178 past events with the audience participation tag

Get ready to experience an amazing journey in the crazy world of Wonderland! Based on the classic by Lewis Carroll, “Alice” is an action-packed theatrical circus full of surprises, amazing acts, video projection with 3-D mapping and live music. Alice’s adventures are a manifesto to fantasy and free spirit, as well as a profound philosophy towards respecting all opinions, including those that may be different from your own.

Imagine the March Hare balancing on a tower of chairs during a tea party or The Mad Hatter playing crazy instruments or Alice performing acrobatics inside a giant keyhole!

“Dreaming of Wonderland” features an international cast of veteran performers from across Europe and North America, including acrobats, a 4-member hand-to-hand balancing act, a one-man band, and a new art form creating original creations with smoke and bubbles.

So follow the White Rabbit, pass through the keyhole and join us at the Tea Party, remember that you don’t need to look for meaning, after all…”we’re all mad here!” Get your tickets today!

Our second FREE Concert of the 2024 Muncie Three Trails Music Series brings Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers to our Canan Commons stage in Downtown Muncie! We will welcome openers My Brother’s Keeper as well! Our concerts are FREE, held outdoors, and lawn chairs are welcome! Come early and come hungry for the local food/drink vendors!

The music of Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers is best described as authentic bluegrass, marked by consistently clean harmonies, Joe’s driving Scruggs-style banjo playing (he won SPGMA’s Banjo Player of the Year in 2023), and entertaining showmanship. Mullins has recorded over 22 albums and had eleven #1 songs, and has received over a dozen International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association (SPGMA) awards, including the 2019 award for IBMA Entertainer of the Year (with the Radio Ramblers), the highest award a band can earn within the genre.

Our 2024 Season is sponsored by Ball State University, thank you!

🎶 Explore The Trails, Enjoy The Music! 🎶

Learn more about the band here:

www.radioramblers.com

Learn more about the Muncie Three Trails Music Series here:

https://www.munciethreetrails.com

Photo from 2023 Christmas Radio Drama

Detective Phil Barlow and his intrepid canine companion Bogie are back with another Yuletide adventure! When Mrs. Klaus disappears under suspicious circumstances, Phil and Bogie team up with Reindeer Force, Squadron B to scour the city and find her before the evil Krampus ruins Christmas for everyone. Join us for some high-flying mystery-solving fun with Zipper, Flipper, Schnitzel and the rest of Squadron B as they learn that even the oldest legends can have surprising twists, and it’s the unexpected deliveries that truly make the holidays magical.

IPR Radio Dramas feature community and campus actors, musicians and singers who through their live performance, transport listeners back to a different time, evoking memories of shared experiences, and reminding people of a bygone era when imagination played a more significant role in entertainment. Live music and sound effects help recreate an authentic radio drama reminiscent of the Golden Age of Radio.

Audience members play a crucial role in the radio drama experience by actively engaging with the narrative and reacting to the emotions presented through audio.

Attendees should be seated by 7:30 p.m. and will be treated to a pre-show program including a sound effects demonstration.

Tune in at 8pm for the live broadcast on Indiana Public Radio.

TICKETS

General Public/Faculty/Staff/Senior: $15
Student/Child: $5
Tickets for in-person attendance are sold through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall.

The Aerial Annex and Sinntertainment Productions have partnered to bring together a truly unique show.  Come be inspired by a variety of acts including aerialists, drag performers, burlesque dancers, belly dancing and more!! 

Dueling pianos shows make for a unique, interactive experience that is far from a typical night out. Two grand pianos, two outgoing piano players, and an active, fun audience make the perfect party atmosphere for any event.

A dueling piano consists of two grand pianos, two charismatic, hilarious entertainers behind the keys, and an audience that will laugh and dance into the night. Throughout the night the piano players play audience requested songs. The pianists sing and battle back and forth with comedic commentary and hilarious banter. 

Audience participation is a huge factor in the success of a dueling piano acts. Requests, sing-a-longs, and dancing make dueling piano acts fun and special for all event guests.

