URBANA — Illinois Theatre’s production of “The Whistleblower” opens Friday night at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. It’s an adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play “Enemy of the People,” originally written in the 1880s. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with the show’s director, Genesee Spridco. Listen to this interview here. She says…
The WILL Radio archives include hundreds of hours of recorded programs captured on acetate discs from the 1940s and 50s, including a 1957 reading at the University of Illinois by 20th century African-American poet Langston Hughes. Jameatris Rimkus, an archivist the University of Illinois Library, tracked down the mislabeled discs, rescuing them from obscurity.
2022 marked the 100-year anniversary of WILL-AM, the oldest component of Illinois Public Media. The University of Illinois launched the station at a time when the idea of using radio to reach a mass audience was new and cutting edge. Over the century to come, WILL became a national leader in educational broadcasting, and more recently, public broadcasting.
Editor’s note: At the request of Nikki Usher, we changed the pronouns in this article that pertain to Usher from ‘she’ to ‘they.’ – Reginald Hardwick, News Director, March 26, 2024 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Krannert Art Museum in Champaign has two entrances. One entrance is at the top of a flight of concrete stairs,…
URBANA – A traditional celebration over the weekend gave the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign community an opportunity to join together for the holiday season. The Latino Student Association hosted its annual Las Posadas at the U of I. Many Latin American countries and people in the United States celebrate Las Posadas, which commemorates Mary and…
CHAMPAIGN – From a parade returning to the streets to more than a dozen menorahs, Champaign-Urbana is catching the holiday spirit. Hanukkah Holiday Begins On Sunday night, Champaign mayor Deb Feinen lit a menorah in front of the city’s public library as dozens looked on. The 8-day holiday known as Hanukkah is being recognized in…
URBANA – Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois in Urbana will soon start requiring audience members to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or of a negative test result. Beginning Tuesday, November 16, when the University of Illinois Wind Orchestra will be performing, the Krannert Center will require everyone attending performances…
URBANA — Lyric Theatre @ Illinois returns to the Krannert Center stage Thursday evening with a production of the Tony Award-winning musical, “Fun Home.” The show is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, written by Alison Bechdel, which looks at the relationship between Alison and her father, who are both gay,…
URBANA – A theater production with Latinx representative characters premiered last weekend at the University of Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. It is part of a co-director’s effort to see more people of color on stage. Native Gardens, a play written by Karen Zacarias, is a comedy that discusses race, class and privilege, between…
CHAMPAIGN – One of two local newspapers in central Illinois’ Ford County will close down this fall. The publisher of the Ford County Record says the weekly paper will cease publication “within the next month or so.” The Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette bought the century-and-a-half-old Paxton Record in 2007, eventually renaming it the Ford County Record. When…
URBANA – University of Illinois football and basketball fans will hear a new fight song joining the traditional music during the upcoming season. The Illini will be marching to a hip-hop beat. The “Illini Anthem” is a song composed by Lamont Holden, University of Illinois instructor of music production, who is also a music producer,…
Editor’s Note: A prior version of this story, Jones was identified using the incorrect pronouns. The story has been updated to reflect their gender identity. We regret the error. URBANA — This summer, Champaign-Urbana teens who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are getting free weekly training in all aspects of theater…
MONTICELLO — Theater companies around central Illinois are gearing up for summer shows and new seasons, but some directors say they aren’t sure what they’ll do after their summer shows as Illinois reopens. Paul Strain is president of the board of DLO Musical Theatre in Danville. He says his company is producing their youth and…
MONTICELLO — Live music is coming back to the University of Illinois’ Allerton Park and Retreat Center outside Monticello for the center’s annual concert series. But this year’s concerts are a little different than the ones guests might have experienced before the COVID-19 pandemic, says Allerton Event Coordinator Ashley Sims. The series began in 2013,…
URBANA — The Boneyard Arts Festival came back for an in-person showcase of local artists’ work at more than 50 venues in Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding area this weekend. Before the pandemic, art exhibitions would be displayed in over 100 venues around the county in April, but after a virtual showcase in 2020, organizers decided…