School is back in session and the mellow vibe of warm, summer days is behind the art world. Here we round up theater, live music, arts festivals, and dance performances in autumn.
THEATER
Community thespians offer a diverse array of stage productions this season. Evansville Civic Theatre continues to stage its productions primarily at Benjamin Bosse High School while a full-time home is sought. This season, the troupe takes on the Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann musical satire โUrinetownโ Sept. 13-15 and Sept. 20-22. Newburgh, Indianaโs Community Theater turns Shakespeare on its head with โMuch Ado About Murderโ at this seasonโs dinner theater Sept. 20-21 and Sept. 27-28. STAGEtwo Productions performs Tom Stoppardโs acclaimed dichotomy of chaos versus order, โArcadia,โ Sept. 27-29 and hosts a community-led production of โThe Rocky Horror Picture Showโ Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 1-2.
Collegiate theater programs have an exciting fall semester planned. The University of Southern Indiana opens the season Sept. 26-28 with Jack Heifnerโs comedy โVanities,โ directed by USI student Madalyn Cottrell, a senior from McCordsville, Indiana. The award-winning Theatre Department at the University of Evansville puts a pop-music spin on Arthur Millerโs โThe Crucibleโ in Kimberly Belflowerโs โJohn Proctor is the Villainโ Nov. 21-24.
Broadway-style shows take the stage at Old National Events Plaza closer to the holidays. Decidedly un-Broadway-like is an interactive screening of โThe Rocky Horror Picture Showโ on Oct. 13. Jukebox musical โTINAโ about late singer Tina Turner appropriately rolls up the Ohio River on Nov. 4, and โA Magical Cirque Christmasโ stages holiday-themed acrobatics Dec. 19. In Kentucky, the Henderson Area Arts Alliance welcomes a production of โAlways, Patsy Cline.โ
LIVE MUSIC
The sounds of summer are in the rear-view mirror, but the tunes are going strong. Launched in 2019, Arts Council of Southwestern Indianaโs intimate On the Roof concerts provide paid gigs to more than 100 local musicians and free performances for thousands in Downtown Evansville. Another relaxed live music setting is the eighth annual Lincolnshire Front Porch Festival on Oct. 6 in a historic East Side neighborhood. Early Octoberโs Dulcimer Chautauqua on the Wabash in New Harmony, Indiana, offers free lessons, workshops, and performances.
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers joins the Evansville Philharmonic for its opening night Sept. 21. In between the philharmonicโs alternating classics and pops concerts are plenty of touring acts at the Victory Theatre, Ford Center, and Old National Events Plaza. Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman, Celtic punk rockers Flogging Molly, funk-rock outfit Here Come the Mummies, and โ90s R&B artist Ginuwine demonstrate the variety of musical tastes that area listeners enjoy. The Nov. 2 Victory Theatre performance of The 5th Dimension is sweeter since the 1960s singing group recently added 1994 Reitz Memorial High School graduate Shane Lawrence to its ranks. Mattingly Charitiesโ annual benefit concert Nov. 21 scores big with a special appearance by chart-topping country star Trace Adkins.
ARTS FESTIVALS
After a summer focused on live music, autumn festivals tend to focus on visual arts and crafts. Start with Kunstfest, New Harmonyโs signature arts and German heritage festival. Sept. 21-22, visitors can sample authentic German food; listen to live polka, bluegrass, and folk music; and get an up-close look at blacksmithing, pottery, weaving, and more historical crafts demonstrations.
Artists, musicians, and other creatives set up shop Sept. 28 in Haynieโs Corner Arts District for the Fall Funk in the City, a tradition since 2002. The same weekend, browse hundreds of handmade and homegrown goods at the 51st annual Vanderburgh County Extension Homemakers Fine Arts & Craft Show at the countyโs 4-H Center.
Several groups take advantage of the cooler weather to set up open-air artwork festivals. The last block party-style First Friday of the season โ with food trucks joining the regular lineup of artists and musicians โ takes place Oct. 4 in Haynieโs Corner Arts District. Pick up more original pieces by regional artists at Fall YART and New Harmonyโs Harvest Craft Fair on Oct. 5. The same weekend, Henderson is abuzz with handmade goods at the annual Henderson Lions Club Arts & Crafts Festival, as well as fine art depicting natural scenes at the Biennial Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit at Henderson Community Collegeโs Preston Arts Center.
DANCE
Auditions already are underway for the seasonโs annual โNutcrackerโ performances. Ballet Indiana is accompanied by the Ballet Indiana Symphony Orchestra for two December performances at the Victory Theatre. The Childrenโs Center for Dance Education takes its production of โNutcrackerโ on the road, performing in Madisonville and Henderson, Kentucky, and New Harmony and Vincennes, Indiana, as well as Evansville. Last year, the Center expanded its repertoire with a sensory-friendly performance at Old National Events Plaza.
CULTURAL EVENTS
Hispanic Heritage Month runs Sept. 15- Oct. 15. Join the Latin American community at Wesselman Park on Oct. 13 for the 10th anniversary of Fiesta Evansville, a musical, culinary, and community celebration. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) events have been growing in popularity, among them an annual celebration Nov. 2 in Hendersonโs Central Park and the same day at Evansville Vanderburgh Public Libraryโs West Branch. Donโt miss special activities at Angel Mounds State Historic Site during Native American Heritage Month in November.
