Peoria Theatre
If you’re looking for a more traditional experience, then Peoria Players Theatre is probably the best option for you. Each year, the theatre presents 5 musicals and 1 straight play as part of their regular season. They also do special performances such as the Rocky Horror Picture Show near Halloween each year and a holiday-themed musical revue near Christmas. They also normally produce a summer youth production and do periodic fundraiser shows also.
Corn Stock Theatre also operates year-round, however their main season is during the summer in their outdoor tent theatre located in Upper Bradley Park. They normally present 4 musicals and one straight show or comedy each season. They also produce winter productions as well as Corn Stock for Kids shows that take place in their Theatre Center a short drive down the road from the tent within the park.
And if you are looking for newer musicals, Eastlight Theatre at the East Peoria High School auditorium might be more to your taste. Generally, Eastlight produces musicals that are newer to community theatre offerings. Their Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat performances every holiday season are the exception to that. 2022 will be the 25th anniversary of that show which normally happens during the East Peoria Festival of Lights event.
Are There Any Dinner-Theatre Companies in the Peoria Area?
Yes, there is! The Barn III Dinner Theatre re-opened its door after recovering from a devastating tornado in 2015 in late 2018. For the years in between, they continued to perform at Five Points Washington, but it wasn’t the same as the atmosphere in the Barn.
Originally opened in the mid-70s, until the newest iteration of the theatre opened, the city of Goodfield where the theatre is located (about half way between Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, IL) was dry and would not issue the theatre a liquor license, so patrons brought their own alcohol to enjoy during the show. No need to bring your own booze now however as they offer a full cash bar during their shows.
Mostly performing farces and musical revues, the Barn III Dinner Theatre is a unique experience with many of the same semi-professional performers returning year after year. Now hosting other events such as weddings, dance recitals and proms, the theatre schedule is a bit more limited than it was during the Barn II days, but there are still plenty of opportunities to catch a show and dinner.
What Other Theatres Are Located in the Peoria Illinois Area?
If you’re looking for tours of shows that have recently been on Broadway and are willing to pay the higher ticket prices, the Peoria Civic Center hosts the American Theatre Guild with newer titles through the school year normally. Originally this season was the Broadway Theatre Series and was managed by the Peoria Civic Center. More recently, the series was taken over by a national company who books and brings the shows into the Peoria Civic Center Theater.
The Scottish Rite Theatre is primarily a venue for touring concerts, however they began producing their first theatrical production in December of 2021 with A Christmas Carol which was produced originally by the organization for many years prior to its new iteration when entrepreneur Kim Blickenstaff of the KGB Group purchased the building a few years ago and refurbished it mostly during the COVID pandemic. Editor’s Note: The Scottish Rite Theatre announced that it will close on January 15, 2023
There are a several youth focused theatre groups in the Peoria area also. The oldest and most established youth community theatre in the Peoria area is Community Children’s Theatre. Founded in 1957 as a cooperative effort between the Peoria Park District & community volunteers, CCT offers two musical productions each year with performances taking place at Peoria Players Theatre.
Another one is Nitsch Theatre Arts. NTA produces 3 musicals each year featuring casts from 5 area communities. Other performances produced by the group include an annual Shakespearian show as well as an adult cast show and show choirs. The group performs at the Illinois Central College Performing Arts Center.
The Peoria Area Performing Arts School is another theatre organization focusing on youth. They produce at least one musical each summer, a Madrigal dinner near the holidays as well as compete nationally with their show choirs.
Other smaller community theatres nearby Peoria include the Chillicothe Players which produces a couple of shows annually. The River Valley Players in Henry Illinois produces a couple of shows annually as well. And Artistic Community Theatre of Pekin recently acquired a permanent facility and is working toward producing shows on a regular basis.
The Metamora Thesbian Society produces musicals as well as musical revues and performs at the Metamora Fields Golf Club.
The Apollo Theatre located on Main Street in Peoria across from the Peoria County Courthouse occasionally hosts local shows. And the Madison Theatre, one of the oldest in the Peoria area, is currently being refurbished to once again host local productions. It had been a movie theatre for many years and hosted a comedy club for a few years, but has been closed for a couple of decades.