Krannert Center/Illinois Theatre/Opera and Lots More on Sale August 10

Tickets go on sale August 10 for the 2013-14 slate of events at the University of Illinois Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Whether you're into music, opera, theater, dance or something in between, there are options available for you in Krannert's "captivating, fresh, life-affirming, restorative, unexpected, whimsical, and uplifting" season.

The Illinois Theatre Series begins with 9 Parts of Desire, written and directed by Heather Raffo, which looks at the lives of nine Iraqui and Iraqui-American women during the Persian Gulf Wars, presented October 3 to 13; and moves on to William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the story of magical Prospero and his exile on an island, directed by Robert G. Anderson, with performances October 25 to November 3; and Clybourne Park, Bruce Norris's sort-of-sequel to A Raisin in the Sun, on stage in the Studio Theatre from November 7 to 27, directed by Lisa Gaye Dixon.

In 2014, you can look for a new collaborative work called The Sullivan Project with theatre artists from across the country coming together under the artistic leadership of Daniel Sullivan, the Tony Award winning director, with performances scheduled from February 5 to 9; Theresa Rebeck's O Beautiful, about where American teenagers find themselves right now, including issues like guns, date rape, abortion and bullies, directed by Gina Rattan from April 3 to 13; and finally, a second Shakespeare piece, this time Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kathleen Conlin for the Colwell Playhouse, with performances beginning April 10 and ending April 19.

The School of Music Opera Program Series has one choice in the fall -- Verdi's Falstaff in November -- and one in the spring, in Orpheus in the Underworld, with music by Jaques Offenbach, in March.

Other highlights of the schedule include An Evening with Audra McDonald on September 21, featuring the Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winning singer performing songs by Stephen Sondheim, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein and other favorite composers; the Irish Chamber Orchestra, with "living legend" Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway, on November 7; a theatre piece called Chocolate Woman Dreams the Milky Way, from First Nations playwright and performer Monique Mojica, on November 20 and 21; the Moscow Festival Ballet bringing Giselle, Cinderella and Swan Lake to the Tryon Festival Theatre in January; a semi-staged version of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado on March 14 with conductor Ian Hobson and Sinfonia da Camera; pianist Peter Nero bringing the American Songbook to the Foellinger Great Hall on April 12, and Nathan and Julie Gunn and Friends, with star baritone Nathan Gunn, his wife Julie at the piano, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard and violinist Stefan Milenkovich.

But those are just my choices. You can peruse the calendar yourself, choose by category of performances, or look at the different series that make up the season. Lots to see and choose from!

And you can order all the tickets you want on Saturday, August 10, starting at 10 am. The box office number is 217-333-6280 if you prefer to chat with someone about the options.