Indiana University’s 2026 performing arts schedule promises an exciting lineup of diverse productions. From groundbreaking theater to mesmerizing dance and music performances, there's something for every art lover to enjoy this year.
IU Auditorium
The IU Auditorium hosts a wide range of performing arts and world-class events. From major Broadway touring shows to nationally known comedians, musicians and important figures in government and science, the IUI Auditorium is one of the premier cultural centers in the Midwest.
Chicago
Date: January 23
Back for a special added one-night only performance, Chicago is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one showstopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen.
Kinky Boots
Dates: February 10-11
The boots are coming back to Bloomington! Kinky Boots will lift your spirits to high-heeled heights. Based on true events, Kinky Boots follows the journey of two people with nothing in common—or so they think. The unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they realized and discover that you change the world when you change your mind.
Mrs. Doubtfire
Date: February 28
Based on the beloved film, Mrs. Doubtfire tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It’s “the lovable, big-hearted musical comedy we need right now,” raves the Chicago Tribune—one that proves we’re better together.
TINA - The Tina Turner Musical
Dates: March 5-6
An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, this electrifying sensation will send you soaring to the rafters.
Beetlejuice
Dates: April 10-12
It’s SHOWTIME! Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.
Jacobs School of Music
Offering more than 1,100 performances a year by ensembles, orchestras, bands, soloists, and choirs, as well as fully staged operas and ballets, the breadth and number of performance opportunities at the Jacobs School of Music are unparalleled in college music study.
Check their calendar for recitals, guest lecturers and conductors and more. There is always an opportunity to see some of the top musicians in the world.
Opera & Ballet
"Mansfield Park" by Jonathan Dove
Dates: February 13-14
Originally written for four-handed piano, this 2011 chamber opera for 13-piece orchestral ensemble is based on the 1814 novel by Jane Austen. The narrative follows the impoverished Fanny Price, who is sent as a child to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle at their family estate, Mansfield Park.
"Cendrillon" by Jules Massenet
Dates: March 6-7
In contrast with Rossini’s version, the glass slipper is back in this French grand opera rendition of one of the most beloved fairy tales, based on Charles Perrault’s Cinderella.
Spring Ballet
Dates: April 3-4
This dance for 10 includes solos, two pas de deux, a duet for two women, and a quartet for four men, concluding with virtuoso movement for ballerina to excerpts from Alexander Glazunov’s Raymonda ballet score.
Oklahoma!
Dates: April 17-18, 25-26
The first successful production to seamlessly integrate music, dance, and plot into a cohesive narrative—pioneering the use of dance to drive the story—the show is credited with launching the “Golden Age” of Broadway musicals and won a special Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1944.
Concert
Singing Hoosiers Spring Concert
Date: March 28
This uplifting group embodying excellence in the performance of popular song comprises 100 singers and instrumentalists—from the Jacobs School of Music as well as students representing over 20 majors from across the Bloomington campus. Don’t miss one of IU’s most cherished traditions since 1950.
Live Music
Jazz Celebration
Date: May 2
For this year’s swinging celebration, Jacobs jazz faculty and students will be joined by luminary alumni John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Performing together since their twenties, these prolific musicians, composers, and arrangers have garnered multiple Grammy nominations.
IU Theater, Drama and Contemporary Dance
From classics like Shakespeare, to modern tales, the Department of Theatre Drama and Contemporary Dance operates as an extension of classroom training allowing students to apply their learning in practice, exploring a wide range of genres, styles and themes.
Pride and Prejudice
Dates: February 13-21
A bold and boisterous reimagining of literature’s greatest enemies-to-lovers courtship. Celebrated playwright, Kate Hamill dives into Jane Austen’s classic and exposes the foolishness of suitors amid romance and scandal.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Dates: March 5-13
Star-crossed lovers, vengeful fairies, an amateur theatre troupe. This devised production rediscovers Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play takes on new meanings and relevancy for today’s audiences, exploring queer joy and contemporary texts.
Merrily We Roll Along
Dates: April 17-25
Sondheim's semi-autobiographical musical turns back the clock on friendship and the high price of success. Merrily We Roll Along begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of a wealthy, jaded composer and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives.
2026 Senior Dance B.F.A. Capstone Projects
Dates: April 30-May 2
IU Contemporary Dance B.F.A. class of 2025 are proud to share their capstone projects in an innovative presentation of movement and choreography.
