Festival 56

Festival 56 Small Town, Big Drama. Offering Princeton IL summers of professional plays, musicals and Shakespeare!

Festival 56 is a year-round theater festival located in historic Princeton, Illinois. Committed to championing the American theater as an art form by presenting a wide array of repertoire theater that includes free, outdoor Shakespeare, classic & contemporary plays & popular musicals. Festival 56 brings the professional performing arts to rural Illinois by assembling a cast & staff of artists from across the country.

05/22/2026

Festival 56 in Princeton is looking for locals willing to open their homes to visiting artists this summer as the theater prepares to welcome roughly 50 performers from all over the country.

05/21/2026
ATTN PRINCETON RESIDENTS: We are still in need of Host Families for our visiting artists from all over the country! Plea...
05/19/2026

ATTN PRINCETON RESIDENTS:
We are still in need of Host Families for our visiting artists from all over the country! Please help out, if you can.

Individual tickets and season passes are on sale now! Just head to Festival56.com to purchase. $33 Regular price$30 Seni...
05/18/2026

Individual tickets and season passes are on sale now! Just head to Festival56.com to purchase.
$33 Regular price
$30 Senior (65+) and Veterans/First Responders
$17 Student
$15 for our cabaret performances

05/14/2026

Looking for a summer getaway? ☀️

Princeton is packed with live music, festivals, theater, outdoor adventures, and small-town charm all summer long.

See our latest travel guide blog for 5 reasons to visit Princeton this summer — and plan your stay at the Historic Knox Hotel.

🎭 Festival 56
🎶 Main Street Concerts
🎡 Bureau County Fair
🌿 Parks, trails, and gardens

Read more: https://historicknoxhotel.com/summer-travel-itinerary

05/10/2026

Learning Stage, in cooperation with Festival 56, is offering an intensive summer theatre camp designed to give young actors ages 8-14 professional training and performance experience.

Festival 56 is seeking volunteers for the 2026 summer season. If you have experience in carpentry, props, costumes, or l...
05/10/2026

Festival 56 is seeking volunteers for the 2026 summer season. If you have experience in carpentry, props, costumes, or lighting—please reach out! Volunteers needed from June 5 to August 11. Email [email protected]

Special thanks to Sheet Wise Printing for these beautiful window signs that were just installed this morning for our 202...
05/08/2026

Special thanks to Sheet Wise Printing for these beautiful window signs that were just installed this morning for our 2026 Summer Season! They look great!
Individual and full season tickets are ON SALE NOW—head to festival56.com to purchase.

Looking to get involved with Princeton’s own live theater? Check out these opportunities:
05/05/2026

Looking to get involved with Princeton’s own live theater? Check out these opportunities:

Along with our main stage series and our free Shakespeare in the Park, don’t forget to catch our Cabaret Series this sum...
05/01/2026

Along with our main stage series and our free Shakespeare in the Park, don’t forget to catch our Cabaret Series this summer!
Tickets are ONLY $15!
Cabarets are a great way to continue to get to know our incredible group of visiting artists.
Head to festival56.com to purchase tickets now.

Address

316 S Main Street (Located 3 Miles South Of I-80 On The Right)
Princeton, IL
61356

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 2pm
Tuesday 11am - 2pm
Wednesday 11am - 2pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+18158795656

Website

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