21/22 Mainstage Season

Curtain up! To welcome you back to the theatre, this season Cardinal Stage is empowering you to choose your price and “Play What You Will” for single tickets to all of our performances! Single tickets will be on sale to the general public no later than one month prior to each production. Subscriptions are on sale now and can be purchased at a fixed price to guarantee the best seats in the house. Click here to order your subscription now!

Every Brilliant Thing 
By Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe
September 5 – 12, 2021 | McCormick’s Creek Amphitheater

1. Ice cream, 2. Water fights, 3. Things with stripes, 4. Christopher Walken’s voice, 5. Rollercoasters. In Every Brilliant Thing, a young girl attempts to ease her mother’s depression by creating a list of all the best things in the world. Beloved Cardinal veteran Diane Kondrat will capture your heart with this moving, humorous story which reminds us all of the wonderful and weird things that make life worth living. 

The Mountaintop
By Katori Hall
February 17 – March 6, 2022* | Waldron Auditorium

As a storm rages outside the Lorraine Motel, the tension builds inside Room 306. It’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth, but he doesn’t know it yet. When a mysterious stranger arrives with surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people. A gripping reimagination of events the night before the assassination of America’s most renowned civil rights leaders. (Appropriate for mature audiences)

Ada and the Engine 
By Lauren Gunderson  
March 31 – April 16, 2022* | Waldron Auditorium

Discover the groundbreaking woman of science whose work has impacted all of our lives. Ada and the Engine tells the inspiring and fascinating story of Ada Byron Lovelace, a brilliant female mathematician now recognized as the first computer programmer. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, Ada partners with Charles Babbage, inventor of the first “analytical engine.” Together they dream of the future and struggle to navigate treacherous waters of friendship, legacy and ambition. (Appropriate for ages 13 and up)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Text by John Cameron Mitchell, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Trask
June 9 – 26, 2022* | Waldron Auditorium

The award-winning rock musical sensation makes its Bloomington premiere! Hedwig Schmidt is an “internationally ignored song stylist” who fled East Germany after a botched sex-change operation and emerged from a Kansas trailer park as a rock and roll goddess. Backed by her band, The Angry Inch, Hedwig recounts her moving journey to wholeness through funny stories and undeniable rock music. (Appropriate for mature audiences)

*Dates Subject to Change

21/22 Cardinal for Kids | Family Holiday Musical

A Year with Frog and Toad
Music by Robert Reale, Book & Lyrics by Willie Reale
Based on the Books by Arnold Lobel
December 21, 2021 – January 2, 2022 | Buskirk-Chumley Theater

Literature’s favorite amphibians jump from the page to the stage in a return engagement of Cardinal’s most beloved production ever! Based on Arnold Lobel’s well-loved books, A Year with Frog and Toad is a whimsical show that follows two great friends – the cheerful, popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad – through four, fun-filled seasons. Celebrate the holidays with this heartwarming and adorable show, perfect for the whole family.

Walkabout Radio Plays

Sherlock in Btown | Walkabout Radio Plays
Get access to our Sherlock in Btown Spring Series now! Plus, private group tours now available by request.

Cardinal’s Sherlock Holmes-Themed Walkabout Radio Plays are a safe way to enjoy great storytelling in a unique setting! Each play is set in Bloomington and takes place on a designated walking route. All you need is a smart phone and your favorite headphones, and the world will be transformed around you! Listen to a new scene at each location as the story unfolds.

The Women in the Woods | Walkabout Radio Plays
Get access to our full Fall Series now!

The Women in the Woods is a 4-episode, site-specific radio play series about a young woman who arrives at IU and discovers she has ties to Bloomington that she’s never known about. With help from the spirits of her ancestors, she becomes a Sentinel – guarding the town from a mysterious evil presence that is out to destroy the town and corrupt its inhabitants.