520 past events with the theater tag

poster design by Studio165+

Written by B.J. Tindal
Original Dramaturgy by Maansi Sahay Seth
Directed by Lisa Gaye Dixon

November 15-16, 18-22 at 7:30 PM | November 22 at 2:30 PM | Recital Hall / AR 217

Goodnight, Tyler is a poignant and unexpectedly humorous ghost story about memory, grief, and the fight for control over a legacy. After Tyler Evans, a young Black man, is killed by a police officer, his ghost lingers—desperate to be remembered for his life, not just his death. As his best friend, fiancée, grandmother, and others grapple with their own versions of Tyler, tensions rise over who gets to define his story. This moving contemporary drama explores love, loss, and the personal and political weight of remembrance.

“Goodnight, Tyler” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.comTickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door
Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

poster design by Studio165+

Written by B.J. Tindal
Original Dramaturgy by Maansi Sahay Seth
Directed by Lisa Gaye Dixon

November 15-16, 18-22 at 7:30 PM | November 22 at 2:30 PM | Recital Hall / AR 217

Goodnight, Tyler is a poignant and unexpectedly humorous ghost story about memory, grief, and the fight for control over a legacy. After Tyler Evans, a young Black man, is killed by a police officer, his ghost lingers—desperate to be remembered for his life, not just his death. As his best friend, fiancée, grandmother, and others grapple with their own versions of Tyler, tensions rise over who gets to define his story. This moving contemporary drama explores love, loss, and the personal and political weight of remembrance.

“Goodnight, Tyler” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.comTickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door
Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Presented by Ball State's Department of Theatre and Dance

Choreographed by Susan Koper, Joseph Lyons, Audra Sokol, Roberta Wong, and Christie Zimmerman

The Nutcracker is the classic holiday tale as you’ve never seen it before—a dreamy collision of magic, mystery, and imagination. Clara’s beloved toy transforms into a valiant prince, whisking her from a war-torn living room to realms filled with snow, sweets, and surreal wonders. Each step of her journey blurs the line between fantasy and reality, revealing the strange beauty hidden beneath tradition. With Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score guiding the way, this reimagined Nutcracker becomes a wild, whimsical ride through the heart of childhood dreams.

The Ball State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gregory Robbins, will play the score live.

By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Presented by Ball State's Department of Theatre and Dance

Choreographed by Susan Koper, Joseph Lyons, Audra Sokol, Roberta Wong, and Christie Zimmerman

The Nutcracker is the classic holiday tale as you’ve never seen it before—a dreamy collision of magic, mystery, and imagination. Clara’s beloved toy transforms into a valiant prince, whisking her from a war-torn living room to realms filled with snow, sweets, and surreal wonders. Each step of her journey blurs the line between fantasy and reality, revealing the strange beauty hidden beneath tradition. With Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score guiding the way, this reimagined Nutcracker becomes a wild, whimsical ride through the heart of childhood dreams.

The Ball State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gregory Robbins, will play the score live.

About

This Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life is a heartwarming radio drama based on Frank Capra’s classic story. Condensed into about an hour, the production features rich narration, live sound effects, and expressive performances to tell the story of George Bailey—a man who, feeling overwhelmed by life’s burdens, is shown by his guardian angel how profoundly he has touched the lives of others. The radio play beautifully conveys themes of hope, community, and the power of one individual to make a difference—offering an intimate, nostalgic experience that feels both uplifting and deeply human through the magic of radio.
 
IPR Radio Dramas feature community and campus actors, musicians, and singers who, through their live performances, transport listeners to another time—evoking memories of shared experiences and recalling an era when imagination played a central role in entertainment. Live music and sound effects help recreate the authentic atmosphere of the Golden Age of Radio.
 
Audience members play a vital role in the radio drama experience by engaging with the story and reacting to the emotions conveyed through sound and performance.
 
Attendees should be seated by 7:30 p.m. and will enjoy a special pre-show program, including a live sound effects demonstration.
 
Directed by Matthew Reeder. Musical direction by Jim Rhinehart. Sound effects by Leo Blackmer.

Tickets

Tickets are sold through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall. Purchase options:

• ONLINE
• Phone: 765-285-8749
• In person: Monday through Friday from Noon to 5 p.m., or starting 1 hour before the performance at the performance venue

**Please note: As part of our commitment to sustainability, all College of Fine Arts tickets are paperless and are accessible via email confirmation. Your confirmation email contains your digital tickets which can be scanned at the door from your mobile device, or you can print your digital tickets at home to be scanned. There is no need to visit Will Call prior to the performance.

Parking

Parking is available in the McKinley Parking Garage (entrance on Ashland Avenue) located immediately south of Sursa Hall. Metered parking is available on the first floor of the garage until 7 p.m. at which time parking is free.

