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• Best Theatre Venue: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

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Krannert Center for the Performing Arts »
Address: 500 S. Goodwin Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 333-6700
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The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts seems like a logical choice for Best Theatre Venue. Its Goodwin Avenue location makes it easily accessible. The shows are reasonably priced but still high-quality. It’s everything a theatre should be. What may surprise people, though, is exactly how much there is at the Krannert Center.

The Krannert Center puts on over 100 shows a year. The huge building holds multiple stages for different kinds of shows ranging from operas and ballets to smaller, more intimate performances. The high-quality shows are the kind one might find in a big city like Chicago, but they don’t cost an arm and a leg.

“You can see the same people you would see in Chicago, but close, and for half the price!” said Gary Olsen, a professor in microbiology. “We see all of the plays and operas, some dance. The performances here are spectacular. I sat in on the Met auditions — how many places can you do that?”

The Krannert Center offers much for performing arts enthusiasts like Olsen, a frequent Krannert Center visitor. The Intermezzo Café opens at seven in the morning and serves a wide variety of items. They post their lunch menu daily and also are open until after performances for people who don’t want to look far for food.

The Krannert Center provides the kind of environment that fosters creativity. They work with the Department of Theatre and the School of Music Opera Program. They host Traffic Jams with free, live music, and there are other free concerts during the year. There’s something for every taste at the Krannert Center, and the creative openness is something that makes it, as Gary Olsen calls it, a “gem of the campus.”