Punxsutawney Phil announced our early spring back on Groundhog Day. Savvy little rodent, but we’ll all be cursing him if we get a random snowstorm in April. For now, it’s a great time to come out of winter hibernation as the sun warms our patch of the prairie.
Amy Penne here and I genuinely look forward to celebrating the arts in Champaign-Urbana and our surrounding region as the incoming Arts Editor at Smile Politely. I have lived in this community for many moons and am a strong advocate for the arts in all forms, shapes, and sizes. The five things in this article are events I’m planning to attend, and I hope to see you there as we enjoy some interesting theatrical opportunities, and maybe head down the road a bit to explore the final product of some artists-in-residence.
March is Women’s History Month and most of the events listed here feature women’s voices, stories, and bodies in song, dance, and spoken word. There’s even an opportunity to share your own unique experiences.
View the work of Artists-In-Residence at the Tarble Arts Center
Visual artists Diane Christiansen and Jessie Mott have been busy over the last couple of weeks creating new art on site in the gallery, and will be presenting their final collaboration in the Tarble Arts Center starting March 2nd. Their collaboration draws on each artist’s experiences in the field of mental health and they will be engaging both students and the public on art and mental health. The Tarble is a dynamic space and in my experience, the curators and artists at EIU never disappoint.
Artists-in-Residence: Diane Christiansen & Jessie Mott
Tarble Arts Center
Eastern Illinois University
2010 9th St
Charleston
Mar 2-15, hours vary
Free
Silent Sky at Parkland College’s Staerkel Planetarium
Parkland’s Actor’s Studio will celebrate Women’s History Month with Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky. Gunderson (along with the prolific Lynn Nottage) sits at the top of the list of most produced playwrights in America. Her sparkling work at regional theaters has made her a national treasure. Don’t miss out on this special production of the true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who, along with several women peers, changed the way we understand the heavens and Earth. Staged at Parkland’s Staerkel Planetarium, the show will offer a unique setting for this important story.
Silent Sky
William M. Staerkel Planetarium
Parkland College
2400 W Bradley Ave
Champaign
Mar 7-10, 7:30 p.m.
Mar 9 + 10, 3 p.m.
$20
Share your story
SPEAK (song, poetry, art, and knowledge) Cafe regularly presents an open mic and public performance at the Krannert Art Museum. Another powerful way to celebrate Women’s History Month, Shaya Robinson hosts and welcomes your stories of healing and resilience as a way to navigate shared experiences and connections.
SPEAK Cafe
Krannert Art Museum
500 E Peabody Dr
Champaign
Th Mar 7th, 6 to 7 p.m.
Free
Watch an Italian dance company
Artemis Danza will present Corpi Violati on March 18th. This dance performance, choreographed by Monica Casadei, brings to the Lincoln Hall stage the essence of Desdemona, from Verdi’s Otello, combined with a community of women and men, all working through the wounds inflicted on bodies because of misogyny and hatred towards minorities. This powerful performance comes to us from the European Union Center at the University of Illinois for one night only. Don’t miss out. The event is free, but registration is recommended.
Artemis Danza Presents Corpi Violati
Lincoln Hall Theater
University of Illinois
702 S Wright St
Urbana
M Mar 18th, 7 p.m.
Free
Watch a play that’s been four years in the making (sort of)
Finally, rounding out the month with a production that was curtailed when COVID came calling in 2020, Urbana’s Station Theatre will present William Finn and James Lapine’s Tony-award winning musical Falsettos, which follows the complicated and neurotic Marvin and his even more complicated family, including his about-to-be-Bar Mitzvahed son, their therapist, and a couple of lesbians next door.
Falsettos
The Station Theatre
223 N Broadway Ave
Urbana
March 21-April 7
Th-Sa 7:30 p.m.
Su 2 p.m.
$18