Winston Churchill is back! His purpose: To warn humanity not of a Nazi threat, not of Soviet Iron Curtain Communism, but rather - that a Digital Iron Curtain has fallen across all of humanity and that action this day is necessary to Defend Liberty and Freedom.

Winston Churchill, along with Michael Duncan’s brilliant narration, Eric Anderson’s stirring musical renderings and Kevin Pehler’s stunning audio-visual magic leads us through history, painting the portrait of humanity’s struggle between totalitarian conquest and control and individual liberty and freedom. This stirring, inspirational “Theatrical Keynote” brings Winston Churchill’s keen, incisive message of hope to the 21st Century. The audience will have the opportunity to interact directly with Prime Minister Churchill during Ask Winston, a fun, lively Q&A.

World-class artists and musicians brought together in the Coffee and Cabernet Series. Experience these internationally renowned artists in the intimate setting of Pruis Hall and enjoy a selection of wine, craft beer or coffee while attending the performance. 

CHICAGO is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one showstopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen.

In the whirlwind of Chicago’s Jazz Age, two of the Cook County Jail’s most notorious murderesses—vaudeville star Velma Kelly and chorus girl Roxie Hart—become fierce rivals as they compete for headlines amidst a media frenzy.

Broadway’s longest-running musical has been razzle-dazzling audiences for over 28 years, and after more than 10,000 performances, 6 Tony Awards®, 2 Olivier Awards, and a Grammy®, we’re just getting started.

Come on, babe! Head to CHICAGO!

We’re hotter than ever.

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Solas is hailed by The Boston Globe as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced” and The Wall Street Journal as “an Irish traditional band bearing all the marks of greatness.”

Since forming in New York City in 1995 they have been a galvanizing element in the Irish music scene – a lightening rod of talent and inspiration that set new standards for musicianship, repertoire, and intensity. Over the course of twelve critically acclaimed albums and endless international touring, Solas brought their love and respect for the traditions of Irish music, and their sense of melodic and instrumental adventure to the world. 

In 2017, after a remarkable two decade career, Solas decided it was time for a break. Now, after eight years, the break is over and Solas is back and ready to celebrate their 30th Anniversary! The musical adventure continues in 2025. 

World-class artists and musicians brought together in the Coffee and Cabernet Series. Experience these internationally renowned artists in the intimate setting of Pruis Hall and enjoy a selection of wine, craft beer or coffee while attending the performance. 

Co-Directed by Dee Dee Batteast and Payten Romig

February 19-22, 24-26 at 7:30 p.m. | February 21 at 2:30 p.m. | AR217 Recital Hall

Following a violent coup, a young woman named Chelsea is crowned Queen of North America. In the midst of her newfound reign, three friends from middle school (whom she hasn’t spoken to in years) walk into her new palace to ask Chelsea for a big favor. But before she grants it, she’s going to make them reminisce and “embrace the nostalgia” by revisiting their shared friendship and its horrific ending.

Veal was developed and had its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago

Kirsten Fitzgerald Artistic Director, Audrey Billings Managing Director

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Co-Directed by Dee Dee Batteast and Payten Romig

February 19-22, 24-26 at 7:30 p.m. | February 21 at 2:30 p.m. | AR217 Recital Hall

Following a violent coup, a young woman named Chelsea is crowned Queen of North America. In the midst of her newfound reign, three friends from middle school (whom she hasn’t spoken to in years) walk into her new palace to ask Chelsea for a big favor. But before she grants it, she’s going to make them reminisce and “embrace the nostalgia” by revisiting their shared friendship and its horrific ending.

Veal was developed and had its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago

Kirsten Fitzgerald Artistic Director, Audrey Billings Managing Director

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Co-Directed by Dee Dee Batteast and Payten Romig

February 19-22, 24-26 at 7:30 p.m. | February 21 at 2:30 p.m. | AR217 Recital Hall

Following a violent coup, a young woman named Chelsea is crowned Queen of North America. In the midst of her newfound reign, three friends from middle school (whom she hasn’t spoken to in years) walk into her new palace to ask Chelsea for a big favor. But before she grants it, she’s going to make them reminisce and “embrace the nostalgia” by revisiting their shared friendship and its horrific ending.

Veal was developed and had its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago

Kirsten Fitzgerald Artistic Director, Audrey Billings Managing Director

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Co-Directed by Dee Dee Batteast and Payten Romig

February 19-22, 24-26 at 7:30 p.m. | February 21 at 2:30 p.m. | AR217 Recital Hall

Following a violent coup, a young woman named Chelsea is crowned Queen of North America. In the midst of her newfound reign, three friends from middle school (whom she hasn’t spoken to in years) walk into her new palace to ask Chelsea for a big favor. But before she grants it, she’s going to make them reminisce and “embrace the nostalgia” by revisiting their shared friendship and its horrific ending.

Veal was developed and had its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago

Kirsten Fitzgerald Artistic Director, Audrey Billings Managing Director

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door