#YART is a Yard Sale for Art held during ArtsWalk on the First Thursday of every June and October at Canan Commons in Downtown Muncie! All Art priced under $40! The Spring 2025 Muncie YART will be from 5-8p on Thursday, June 5th during the Brink of Summer ArtsWalk! This is a HUGE event with hundreds of Artists!

YART Artist Sign Up is on May 1st on the Muncie YART Facebook page - it's FREE to all Artists! Signing up means you are IN! 

YART has a zero-dollar budget and is proof that community members working together can create an extremely successful and fun experience! Volunteers are sought for the YART Artist Set-Up from 3-5p on June 5th, show up to HELP, thank you! ♥️

Learn More about YART:

https://www.facebook.com/Muncie-YART-156725934394407

Learn More about the Brink of Summer ArtsWalk:

https://www.downtownmuncie.org/artswalk-flowerhour

Packed with engaging activities and attractions for the whole family, Fire Up DWNTWN is the can’t-miss, over-the-top-hot event of the season! With a mixture of hot air balloons, spicy foods, smokin’ ribs, live music, games, contests, and more, the summer’s peak extravaganza can’t come soon enough! 🔥
 

This is a TRULY HUGE EVENT, learn more here:

https://www.downtownmuncie.org/fireup

Packed with engaging activities and attractions for the whole family, Fire Up DWNTWN is the can’t-miss, over-the-top-hot event of the season! With a mixture of hot air balloons, spicy foods, smokin’ ribs, live music, games, contests, and more, the summer’s peak extravaganza can’t come soon enough! 🔥

Special Shape Hot Air Balloons, Glow Show & Balloon Baskets

Meet larger-than-life hot air balloon characters, sponsored by Clubhouse Bar & Grill, MadSweets, Woof Boom Radio, and 3Rivers FCU, and watch as they glow in an exciting evening show, sponsored by MITS. Experience the heat up close as you pull the trigger on the flames of a hot air balloon basket, sponsored by The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County and NASH FM.

Hot Air Balloon Tethered Rides

Purchase your ticket and reach for the sky! Take a tethered hot air balloon ride and get a one-of-a-kind view of the festivities.

NEW! Remote Control Hot Air Balloons

Get close to the action with four 20-foot-tall remote control hot air balloons, sponsored by Wealth Strategies, Inc. Watch with excitement as a “Cloudhopper” balloon attempts a dramatic ascent above the crowd.

Sizzlin’ Spectacles

Don’t miss the Liquid Fire Iron Pour, sponsored by Destination: Muncie, materials provided by Grede, as metals artisans practice their ancient craft. Check out the Just Jeepin’ Cruise-In, sponsored by Lamar Advertising, and motorcycle, and van shows. Enjoy plenty of fun activities for kids and adults alike. Finish off the night by taking in the fireworks finale.

Live Music & Entertainment

Enjoy local and regional music acts, the DWNTWN IDOL Round 2 performance, performance sponsored by First Merchants Bank, and more exciting events. Cardinal Community Stage sponsored by Ball State University, Canan Commons Stage sponsored by Ivy Tech Muncie.

Taste the Heat

Looking for some spice? We’ll have several food vendors serving up delectable ribs, delicious BBQ, and many more unique treats. Need to cool off? Stop in at one of our many fantastic restaurants DWNTWN and sample our local fare.

And So Much More…

Fire Up DWNTWN is the biggest event of the year. Shop with local vendors, get your thrill on the euro bungee and rock wall, and enjoy a variety of performances. Check out the Kid’s HotSpot and the Red Hot Children’s Express train, sponsored by The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County.

6 Guitars is a pitch perfect blend of music, comedy, and theater. Just 1 performer portrays 6 guitar-playing characters each representing their own style of music:

• Wes Tankerfield, a snobbish jazz master
• Michael Marsh, a 19-year-old rock prodigy
• Peter Winter-Jones, a sensitive folk musician
• Rupert Colt, a charming country songwriter
• Emmanuel Ortega, an eccentric classical wizard
• Tyrone Gibbons, a weary blues picking octogenarian

As each character shares the anecdotes and songs that define their relationship to music, the audience is treated to breathtaking musicianship, beautiful storytelling, and top-notch comedy. Audience interaction and improvised songs tailors each performance to any given crowd. 

