Krannert Center, a 300,000 square-foot performing arts and academic facility, houses five indoor stages including Foellinger Great Hall—which boasts one of the world’s premier acoustic environments--Tryon Festival Theatre, Colwell Playhouse, Studio Theatre, and the Lobby’s Stage 5, as well as the outdoor Amphitheatre. Each venue was designed for a particular style of performance with features that enhance the audience experience with impressive views, fine-tuned acoustics, and exquisite beauty.
Krannert Center opened in April 1969 to high praise during its month-long dedication. A critic for The New York Times called the facility “one of the most ingeniously worked out art complexes anywhere,” and a writer for the Christian Science Monitor noted that “the performing arts now have a home equal to the gilded science-palaces that adorn other campuses.” Today, Krannert Center is recognized as the nation’s premier university-based performing arts center. In the over five decades since its opening, the Center and its resident academic departments of the School of Music, Illinois Theatre, and Dance at Illinois have welcomed hundreds of thousands of patrons from all walks of life—embracing the University of Illinois’ mission of education, research, and public engagement to establish itself as a classroom, laboratory, and public square for the exchange of ideas, the creation of new artistic work, and the life-affirming power of live performance.
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to the advancement of education, research, and public engagement through the pursuit of excellence and innovation in the performing arts. Embracing the art of the past as well as the art of our time, the Center supports the belief that creativity is a core human characteristic and that the arts hold uniquely transformative potential. Through its multiple and integrated roles as classroom, laboratory, and public square, Krannert Center serves as a touchstone for the exploration and expansion of human experience.
Please visit the Krannert website for more information on their events and offerings