DECATUR, Ill.-- is pleased to announce a jam-packed lineup of Arts at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ performances for the 2025-26 season. The University is proud to contribute to the vibrant and life-giving arts scene in Decatur, and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ welcomes the community to join us for a year of thrilling live entertainment, art, theatre and music.
In addition to the fantastic Kirkland Series lineup, the , , and have added a full calendar of plays, music, exhibitions, and shows in the Albert Taylor Theatre and the Virginia Rogers Theatre to the 2025-2026 season.
βThis is an exciting time for the arts, and you are most welcome to experience it with us this season. Art encourages and allows us to feel; itβs transformational and gives us deep access to not only ourselves but the world around us. We invite you to be a part of our journey of engaging in live performances and visual arts,β said Cameron Jackson, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs Dean of the College of Fine Arts. βI am humbled to share what will be an exciting season of art, theatre and music with you, our community. We thank you for your support of the fine arts and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ University, and we look forward to seeing you on campus and in the community in the months ahead.β
For the complete list of Arts at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ performances, or visit . Single-ticket sales for all 2025-26 events, excluding Vespers, are now available for purchase at . Vespers tickets go on sale on Nov. 4, 2025.
Learn more about the .
Here are some of the performance highlights from the College of Fine Arts' three schools: Theatre & Dance, Art & Creative Media, and Music:
SCHOOL OF THEATRE & DANCE
A Gentlemanβs Guide to Love and Murder
Virginia Rogers Theatre
October 16 | 7:30 p.m.
October 17 | 7:30 p.m.
October 18 | 2 p.m.
October 19 | 2 p.m.
Book by: Robert L. Freedman
Composed by: Steven Lutvak
Directed by: Kevin Long
Music Direction by: Beth Mason Creighton β01
When the low-born Monty Navarro finds out he's eighth in line for an earldom in the lofty D'Ysquith family, he sets off down a ghoulish path. Can he knock off his unsuspecting relatives without being caught? βA Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murderβ is a murderous romp filled with unforgettable music and nonstop laughs.
The Tempest
Virginia Rogers Theatre of Dance
November 13 | 7:30 p.m.
November 14 | 7:30 p.m.
November 15 | 7:30 p.m.
November 16 | 2 p.m.
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Alex Miller
Prospero uses magic to conjure a storm and torment the survivors of a shipwreck, including the King of Naples and Prosperoβs treacherous brother, Antonio. Prosperoβs slave, Caliban, plots to rid himself of his master, but is thwarted by Prosperoβs spirit-servant, Ariel. The Kingβs son Ferdinand, thought to be dead,
falls in love with Prosperoβs daughter Miranda. Prospero confronts his brother and reveals his identity as the usurped Duke of Milan.
Solstice: A Concert of Dance
Virginia Rogers Theatre
December 11 | 7:30 p.m.
December 12 | 7:30 p.m.
December 13 | 7:30 p.m.
Directed by: Angela Fledderman Miller
A blend of faculty and student work showcases the strength and creativity of the dance program at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ. Join us for a celebration of movement, sound, and light through a variety of dance genres.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Virginia Rogers Theatre
March 5 | 7:30 p.m.
March 6 | 7:30 p.m.
March 7 | 7:30 p.m.
March 8 | 2 p.m.
Music and Lyrics by: David Nehls
Book by: Betsy Kelso
Directed by: Jefferson Farber β05
Music Direction by: Beth Mason Creighton β01
Thereβs a new tenant at Armadillo Acres β and sheβs wreaking havoc all over Floridaβs most exclusive trailer park. When Pippi, the stripper on the run, comes between the Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband, the storms begin to brew.
Holy Chicken Sandwich
Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre
April 9 | 7:30 p.m.
April 10 | 7:30 p.m.
April 11 | 7:30 p.m.
April 12 | 2 p.m.
Educational Premiere
Written by: Kira Rockwell
Directed by: Tom Pacio
Co-produced by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School of Theatre & Dance
At the highly anticipated grand opening of a controversial fast-food empire, 100 devotees gather in the parking lot for an overnight campout to win a year of free large combos. As the night unfolds, itβs clear thereβs a fox in the chicken coop. βHoly Chicken Sandwichβ is a comedic mystery β a play that invites
audiences to uncover whatβs really in the secret sauce of devotion.
