Name: BYOP (Bring Your Own Play)
Start: 2026-05-02T19:30:00
Location: Western Illinois University

Western Illinois University Department of Theatre and Dance

Leipzig, Germany — 1722. Johann Kuhnau, revered organist of the Thomaskirche, suddenly dies, leaving his post vacant. The town council invites musicians to audition for the coveted position, among them young Johann Sebastian Bach. In an age where musicians depend on patronage from the nobility or the church to pursue their craft, the post at a prominent church in a cultured city is a near guarantee of fame and fortune - which is why some of the candidates are willing to resort to any lengths to secure it. BACH AT LEIPZIG is a fugue-like farcical web of bribery, blackmail, and betrayal set against the backdrop of Enlightenment questions about humanity, God, and art.

Bach at Leipzig

Western Illinois University

In a 1930s European perfumery, feuding co-workers Amalia and Georg can’t stand each other, unaware they’re secretly romantic pen pals. As their anonymous letters deepen into love, misunderstandings and comedic twists unfold, leading to a heartfelt revelation that the person they’ve been searching for has been right in front of them all along.

She Loves Me

On her wedding day, Eurydice falls to her death and awakens in the strange, surreal underworld, where she is reunited with the father she lost long ago. As memories of her life begin to fade, she is torn between two loves—the devoted husband fighting to bring her back, and the father who offers comfort in death. In Sarah Ruhl’s haunting reimagining of the Orpheus myth, love, loss, and memory intertwine in a devastating choice that will echo for eternity.

Eurydice

Western Illinois University’s annual Spring Dance Concert will offer an evening of dance, choreographed by students and instructors in University Dance Company (UDC). Each performance will incorporate a variety of dance styles, including modern/contemporary, jazz, Afro-modern, and ballet.

Dance Escape

Hainline Theatre

New Plays, written by students, designed by students, performed by students, for students! Enjoy an evening of completely student-created new works.