Category: Fine Arts

The School of Performing Arts invites you to join in celebrating an exciting new voice in American theatre and to mark your calendars for a moving evening of storytelling this fall as it presents a reading of “Dinnertime: A Play in Seven Courses” by Anna Halza at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17-19 in the Welsbacher Black Box Theatre at the Hughes Metropolitan Sports Complex as the inaugural production of the 2026-27 performing arts season.

Halza, writer, actor and theatremaker in Norman, Oklahoma — who won the 2026 Bela Kiralyfalvi National Student Playwriting Competition for “Dinnertime: A Play in Seven Courses” — is a fourth-year student at Oklahoma University and will graduate in spring 2027 with a BFA in drama and a BA in professional writing. She is the co-writer of two devised works with Co.Arts Theater Co., titled “How To Smoke Three Cigarettes At Once” and “This City Will Eat You Alive,” the latter of which she is also starring in.

At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16 in the Polk/Wilson Gallery at the Ulrich Museum of Art, creative writing graduates Jack Anderson, Ifrah Fahim, Hannah Frey, Jaclyn Fulscher, Anna Pellerin and Padraic Riordan will present readings of their work. A reception will start at 1 p.m. This free event is open to everyone.

The Rie Bloomfield Organ Series will present the Annual Organ POPS Concert at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 6 in Wiedemann Hall. Admission is free.

The concert features the Marcussen organ in both solo and ensemble settings, with performances by current organ students and guest musicians. Joining the program is the jazz band from Skiatook High School in Oklahoma, directed by alumni Bobby Kitchen and Keysto Stotz. The ensemble will perform arrangements of well-known selections, and audience members will be invited to participate in a brief sing-along.

The program also includes a work for trumpet and organ performed by Keysto Stotz and Lynne Davis. The concert closes with Lynne Davis in a solo performance of the famous Boëllmann Toccata. Lasting just under an hour, the concert offers an opportunity to hear a wide range of music.

Wichita State’s choirs and orchestra present “Still We Sing: Reflections on Resilience and Humanity” at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3 in Miller Concert Hall at Duerksen Fine Arts Center.

This inspiring program explores themes of hope, compassion and shared humanity through three powerful works. Linda Tutas Haugen’s “Anne Frank: A Living Voice” brings Anne Frank’s words to life with intimate and expressive choral writing. Johannes Brahms’ “Alto Rhapsody,” featuring WSU lecturer of voice Samantha Balboa, offers a profound reflection on isolation and renewal. The concert concludes with selections from Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a moving tribute that calls audiences to empathy and understanding.

Performing ensembles include Concert Chorale, Wu Choir, Shocker Choir and the Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Katelyn H. Peterson and Ryan Beeken.

WSU students may receive a ticket at no additional charge with their Shocker IDs. Tickets are available at wichita.edu/boxoffice, by phone at 316-978-3233 or in person at the Fine Arts Box Office in the Miller Concert Hall lobby of the Duerksen Fine Arts Center.

The lucha libre masks and photography exhibits will be at the Cadman Gallery until the end of April.

“Del Ring a la Historia” includes:

• “La Lucha es Libre,” a photography exhibit by Mexico-based artist Malena Diaz
• “Lucha Libre y Ya,” a mask and magazine display from the private collection of Daniel Moreno, based in Kansas City.

The Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Somos Shockers, Student Engagement and Belonging, and the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City invite you to visit the gallery and enjoy these joyful pieces.

Join the School of Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. April 22-26 at the Welsbacher Black Box Theatre in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex for the production of “Time Stands Still.” A matinee will be at 2 p.m. April 25-26. Tickets are $18 for faculty/staff, and WSU students can get one ticket at no additional charge with their Shocker ID, thanks to the Student Government Association.

