Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

The Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

WIU Theatre and Dance 2026-2027

Western Illinois University Theatre and Dance presents an exciting 2026-2027 season of plays, musicals, and dance performances. Join us at the Goldfarb Center for creativity, talent, and live entertainment.

For more information about the season or Theatre & Dance, visit: www.wiu.edu/theatre

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Bill Kincaid

October 8 – 10 at 7:30pm;
October 10 & 11 at 2pm
Clow Theatre, Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

TWELFTH NIGHT is a lively romantic comedy about mistaken identity, love, and self-discovery. After being shipwrecked, Viola disguises herself as a man and becomes entangled in a love triangle involving Duke Orsino and Lady Olivia, leading to confusion, humor, and unexpected revelations. Through wit and disguise, the play explores love in all its foolishness and joy.

Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen

Book by Steven Levenson
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Directed by Hadley Kamminga-Peck

October 29 – 31 at 7:30pm;
October 31 & November 1 at 2pm
Hainline Theatre

DEAR EVAN HANSEN is a contemporary musical about a lonely teenager whose attempt to fit in spirals into a lie that brings him connection, compassion, and heartbreak. As the truth unravels, Evan must confront the consequences of his choices and learn what it truly means to be seen and belong.

Stand/Resist: a devised dance work

Stand/Resist: a devised dance work

Directed by Donald Laney

November 12 – 14 at 7:30pm;
November 14 & 15 at 2pm
Clow Theatre, Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

STAND/RESIST is a devised dance work that uses powerful movement and stillness to embody iconic protests throughout history. Through ensemble physicality, the piece explores courage, unity, and the human impulse to stand up and rise together for change.

Showcase26

Showcase26

Directed by Lysa Fox, Donald Laney, Lisa Wipperling & Aaron Ames

December 3 – 5 at 7:30pm;
December 5 & 6 at 2pm
Clow Theatre, Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

Join the Musical Theatre & Theatre classes of 2026-2027 and their friends as they highlight their training from over the past four years.

The Thanksgiving Play

The Thanksgiving Play

By Larissa Fasthorse
Directed by DC Wright

March 4 – 6 at 7:30pm;
March 6 & 7 at 2pm
Clow Theatre, Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY is a fast-paced comedy in which four enthusiastic (and wildly underprepared) theater artists try to create a “respectful” Thanksgiving play, only to hilariously reveal their own misunderstandings and blind spots along the way. With sharp wit and playful satire, the play pokes fun at good intentions gone wrong and the stories we tell ourselves about history.

BYOP - Bring Your Own Play

BYOP (Bring Your Own Play)

Directed by Tammy Killian & Friends

April 1 – 3 at 7:30pm;
April 3 & 4 at 2pm
Clow Theatre, Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

New Plays, written by students, designed by students, performed by students, for students! Enjoy an evening of completely student-created new works.

Into The Woods

Into The Woods

By Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine
Directed by Lysa Fox

April 15 – 17 at 7:30pm;
April 17 & 18 at 2pm
Great Hall, Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

This beloved musical is a high stakes collision of every fairy tale character you know! INTO THE WOODS is an epic adventure with a Baker and his Wife venturing into a haunted forest to break a family curse, finding themselves entangled in the stories of a Witch, Cinderella, Jack (and his beanstalk), and a wolf-stalked Little Red Riding Hood. Along the way "happily ever after" takes a turn.

Dance Escape

Dance Escape

Directed by Donald Laney

April 29 – May 1 at 7:30pm;
May 1 & 2 at 2pm
Clow Theatre, Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

Western Illinois University's annual Spring Dance Concert will offer an evening of dance, choreographed by students and instructors in University Dance Company (UDC). Each performance will incorporate a variety of dance styles, including modern/contemporary, jazz, Afro-modern, and ballet.