Doudna Fine Arts Center 2025/2026 Season Announcement
The 2025/2026 season kicks off at the end of the month! Check out everything we have in store for you.
You can find the link below to buy tickets.
Doudna Fine Arts Center – your ticket to a world of entertainment!
ROBERT CORN-REVERE AUTHORS @ EIU
August 28th @ 5:00pm
Booth – West Reading Room
EIU Alum, and Chief Counsel for Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Robert Corn- Revere, will discuss his recent book “The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder: The First Amendment and the Censor’s Dilemma”.
This event is in conjunction with the “I’m Not A Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce” performance at the Doudna Fine Arts Center on Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 7:30pm.
Robert Corn-Revere has been a First Amendment litigator for more than four decades. He is a prominent writer, thinker, and advocate on free expression issues. In 2021, Cambridge University Press published his book, “The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder: The First Amendment and the Censor’s Dilemma,” which explores how free expression became a part of America’s identity.
In 2003, he successfully petitioned Governor George E. Pataki to grant the first posthumous pardon in New York history to the late comedian Lenny Bruce, who was convicted for “obscene” comedy routines.
You can purchase his book at go.eiu.edu/doudnatix, at our Box Office, or in person the night of the event for $30.
I’M NOT A COMEDIAN… I’M LENNY BRUCE
August 30th @ 7:30pm
The Theatre
THIS IS INTENDED FOR A MATURE AUDIENCE
Many believe that Lenny Bruce was The Godfather of Comedy, who influenced such greats as Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Sarah Silverman, and Bill Maher to name just a few. What drew me to him on a personal level is that Lenny died for the very freedom of speech that so many are still struggling with today.
During the 1960s, Lenny Bruce exposed many of the “untouchable” subjects that are in the news again now: religion, racism, immigration, xenophobia, gender inequality, sexual identity, the criminal justice system, capital punishment, bail reform, government aid, police brutality, corrupt capitalism, the opiate epidemic, marijuana legalization, censorship, and on and on. Over 50 years later, all of the issues Lenny was fighting for are still so relevant. In many ways, we’ve progressed since Lenny was with us, and in many, we have regressed.
Tickets
$30/$15
CULTURAL CROSSROADS: DVOŘÁK IN AMERICA
September 12th @ 7:30pm
Dvorak Concert Hall
Featuring:
- The Ciompi Quartet
- Kenneth Kellogg, bass
- R. Carlos Nakai, Native flute
- Will Clipman, world percussion
- Pamela Freund-Striplen, curator/narrator/violist
Cultural Crossroads: Dvořák in America is a live concert experience that explores the Black and Indigenous influences on Dvořák during his time in America. The program weaves original Native American melodies and moving African American Spirituals along with Dvořák’s most beloved chamber music. Short videos and imagery add to this powerful multimedia experience. Cultural Crossroads: Dvořák in America with its stellar and diverse cast of musicians is a catalyst for audience engagement as it entertains, educates, and inspires – drawn from the curiosity of a Czech composer a century ago.
Tickets
$25/$20/$15
(Groups of 4+ save $5 per ticket)
SIX APPEAL
September 20th @ 7:30pm
Dvorak Concert Hall
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 2ND ANNUAL ACA FESTIVAL
Six Appeal is a world-class vocal ensemble whose vibrant energy and dynamic blend bring a cappella to the forefront of live performance. They are two-time global champions of the genre after competing against nearly 200 groups from 26 different countries. Over their decade in the industry, Six Appeal has collaborated with notable artists Andy Grammer, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Thundercat. For multiple years in a row, the group has been featured at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party singing on the red carpet. Whether on the stage, sharing their knowledge with future musicians, or serenading the stars, Six Appeal continues to evolve, elevating classic songs to appeal across generations.
Tickets
$25/$20/$15
SHAUN BOOTHE: UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY SERIES
October 16th @ 7:30pm
The Theatre
The Unauthorized Biography Series is a celebration of greatness. As a youth speaker, Shaun Boothe has created this series not just to entertain and inform but to awaken the greatness within us all. The series is a critically acclaimed musical project that celebrates the world’s greatest cultural icons through biographical rap songs. Shaun’s work repackages historical figures through the lens of Hip-Hop. Half TED Talk, half live concert, Shaun uses music, multimedia, and motivation to deliver powerful and transformative messaging in a way that truly resonates with audiences.
Tickets
$25/$20/$15
(Groups of 4+ save $5 per ticket)
IMMUNITY
JOSHUA ROMAN
January 24th @ 7:30pm
The Theatre
Immunity is an intimate musical exploration of cellist Joshua Roman’s life-altering, inspiring experience of ongoing long COVID, with music ranging from J.S. Bach to George Crumb to Caroline Shaw, as well as Roman’s own compositions. The program combines performance and storytelling into an emotional journey, as the cellist confronts the impact of the illness and the limitations that nearly ended his career, before progressing through a period of doubt, struggle, refocus, and renewal, culminating in a profound acceptance of self and a deeper connection to what’s most important in life.
“Occasionally I get to meet an extraordinary young musician. Such is the case with Joshua Roman … To me, Joshua is one of the great exemplars of the ideal 21st-century musician. He is deeply grounded in a classical tradition and he is a fearless explorer of our world.“ – Cellist Yo-Yo Ma
Tickets
$25/$20/$15
(Groups of 4+ save $5 per ticket)
JOHN CLAYTON
66th Annual Jazz Festival
February 6th @ 7:30pm
Dvorak Concert Hall
Bassist, composer, arranger and producer John Clayton is a busy man. He is a Grammy winner with nine additional nominations and has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, Yo–Yo Ma, and Charles Aznavour, to name only a few.
It is John’s arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” that helped propel Whitney Houston in her 1990 performance at the Super Bowl (the recording went platinum). His recordings with the Clayton Brothers, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Milt Jackson, Monty Alexander, Count Basie and others are plentiful. John feels, “I’ve been guided by a village of musicians who helped me understand the humility that goes along with playing music at the highest level you can. Ray Brown used to tell me to ‘Learn how to play the bass!!’ Just take care of the music and it will take care of you.”
Tickets
$25/$20/$15
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