Datebook

The Central Illinois Black Lives Black Words Showcase will feature Black playwrights, directors and talent from all over the country touching on the question, “Do Black lives really matter?”

ArtGasm returns to the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 16, bringing the fantastical fairy tales and characters from the Brothers' Grimm tales to the ballroom with this year's theme, "Grimm Fantasy."

ArtGasm returns to the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 16, bringing the fantastical fairy tales and characters from the Brothers' Grimm tales to the ballroom with this year's theme, "Grimm Fantasy."

The classic comedy "Tartuffe" by Moliere will feature a contemporary twist this weekend at the Heartland Theatre stage in Normal.

Where were you when it happened? That is what Normal Public Library is asking McLean County residents as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches. An immersive exhibit is on public view in the library’s gallery from Sept. 7-30.

The new play, "The Hologram in the Mirror," premieres Friday evening in central Illinois and runs through Sunday. It posits artificial intelligence will disrupt the arts.

Booze and jazz music are common bedfellows. Rarer is the pairing of jazz with craft beer in a family-friendly environment. Saturday in Uptown Normal, Medici revives its popular street festival dedicated to all three with live bands, craft brews, food and fun for the whole family.

"The Barber of Seville" has been popular for 300 years give or take. The play was in 1775. Mozart did it and then Rossini did it in 1814. Now, MIOpera is doing it in Bloomington-Normal on Aug. 7 at Heartland Community College's Astroth auditorium.

A four-woman rock band from New Jersey hits it big in the 1960s. A Baltimore teen realizes his dream of dancing on the Corny Collins show. Don’t worry, Broadway fans — we know that’s not the way "Jersey Boys" and "Hairspray" are traditionally cast.

Sisters Amber Rutledge and Alicia Bunting love bees. And they’re hoping after paying a visit to their honey farm in Heyworth, you will, too.