Something for everyone: The Center for Performing Arts launches 2026–27 season right on campus
By Jane Cox, Guest Writer
Governors State University (GovState) students, faculty, staff, and alumni do not have to travel far to experience live music, theatre, dance, family programming, and more this year.
The Center for Performing Arts (The Center) at GovState is launching its 2026–27 season with a wide-ranging lineup designed to offer something for nearly every audience, all right here on campus, with free parking and discounts for members of the GovState community.
Now in its 31st season, The Center continues its mission of presenting high-quality live performances for the Chicago Southland. This year’s theme, “Electrifying Performances Sparked by Joy,” reflects a season built around curiosity, discovery, and connection.
The season opens on October 3 with Cirque Us Stories, a family-friendly contemporary circus production that brings storytelling to life through acrobatics, juggling, movement, and physical theatre. The performance offers an energetic entry point into a season that spans genres, generations, and artistic disciplines.
Music fans can look forward to Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group Arrested Development on November 7, while theatre audiences can experience Robert Townsend’s Living the Shuffle, an autobiographical solo performance from the acclaimed actor, director, writer, and Chicago native.
Families can make live performance part of their year with productions including the colorful Día de los Muertos-inspired SUGAR SKULL! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure on October 24 and the holiday tradition Ruth Page’s The Nutcracker in December.
The season also includes jazz, theatre, and popular music, including The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston, The Doo Wop Project, and additional performances throughout the academic year.
Students Take the Stage, Too
The 2026–27 season also offers opportunities for students to become part of the creative process.
GovState’s Theatre and Performance Studies program will present William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream November 12-15. This fresh, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s comedy, set on the GovState campus itself, will feature GovState students and community performers while creating opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in performance, production, design, and other areas of theatre-making.
In the spring, Theatre and Performance Studies will present the Tony Award-winning musical Once on This Island, bringing another large-scale student production to campus and additional opportunities for students to participate both on stage and behind the scenes.
These productions are an important part of The Center’s role on campus: providing a space where GovState students can create, collaborate, perform, and build practical experience in the arts.
The season also expands beyond the stage through The Center’s new SPARK education and community engagement initiative. SPARK — Shaping Potential through Artistry, Resilience, and Knowledge — creates opportunities for audiences to connect more directly with the arts through workshops, artist interactions, and other hands-on experiences.
For performance dates, ticket information, and the full 2026–27 season lineup, visit The Center for Performing Arts website.
Jane Cox is Cultural Marketing Director for the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University.