Celebrating 90 years of Virginia Theatre history!

December 28, 1921 - December 28, 2011

Ninety years ago, the Champaign Park District's Virginia Theatre originally opened her doors to appreciative audiences with a richly varied program of live performances and movies.

Help us celebrate her continued success as a jewel of east central Illinois' theatrical venues at upcoming shows like the Capitol Steps (Fenruary 18). Gaelic Storm (March 6) and much more.

And stay tuned for information (coming soon) about a special 90th Anniversary Celebration and Rededication of the Virginia Theatre's historic Wurlitzer Organ!

Share your memories of the Virginia Theatre here.

With the help of three fans, The Muppets must reunite to save their old theater from a greedy oil tycoon.
Director: James Bobin
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams
Runtime: 103mins
Rating: PG
More Info: IMDB

Roald Dahl's timeless story of the world famous candy man and his quest to find an heir comes to life in this stage adaptation of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, which features the songs from the classic family film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The memorable score features “The Candy Man”, “Pure Imagination”, “Oompa Loompa” and ”I Want it Now” by Academy® and Grammy® award winners Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, neatly fitted into a new script adapted under the auspices of the Dahl Estate.

Produced By Champaign Park District Youth Theatre

Gaelic Storm March 6 Show Type: MUSIC Time(s): 7:30pm Seating: Reserved Seating Tickets: $40: “VIP” (includes artist meet & greet) Main 3-4, Rows A-C $29: Main 2-4 / Mezz 2-4 $24: Main 1 & 5 / Mezz 1 & 5 $18: Balcony See online seating chart For details * Add'l (per ticket) processing fees apply: $3-Online

You might already know Gaelic Storm from their appearance in James Cameron’s Titanic as the Celtic party band in the ship’s steerage deck. Unlike so many other bands that were unable to sustain a career after receiving near-blinding initial exposure, Gaelic Storm has amassed a large, loyal and ever-growing following since their launch in 1995. After three studio albums on Virgin/EMI early on, the band has since flourished in an extreme DIY fashion by not only launching their own label, Lost Again Records, and releasing their albums themselves but also by designing all their own album art, posters and advertising.

While Gaelic Storm plays Celtic music that hearkens back to the traditional music of Ireland, they are hardly traditionalists, adding modern sounds and drawing influences from American rock and pop as well as music styles from around the world.

Following the path of the band’s 2008 release, What’s The Rumpus?, 2010’s Cabbage debuted at #1 on the Billboard World Chart.

www.gaelicstorm.com

“The Travels of the Ugly Duckling” is an original ballet choreographed by the faculty of the Champaign Park District’s Dance Arts School and features dancers ages 7 to adult.  The performance will also include Irish Dance and Contemporary Ballet.

The Dance Arts School teaches classes in Creative Movement, Irish Dance and ballet. The ballet school is certified by the Royal Academy of Dance based in London, England, and is the only certified ballet training school in the state of Illinois.  We train our students using the internationally acclaimed Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, a worldwide ballet training program focused on teaching classical ballet techniques in a manner that is safe for our dancer’s growing bodies.  In 2003, Dance Arts added Irish Dance to its curriculum.  For each show, a dedicated team of parent volunteers design sets and construct hundreds of professional costumes to beautifully enhance the performances.
www.champaignparkdistrict.com/programs/dance.htm

Local teenage musical groups of all styles compete and experience what it’s like to play at a live venue. First place winner will secure a slot to play at summer festivals and local venues with other top performers along with many other great prizes! All friends, families, and music lovers are welcome to attend and cheer on their favorite band and also get a chance to win some prizes!

A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.
Director: Bob Fosse
Starring: Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Helmut Griem
Runtime: 124mins
Rating: PG
More Info: IMDB

Great News Radio is proud to present its first ever Community Appreciation Concert!

Chesser Financial is one of our key sponsors whose generosity is helping to make this event possible and at a very affordable cost to both individuals and families.

www.christianclassicagency.com

On the day before Easter in 1911, Don Hewes is crushed when his dancing partner (and object of affection) Nadine Hale refuses to start a new contract with him. To prove Nadine's not important to him, Don acquires innocent new protegee Hannah Brown, vowing to make her a star in time for next year's Easter parade.
Director: Charles Walters
Starring: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, and Peter Lawford
Runtime: 107mins
Rating: N/A
More Info: IMDB

Roaring chainsaws flying through the air?

At every Passing Zone show, audience members become part of the action, with razor-sharp sickles thrown around them - or they get hooked to cables and swung around the stage dressed like astronauts! Comedy, juggling and wild stunts blend to make this an unforgettable and hilarious experience.

Jon Wee and Owen Morse - The Passing Zone - have appeared on The Tonight Show and Good Morning America, hold 4 Guinness World Records, and were top comedy act on America's Got Talent.

www.passingzone.com

Some four decades since his remarkable debut, John Prine has stayed at the top of his game, both as a performer and songwriter. Recently honored at the Library of Congress by US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, he’s been elevated from the annals of songwriters into the realm of bonafide American treasures.
 

http://www.johnprine.net

On Sale 2/17 @ 10am

The Clements Comedy Café is a two-hour evening of live humor and music featuring the “clean comedy” of Tony Clements, a 30-year veteran of the entertainment business, and a special performance by The Tons O’ Fun Band. Tony’s comedy not only includes his interpretation of life from childhood to the present, but the Comedy Café allows Tony the opportunity to demonstrate his versatility as a performer. He often engages the audience (on stage), and “dazzles” the crowd with his dancing prowess and his inspiring musical ingenuity.

http://tonyclements.net/comedy/

• Individual Movie Tickets On-Sale April 2, 2012 @ 10am

For more information visit www.ebertfest.com

Ebertfest 2011 Documentary

Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in Paris, is "discovered" by an influential heiress with an interest in more than Jerry's art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise, a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist, while romantic complications abound.
Director: Vincente Minelli
Starring: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and Oscar Levant
Runtime: 113mins
Rating: N/A
More Info: IMDB

An eccentric professor invents wacky machinery, but can't seem to make ends meet. When he invents a revolutionary car, a foreign government becomes interested in it, and resorts to skulduggery to get their hands on it.
Director: Ken Hughes
Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, and Lionel Jeffries
Runtime: 144mins
Rating: G
More Info: IMDB

Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime.
Director: Carol Reed
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, and Alida Valli
Runtime: 104mins
Rating: N/A
More Info: IMDB

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
Director: John Huston
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Gladys George
Runtime: 100mins
Rating: N/A
More Info: IMDB