World-class artists and musicians brought together in the Coffee and Cabernet Series. Experience these internationally renowned artists in the intimate setting of Pruis Hall and enjoy a selection of wine, craft beer or coffee while attending the performance. 

Save the date! 🎄 LIGHT UP MUNCIE on Thursday, December 4, 2025!

Enjoy the festive performances, food trucks, shop at the Holiday Gift Market, and witness the magical lighting of the animated community tree at Canan Commons! 🎄

NEW this year, Lighted Parade and kid’s fun zone! Bring your family and friends for a magical night in Downtown! ✨❄️✨

#ShopSmall at Muncie’s annual Holiday Gift Market! 🎁 Light Up Muncie will be on Thursday, December 4th from 5-8p! Follow the Lighted Parade to Canan Commons!  Enjoy Ice Skating, the Community Tree Lighting Ceremony, Performers, Food Trucks, Santa, our Holiday Gift Market, & MORE at Canan Commons in Downtown Muncie!
 

The Muncie Makers Market is a retail business incubator presented to the public through a community farmers market with fresh homemade food, locally grown produce, live plants, and handmade arts of all kinds. You’ll find the Muncie Makers Market outdoors every First Thursday at Adams & Walnut AND indoors every Third Thursday at MadJax Maker Force. We also set up at special annual events like Magic City Brewfest, Brink of Summer ArtsWalk, Fire Up DWNTWN, ArtsWalk, and Light Up Muncie! We develop local small business through education, connections, and events - please JOIN us on Facebook and Instagram and please SHARE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627047027524961/ ;

Free Community Event

Bring your little ones to Storytime Saturday! Join one of our experience guides for a cozy storytime perfect for children 5 and under and their families. Each month, we’ll feature a special seasonal story that celebrates the time of year.

Winston Churchill is back! His purpose: To warn humanity not of a Nazi threat, not of Soviet Iron Curtain Communism, but rather - that a Digital Iron Curtain has fallen across all of humanity and that action this day is necessary to Defend Liberty and Freedom.

Winston Churchill, along with Michael Duncan’s brilliant narration, Eric Anderson’s stirring musical renderings and Kevin Pehler’s stunning audio-visual magic leads us through history, painting the portrait of humanity’s struggle between totalitarian conquest and control and individual liberty and freedom. This stirring, inspirational “Theatrical Keynote” brings Winston Churchill’s keen, incisive message of hope to the 21st Century. The audience will have the opportunity to interact directly with Prime Minister Churchill during Ask Winston, a fun, lively Q&A.

World-class artists and musicians brought together in the Coffee and Cabernet Series. Experience these internationally renowned artists in the intimate setting of Pruis Hall and enjoy a selection of wine, craft beer or coffee while attending the performance. 

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door

Directed by Veronica Santoyo

Original Dramaturgy by Diana Grisanti

February 6-8, 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. | February 14 at 2:30 p.m. | Oakwood 154

It's the day of The Big Game, and the citizenry is aflutter. The football bros are hungry for blood, the ESL kids are hungry for knowledge, and the hunger strikers are just hungry. Meanwhile, Nubu, a newcomer to our world, considers the meaning of life. When the The Big Game gets cancelled, a group of intrepid weirdos decides to throw an epic DIY costume party—a ball! Balls Balls Balls is a strange and exuberant new work that asks, “Can you imagine a world where we all make bread and break bread together?”

Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan, Balls Balls Balls was commissioned by the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance. We’ll present the script as an on-book reading with choreography. No play is complete without an audience, so we invite you—yes, you!—to participate in the developmental process. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright and production team. Come take part in the future of American theatre!

Commissioned by the Department of Theatre and Dance of Ball State University

Tickets

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office located at Sursa Hall in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

General Public: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Faculty/Staff/Students/Seniors: $12 in advance, $14 at the door