiting for money from the state. The State of Illinois owes City […]
Posted inOpinion
Not working, not winning
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS President Barack Obama seemed to admit almost right from the start of his address to the Illinois General Assembly last week about the need for a more civil politics that he probably wouldn’t sway his audience, which has been bickering amongst itself for over a year. Obama talked about his first […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A charitable comedian
Comedian Peter Berman’s big break occurred when hallucinogenic drug guru Dr. Timothy Leary caught his act and invited the then-University of Michigan student to perform a gig in Los Angeles at Hollywood Improv. One year later, with a degree in communications in tow, Peter moved to Los Angeles and quickly became a regular on the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Linking music and sports
Enjoy a Sunday concert that showcases Millikin University’s powerful interdisciplinary alliances with collaborative performances by students and faculty from the College of Fine Arts. This exciting program by Millikin University’s Chamber Percussion Ensembles explores the relationship between music and sports. The production includes a rendition of Rocael Hurtado’s “Tennis Club” performed on marimba, Richard Lerman’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
When race, culture, country collide
On Thursday, Feb. 25, join Dexter Burns, a current Master’s degree candidate in the Latin American and Caribbean studies program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Dr. Hinda Seif, sociology/anthropology and women and gender studies faculty member at University of Illinois Springfield, for a presentation that examines the complicated intersections of race, culture […]
Posted inMusic
Fun DMC
Take the cover band concept of playing popular songs and combine it with a DJ-style song mashup to make an “oddly entertaining blend of musical alchemy”, and there you have the design behind Fun DMC. Combined artists include Journey and Metallica, Nelly and The Bee Gees, Run-D.M.C. and Avril Lavigne, Usher and Michael Jackson, LMFAO […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A children’s reggae musical
Three Little Birds is a modern-day fairytale for children ages four and up about the zany adventures of shy, 11-year-old Ziggy. The production is based on a children’s story of the same name penned by Cedella Marley, the first-born daughter of reggae artists Bob and Rita Marley. According to Cedella, “‘Three Little Birds’ is one […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Abraham Lincoln and the Todd women
The public is invited to commemorate the birth of Abraham Lincoln by attending the Eighth Annual Lincoln Lecture on Friday, Feb. 12, at 9 a.m. in the Trutter Center at Lincoln Land Community College. This year’s lecture, entitled “Abraham Lincoln and the Todd Women of Aristocracy Hill” will be presented by historian Erika Holst. Erika […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Inaction figure
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon My girlfriend got laid off four months ago, along with many of her co-workers. She is not making a serious attempt to find a job and is just living off unemployment benefits. She stays up until morning watching TV and sleeps until the late afternoon. I figured that she […]
