Theaters/ Plays
Theater thrives in Southern Illinois, with a rich lineup of live performances that bring stories to life on stages big and small. From classic plays and modern dramas to student productions and community-led musicals, local theaters offer an intimate and immersive cultural experience. Venues like McLeod Theater at SIU, local civic centers, and independent playhouses spotlight the incredible talent of regional actors, directors, and playwrights inviting audiences to laugh, reflect, and connect through the power of performance.
Now in its 33rd year, the North American tour unites world-class talent from renowned ballet capitals across the globe, featuring all-new choreography this season by acclaimed Ukrainian choreographer Viktor Davydiuk. Presented by Talmi Entertainment, NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet is the nation’s premier touring production of its kind, captivating over a quarter-million audience members each year. Arts education and enrichment are central to the mission of the company. In the 80+ cities to be visited in 2025, NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet partners with local dance studios, giving over 4,000 children across the country a unique opportunity to study with international artists.
November 04, 2025, 7:00 PM
Marion Cultural and Civic Center
800 Tower Square Plaza
Marion, IL 62959
This play, directed by RLC Theatre Professor Tracey Webb, is a family-friendly, classic comedy based on the novel by L.M. Montgomery and dramatized by Joseph Robinette. It follows the antics and adventures of orphan Anne Shirley, who is adopted by an elderly Canadian brother and sister in need of help with their farm chores. Red-headed and outspoken, Anne gets into many mishaps, but she manages to use her loquaciousness to get out of trouble and eventually charm the locals into becoming her lifelong friends.
November 06, 2025, 7:00 PM
November 07, 2025, 7:00 PM
November 08, 2025, 7:00 PM
November 09, 2025, 2:00 PM
Rend Lake College
468 North Ken Gray Pkwy
Ina, IL 62846
This play is an unflinching and honest depiction of war, and conveys an emotional intensity of the characters' experiences. Therefore, it may not be suitable to children younger than 13. Past and present collide in Ellen McLaughlin’s mash-up of Sophocles’ classic tragedy Ajax with the modern-day Iraq war. The play follows the parallel narratives of Ajax, an ancient Greek military hero, and A.J., a female American soldier serving in Iraq. Both are models of valor in combat, and both pay a price for their valor as they struggle within themselves. Inspired by material collected from interviews with Iraq war veterans and their families, AJAX IN IRAQ explores the timeless struggle soldiers face in trying to make sense of war.
November 06, 2025, 7:30 PM
November 07, 2025, 7:30 PM
November 08, 2025, 7:30 PM
November 09, 2025, 2:00 PM
McLeod Theater
Communications Building
1100 Lincoln Dr,
Carbondale, IL 62901
Poisoned apples. Glass slippers. Who needs ’em?! Not Snow White and her posse of disenchanted princesses in the hilarious hit musical that’s anything but Grimm. Forget the princesses you think you know – the original storybook heroines have come to life to set the record straight. Not for the kiddies, folks!!
November 07, 2025, 7:00 PM
Marion Cultural and Civic Center
800 Tower Square Plaza
Marion, IL 62959
Set in a fishing lodge in rural Georgia, The Foreigner follows Charlie, a shy Englishman who pretends to be unable to speak English as he accompanies his friend Froggy. The ruse quickly leads to a series of humorous misunderstandings and unexpected encounters with the lodge’s other eccentric guests. While filled with comedy, the play also explores deeper themes of identity, acceptance, and personal transformation. The production will be directed by Ryan Patrick.
Tickets can be purchased at the bookstore or the door.
November 14, 2025, 7:00 PM
November 15, 2025, 7:00 PM
November 16, 2025, 2:00 PM
John A. Logan College
700 Logan College Drive
Carterville, IL 62918
The ghost-with-the-most comes to the stage in Beetlejuice JR., the frightfully funny musical based on the beloved motion picture turned Broadway phenomenon. Lydia Deetz is a strange and unusual teenager, still grieving the loss of her mother and obsessed with the whole “being dead thing.” Lucky for Lydia, she and her father move to a new house haunted by a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a delightful demon with a real zest for life. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter shows his true stripes, unleashing a (Nether)world of pandemonium.
