The Krannert Dress Rehearsal (KDR) programs provide an opportunity to hear context about a performance from a director or other expert, and then to experience the production. The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is an educational and performing arts complex located at 500 South Goodwin Street in Urbana. Students may register for Krannert Dress Rehearsal (KDR) events on the events calendar.
The following 2026 Krannert Dress Rehearsals are available for registration on our calendar. You must attend the talk and the performance to receive credit for the KDR. If the program is full when you go to register, please email chp@illinois.edu to be placed on a waitlist, and if there is a spot open, you will be notified by the day of the events.
“March Studiodance 2026” (dance performances)
Presenter Sara Hook
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Presentation: 6:15 – 6:45 p.m., Krannert Room
Performance: begins at 7:00 p.m., Studio Theatre
Description:
Program A features the MFA thesis works of multidisciplinary choreographic artists Maggie Segale and e g condon, and Program B features works by a range of other graduate, undergraduate, and faculty artists exploring relationships and identity. (Students are only expected to go to Program A, which is at 7 p.m., after the talk by Sara Hooks, but can also attend Program B at 9 p.m. if they wish, as the pass is good for both performances.)
“Little Women” (musical theatre adaptation of the novel)
Words and music by Mark Adamo
After the novel by Louisa May Alcott
Music Director Casey Robards
Stage Director Dawn Harris
Date: April 7, 2026
Presentation: 6:30 – 7:15 p.m. Krannert Room
Performance: begins at 7:30 p.m., Tryon Festival Theatre
Description:
This wonderful tale of the four March sisters, about family love, growing older, and being an independent woman has been a classic from its inception in 1868. Mark Adamo’s luscious arias bring a musical poignancy to Louisa May Alcott’s story that is touching, and his unsettling music brings Jo’s struggles with the changing world to life and keeps the audience wondering if she will ever change her mind. Commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera for its Young Artists, Little Women premiered on March 13, 1998.
“Radium Girls” (social justice play)
By D.W. Gregory
Director José Manuel Díaz-Soto
Dramaturgs Kit Carter and Angela Pinholste
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Presentation: 6:30 – 7:15 p.m., Krannert Room
Performance: begins at 7:30 p.m., Studio Theatre
Description:
In the 1920s, luminous radium dials become the latest trend for wrist watches. Based on real events, Radium Girls tells the story of Grace Fyer, a young worker who, along with her coworkers, is unaware of the dangers of radium. As the girls begin to fall ill, Grace finds herself in the middle of a growing controversy. Determined to find justice, she takes on the powerful US Radium Corporation despite intense legal, personal, and societal obstacles. Radium Girls chronicles her fight to expose the truth and hold the company accountable for its negligence. This play highlights the courage of the women who refused to remain silent on corporate greed, public health, and the power of persistence.
“The City and the City” (science fiction crime drama)
Director Jordan Coughtry
Dramaturg Anne Kolaczkowski-Magee
Based on the novel by China Miéville
Adapted by Christopher Walsh
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
Presentation: 6:30 – 7:15 p.m., Krannert Room
Performance: begins at 7:30 p.m., Colwell Playhouse
Description:
In a place where seeing what is right in front of you can be a serious crime, Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Besźel Extreme Crime Squad must solve the mystery of a young woman’s murder. His investigation will bring him face to face with the fringe groups who simmer with hatred for each other beneath the surface of the city of Besźel and her sister city, Ul Qoma. All the while, he risks retribution from the secretive entity that maintains the border between the two.
Please note that the following items are not allowed in the theatre: backpacks, large bags, strollers, instrument cases, food, beverages other than bottled water, tripods, signs, balloons, skateboards, bicycles, scooters, and any other items deemed to be dangerous or to pose an obstruction. Thank you for your cooperation with these guidelines.