Directed by Sheldon Mba, “Time Stands Still” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies is a riveting, deeply human drama set in a Brooklyn apartment, where photojournalist Sarah and her partner James, a foreign correspondent, attempt to heal and recalibrate after returning from the front lines of war. As they settle back into domestic life, their ideals, ambitions and love for one another are quietly and powerfully tested. Margulies crafts a nuanced story about bearing witness to a global suffering and the personal cost of stepping away. With sharp dialogue and emotional precision, “Time Stands Still” invites viewers to confront the tension between comfort and conscience, intimacy and independence, and what they owe to the world versus what the owe to themselves.

The WSU Jazz Invitational is an annual celebration of jazz and jazz education, held every April in partnership with the Wichita Jazz Festival. This full-day event brings together student big bands from across the region for performances, adjudications and educational clinics led by distinguished jazz educators. Events are at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 24 in Miller Concert Hall at Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Student tickets are available at no additional charge with your Shocker ID.

The invitational culminates in a headline concert featuring a renowned jazz trombonist Nick Finzer performing with WSU’s Jazz Arts 1 Ensemble and the Mid-Kansas Jazz Ensemble, the region’s only auditioned high school honor jazz band.

Event highlights:

• Student Performances – Middle school, high school and collegiate big bands from across Kansas and surrounding states take the stage.
• Educational Clinics – Ensembles receive coaching from leading jazz educators and professional musicians.
• Headline Concert – A world-class jazz artist performs with WSU’s top jazz ensembles.
• Partnership with the Wichita Jazz Festival – The invitational serves as the Friday programming for this multi-day festival, which has brought jazz luminaries to Wichita for over 50 years.

About the Wichita Jazz Festival:

Founded more than five decades ago, the Wichita Jazz Festival is one of the longest-running events of its kind in the country. Each year, the festival presents performances, workshops and educational opportunities, keeping jazz thriving in the Wichita community.

The WSU Jazz Invitational is one of the School of Music’s most visible events, bringing together students, educators and artists to celebrate the power of jazz.

Join the School of Performing Arts for the presentation of the double feature films, “She Moved the Prairie” and “From the Bottom of My Heart,” at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 5 at the Marcus Welcome Center.

Directed by Cheyla Clawson, “She Moved the Prairie” is a dance film based on the work women did both in the home and on the land in the early 20th century on farms and ranches in Kansas. Directed by Kate Compton, “From the Bottom of My Heart” is a film that follows Hannah, a young woman who must face her fears and follow her heart as she prepares to meet the parents.

The Wichita State Symphony Orchestra will present its annual Concerto – Aria Honors Concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25 in Miller Concert Hall at Duerksen Fine Arts Center. This much‑anticipated event highlights exceptional student performers selected through a competitive audition process, offering audiences a chance to hear some of the School of Music’s rising artists.

This year’s program features a wide range of repertoire, including Saint‑Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” performed by violinist Isaac Wu, an aria from Britten’s “Billy Budd” sung by baritone Mitchell Krueger and Glazunov’s Alto Saxophone Concerto featuring Ethan Grohe. Following intermission, soprano Katie Comley will perform Gounod’s sparkling “Ah! Je veux vivre,” and percussionist Adam Tillberg will bring energy and flair to Séjourné’s marimba concerto.

The Concerto – Aria Concert continues to be a hallmark of the season, celebrating the skill, preparation and artistry of Wichita State’s student musicians.

The “Building Futures: Printing Women” exhibition is currently on view at the Project Space Gallery at the McKnight Art Center and will run through March 27. A public reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 13 on the second floor of McKnight Art Center East.

The exhibition is part of an applied learning project in graphic design at the School of Art, Design, and Creative Industries, funded through the Kansas Applied Learning initiative. The project engages students in interdisciplinary research that combines archival investigation, historical analysis, independent publishing and exhibition design.

Through the project, “From Archive to Audience: Building Creative Entrepreneurship Through Editorial Design,” students engaged in research on print history. Working within a faculty-led research initiative, students learn about systems thinking, visual storytelling and the ability to translate historical research into contemporary design outcomes, preparing students to apply these skills in branding, identity design and other professional design contexts.