November 21, 2025, 7:00 PM
November 22, 2025, 7:00 PM
November 23, 2025, 2:00 PM
Marion Cultural and Civic Center
800 Tower Square Plaza
Marion, IL 62959
Krampus – long overlooked as Santa’s demon sidekick – is visited by Marley’s ghost on Christmas Eve in a twisted take of A Christmas Carol. But unlike Scrooge, Krampus enjoys being bad – and has no interest in redemption. This dark comedy flips the classic tale with humor and holiday mischief.
December 05, 2025, 7:30 PM
December 06, 2025, 7:30 PM
December 07, 2025, 2:00 PM
December 11, 2025, 7:30 PM
December 12, 2025, 7:30 PM
December 14, 2025, 2:00 PM
The Varsity Center
418 S Illinois Ave
Carbondale, IL 62901
Young Sara Crewe arrives at Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young ladies in London. The young, beloved heiress shines as the star pupil – until the death of her wealthy father completely reverses her fortune. The greedy headmistresses allow Sara to become a servant at the academy and live in a cold, miserable attic room. Sara uses her vivid imagination to overcome adversity and even bring happiness to those around her.
January 30, 2026, 7:30 PM
January 31, 2026, 7:30 PM
February 01, 2026, 2:00 PM
February 05, 2026, 7:30 PM
February 06, 2026, 7:30 PM
February 07, 2026, 7:30 PM
February 08, 2026, 2:00 PM
The Varsity Center
418 S Illinois Ave
Carbondale, IL 62901
Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses brings Ovid’s tales to stunning visual life. Set in and around a large pool of water onstage, Metamorphoses juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in both language and image to reflect the variety and persistence of narrative in the face of inevitable change.
February 25, 2025, 7:30 PM
February 26, 2025, 7:30 PM
February 27, 2025, 7:30 PM
February 28, 2025, 7:30 PM
March 01, 2025, 2:00 PM
Christian Moe Laboratory Theater
Communications Building
1100 Lincoln Dr,
Carbondale, IL 62901
Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. “I don’t intend to retell the whole Alice story” Pendleton says, “but to use it as a taking off point for invention.” Join this dazzling company on a mind-bending adventure, as Alice encounters time-honored characters including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and a variety of other surprises. Filled with visual splendor and startling creative movement, Alice reveals that nothing in MOMIX’s world is as it seems!
March 05, 2026, 7:00 PM
Marion Cultural and Civic Center
800 Tower Square Plaza
Marion, IL 62959
The SS American sets sail, protocol and convention come to the fore as two unlikely couples embark on the road to true love aided by a crew of singing sailors, a comic disguise and something more.
March 26, 2025, 7:30 PM
March 27, 2025, 7:30 PM
March 28, 2025, 7:30 PM
March 29, 2025, 2:00 PM
Shryock Auditorium
1050 S Normal Ave,
Carbondale, IL 62901
Four young siblings recreate their everyday lives in a game of make-believe in their attic, while the world beneath them bodes a more sinister reality. Defying all narrative expectations, Make Believe is a gut-wrenching meditation on the imprint of childhood trauma on adults.
April 17, 2026, 7:30 PM
April 18, 2026, 7:30 PM
April 19 2026, 2:00 PM
April 23, 2026, 7:30 PM
April 24 2026, 7:30 PM
April 25, 2026, 7:30 PM
April 26, 2026, 2:00 PM
The Varsity Center
418 S Illinois Ave
Carbondale, IL 62901
A whimsical prequel to Peter Pan that follows a nameless orphan boy and his journey to becoming Peter. When he boards a ship carrying a magical substance called star stuff, he meets Molly, a brave Starcatcher apprentice. Together, they battle pirates, led by the comically villainous Black Stache, and discover friendship, courage, and the power of imagination.
July 10, 2026, 7:30 PM
July 11, 2026, 7:30 PM
July 12, 2026, 2:00 PM
July 16, 2026, 7:30 PM
July 17, 2026, 7:30 PM
July 18, 2026, 7:30 PM
July 19, 2026, 2:00 PM
The Varsity Center
418 S Illinois Ave
Carbondale, IL 62901