Sangamon Auditorium is a 2,000-seat

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

center located in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

, on the campus of the

University of Illinois Springfield The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois ...

. It was built in 1981. It is the home of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra.

Hal Holbrook Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...

opened the auditorium on February 21, 1981 with his one-man show, ''

Mark Twain Tonight! ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' is a one-man play devised by Hal Holbrook, in which he depicted Mark Twain giving a dramatic recitation selected from several of Twain's writings, with an emphasis on the comic ones. Background The recitation's genesis was ...

,'' which he has reprised at the auditorium many times since. Over 2,000 events have been presented at the Auditorium since its opening (Sangamon Auditorium averages 100 events a year). These have included

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and stage shows, graduation ceremonies and various other events. The largest concert hall in its namesake county, Sangamon Auditorium's seating capacity is divided into three levels; the main level contains a 61-seat orchestra pit, 425 orchestra seats, and 595 loge seats, while the mezzanine contains 564 seats and the balcony, 368 seats. It contains a 47.5-by-60-foot stage rising 30 feet high from stage floor to ceiling. The auditorium contains six backstage dressing rooms. Concession facilities include a main concession stand. Sangamon Auditorium is part of the University of Illinois Springfield's Public Affairs Center, which also includes the 351-seat Studio Theatre, a TV studio, conference rooms, a food court, a restaurant, classrooms and administrative offices on its five levels. The Auditorium occupies the entire second level of the Public Affairs Center.Public Affairs Center at uis.edu
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External links

Official websiteUniversity of Illinois Springfield

References

{{reflist Concert halls in Illinois Event venues established in 1981 Buildings and structures in Springfield, Illinois University of Illinois at Springfield