SCHOOL OF ART & CREATIVE MEDIA
Frank Lloyd Wright: Schumacher Textiles Exhibit
Perkinson Art Gallery
September 12-November 30
Reception: October 2 | 4-6 p.m.
F. Schumacher and Company, manufacturer of wallpapers, textiles, and other interior design accessories, produced a range of decorative designs by Frank Lloyd Wright. The mission of the OAD Archives, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, is to honor the past, celebrate the present, and encourage the future of creative organic architecture and design through education, endorsement, and promotion.
Sponsored by the Organic Architecture and Design Archives.
Nihonga Artists from the Japanese Painting Academy
Robert Crowder Art Gallery
October 1-December 19
Reception: November 8 | 3-5 p.m.
Nihonga is a Japanese style of painting that typically uses mineral pigments, and occasionally ink, together with other organic pigments on silk or paper. The term was coined during the Meiji period (1868β1912) to differentiate it from its counterpart, known as YΕga, or Western-style
painting. The term translates to βpictures in a Japanese style.β
Sponsored by Yasu Tanano.
Central Illinois High School Student & Educator Art Exhibition
Perkinson Art Gallery
February 2-27
Reception & Awards: February 7, 4-6 p.m.
Norman Rockwell
Area high school teachers select art and media works from their most talented students and submit their own professional works for this exhibition, part of a continuing effort to showcase the talents of our young Central Illinois artists to the local community. Awards and scholarships will be presented at the reception.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's Images in Motion Film Festival
Kirkland Fine Arts Center
April 29 | 6 p.m.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's Images in Motion Film Festival is a community event that showcases ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's animators and filmmakers. Guest judges will select winners and present awards, including the Motion Best in Show Award. Students will have the opportunity to discuss their work with guests. Get a sneak peek of upcoming projects from 1901 Productions, a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ student-run film company.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Vocal Festival Finale
University Choir and the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Vocal Festival Choir
Kirkland Fine Arts Center
September 29 | 4 p.m.
Free
The culmination of two days of effort from more than 200 high school students from around the region, this performance exudes energy and enthusiasm as the University Choir joins the students for a performance.
Halloween! Percussion Ensemble
Albert Taylor Theatre
October 29 | 7:30 p.m.
October 30 | 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets: $15
Join the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Percussion Ensembles for the 19th annual Halloween concerts. This all-ages, family-friendly event of the season will take place in the infamously haunted Albert Taylor Theatre. Audience members are invited to join the ensemble in costume; prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.
Vespers
Kirkland Fine Arts Center
December 6 | 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
December 7 | 2 p.m.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs most-beloved holiday event returns! Join us for carols, choirs, and candlelight. More than 200 musicians join for this joyous musical feast. Songs from past centuries combine with familiar carols and arrangements to create a concert of seasonal warmth for the whole family. Tickets on sale November 4
Purchase tickets online at millikin.universitytickets.com or call the Ticket Office at 217.424.6318.
Hollis Prize Competition Finals
March 28 | 7:30 p.m.
Kaeuper Hall
Winnerβs Recital
April 12 | 2 p.m.
Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, Ill.
Join three of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs top student performers in a recital competition like none other! Made possible by Dr. C. Kimm Hollis β72, the Hollis Prize represents the highest award bestowed upon a student musician enrolled at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ University. The winner receives a $3,000 honorarium and an opportunity to perform their program at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, Ill.
Cinderella
Virginia Rogers Theatre
May 1 | 7:30 p.m.
May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
May 3 | 2 p.m.
Libretto & Music by: Pauline Viardot
English Translation by: Rachel M. Harris
Directed by: Aubrey Hawkinson
Guest Conductor: John Massaro
Co-produced by the School of Theatre & Dance, School
of Music and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ-Decatur Symphony Orchestra
This charming French salon opera from 1904 originally boasted prolific operatic mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot as both its composer and librettist. Experience a Cinderella tale like youβve never seen before with the revitalized English translation sure to appeal to a wide audience of musical theatre and opera lovers alike. Co-produced by the School of Theatre & Dance, the School of Music, and the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ-Decatur Symphony Orchestra.
