Forbes Center for the Performing Arts

Benjamin Britten’s immensely popular opera The Turn of the Screw has replaced Opera Spotlight: Music for Change. This program change was made to reflect the extraordinary vocal talent in the JMU Opera Theater program and to provide you, our loyal opera audiences, an opportunity to experience this work in a concert version. Ticket holders for Opera Spotlight: Music for Change should contact the box office M–F, 10 am to 5:30 pm, at 540-568-7000 or by email at forbesboxoffice@jmu.edu for exchange/refund information. 

Based on the ghost story by Henry James, Britten’s chamber opera is an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller with achingly beautiful music. The hit Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor is based on James’ story. This concert version is sure to “chill many a spine." (The Times)
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On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolves into a powerful love story. The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Once draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. Features students from JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music. More

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Tom Crean (1877­–1938), an intrepid Antarctic explorer and one of Ireland’s unsung heroes, is brought to life in this critically-acclaimed solo performance by Aidan Dooley. Crean’s story is a testament of human fortitude against the elements of Antarctica, and Dooley’s “words create adventure that’s just as vivid as the special effects in a Hollywood bonanza.” (Variety) More

Sunny, funny, and with more tra-la-las than any other operetta in the Gilbert and Sullivan canon, The Gondoliers combines all the right ingredients for a stunning show! In this flight of the satirical whimsy, brothers Marco and Guiseppe lead a charmed life as gondoliers in Venice until they discover that one of them is the King of Barataria. The two must travel to Barataria and rule the kingdom jointly until the truth can be determined. More

Learn how ancient and modern stringed instruments have played an integral role in the African and African American communities through folktales, stories and songs by Charlotte Blake Alston. Her “incredible presence and cleverness unifies audiences of all ages.” Renowned jazz violinist, composer and arranger Diane Monroe—whose orchestrations appear on the soundtrack recording for the film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood—will illuminate Alston’s stories with her instrumental ingenuity in this performance perfect for the whole family! More

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