Performances
We are a touring theatre company with more than 20 original shows in our working repertoire. We would be thrilled to bring any of these performances to your community. Many of them can even be tailored to include details that highlight your local history.
Call 309-689-8000 or Contact Us if you would like to host a performance in your community.
We are currently working towards a series of performances at The Grand Army of The Republic Hall in downtown Peoria. We are also touring the midwest with performances at community colleges, small town opera houses, and we are already researching characters for next fall's Springdale Cemetery Tour.
Please check our Calendar to see if we are coming to your neck of the woods!
Click on a show to see program notes!
Black Hawk's Band: A Native View of Illinois History
Imagine a campfire with a band of Indians sharing creation myths and history. Fancy dancing and drumming songs are part of this evening's celebration of an undying spirit that inhabits the land where Black Hawk roamed.
Click here for an article about the show.
Canoe Song: A Voyager’s Tale
From the journals of Marquette and Joliet we get a glimpse of life in the early days of Midwestern history. Through folksongs and true tales we can be immersed in the adventures of these hardy explorers and fur traders.
Civil War Ghosts and Legends
True stories and legends are woven with traditional songs and poetry from this most un-Civil War. Poetry by Walt Whitman and classic horror stories by Ambrose Bierce are blended with popular songs by Stephen Foster to bring to life the bloodiest chapter in American History. Through visceral stories and haunting ballads listen to eye witness accounts of the triumphs and tragedies of many of the major battles.
Prairie Fire!
A celebration of bison and covered wagons, wolves and wigwams, this tapestry of American Indian and pioneer stories and songs will bring to life the struggle to survive in this fiery ocean of waving grasses.
Lincoln Tales Tall and True
Tracing his rise from prairie state rail splitter to America's favorite president, this blend of original songs and legends will attempt to disentangle the man from the myth. Meet the folks who shaped and molded Lincoln.
An American Wake
This musical theatre production takes place in an Irish Cottage as the elder son is fleeing the Great Famine of the mid-1840s in search of a better life in America. Premiered as part of the Illinois Central College Performing Arts Series, one of their best selling tickets!
Click here for a show review.
An Immigrant's Song: From Ireland to America
This blending of Irish folk tunes and traditional tales tells the story of Irish immigrants within the broader cultural and political context of Ireland and America. It also explores the role of the Irish in the building of Illinois' railroads and canals. Featured performance for the regional Conference Of Irish Immigration.
Riverboat Tales Tall and True
The glory days of steamboating are celebrated in this rich mix of true history and rollicking toe-tapping tunes. Imagine Mark Twain hosting an evening of Prairie Home Companion. With a barbershop quartet, a bluegrass band, a little vaudville, slapstick, and lots of great stories, history has never been so much fun!
An Encounter with The Green Man:
A Celtic Summer Solstice Celebration
Ballads, tales, and plant-lore, poetry and myth, history and herbal wisdom tossed in a green salad with euphoric implications. Don't forget something to wash it down with a wink and a nod to to the Roman version of The Green man, Bacchus!
The Winter Solstice
A Celtic Celebration in Story and Song played to three sold out houses in December. This program blends traditional Irish songs and stories to celebrate the longest night of the year; not a re-creation but a reviving of this tradition to honor our lives in the cycles of seasons.
Click here for a review of the show
A Prairie Christmas
Celebrate love, family and friends with songs and stories from not so long ago, and not so far away. In this toe-tapping tour of an old-fashioned Christmas you can sing-a-long with your favorite carols and explore the stories behind the songs and traditions. Blending tales from pioneer days with local history and Old English carols, we rejoice in the true meaning of the holiest of seasons.
Family Tales
This is a new story concept in the works. Taking true tales from family records, oral history and historical documents, we'll explore life in the early 1900 hundreds and 19th century American. Look for this program in the coming year!
River Ghosts
Drawing from the writings of Mark Twain and true stories of local ghosts, this show is a mix of haunting ballads and spooky tales that are sure to make your flesh crawl.
