TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE

Home to Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, the Tryon Festival Theatre hosts operas, ballets, modern dance companies, musicals, plays, and concerts by soloists, small ensembles, and touring companies. Seating is available for 979 people in the balcony and on the main floor. Two large chorus dressing rooms, three star dressing rooms, and a green room provide accommodations for large companies, and the 40 x 35 stage allows for spacious productions. The theatre also includes a computerized lighting system, two HMI followspots, and sound reinforcement and recording capability.

COLWELL PLAYHOUSE

The Colwell Playhouse features seating for up to 641 patrons in the continental style, meaning there are no center aisles in the theatre. The steep seating bank ensures good sight lines for everyone, while the curved walls help carry sound to every seat in the house. Designed to have a short echo ideal for spoken word performances, the Colwell Playhouse features a 38 x 30 stage. Black walls and red seats enhance the dramatic feel of this space where many Dance at Illinois and Illinois Theatre productions take place.

STUDIO THEATRE

Whether they’re experiencing the performance “in-the-round” or club style, audiences in the Studio Theatre are treated to a intimate space for communing with artists. This completely flexible “black box" theatre allows for several seating configurations, and up to 200 people can enjoy performances in this 2,700-square-foot space. Ellnora Krannert wanted a performance space in Krannert Center which was smaller in scale and where students could be more experimental in their work. Today, we keep this intention alive by producing new works of theatre, music, and dance developed by both students and professionals.

FOELLINGER GREAT HALL

A world-renowned acoustic treasure and the largest performance hall in Krannert Center, the Foellinger Great Hall seats up to 2,066 audience members. Architect Max Abramovitz and acoustician Cyril Harris designed the hall to create a perfect collaboration of sound, and every detail lends to the marvelous acoustics—from the shape of the ceiling, to the upholstery on the seats. 

While it is primarily used for vocal and instrumental music concerts, dance and theatre events also take place in this venue. The full stage can accommodate a symphony of over 150 musicians or host intimate salon gatherings featuring emerging artists, with the performer and audience members both seated on the stage. Hand-selected Indiana butternut wood forms the walls, bringing a warm beauty to the hall and connecting the design to Ellnora Krannert's Indiana birthplace.

STAGE 5

Stage 5 is at once a bandstand, a grandstand, and a club stage. Set squarely in the center of the action—and located at the heart of our Lobby—it’s the home for musical events during Krannert Uncorked, casual Afterglow concerts, pumped-up Traffic Jam events, and the little recess during the day that an Interval concert promises. With plenty of space for special activities and the Stage 5 Bar next door, it can host small gatherings or handle wild throngs.