As the saguaro and Palo Verde trees get ready to bloom, so too are the stages of Tucson flowering with a full garden of theater, music, dance and art.
Tucson residents are offered an array of choices from the city’s major performing arts venues to small street-front theaters and galleries.
Theater
The spring theatrical season will feature everything from big-name musicals like “Sweeney Todd” and “Hairspray” to intimate historical dramas such as “These Shining Lives” and new works such as “Antigona 3.0.” Local theaters will serve Shakespeare, American classics and works featuring local young people.
Arizona Theatre Company
343 S. Scott Avenue, Tucson
520-884-8210 | www.atc.org
“Master Class,” March 2 to March 23
“True West,” April 27 to March 18
Borderlands Theatre
151 S. Grenada Avenue, Tucson
520-276-9598
“Antigona 3.0 Made Possible by a Very Important Grant,” March 28 to April 14
Broadway in Tucson
Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Boulevard, Tucson
520-903-2929 | www.broadwayintucson.com
“Shrek the Musical,” March 6 to March 7
“MJ the Musical,” April 2 to April 7
“Hairspray,” April 23 to April 28
“Mrs. Doubtfire,” May 28 to June 2
Gaslight Theatre
7010 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson
520-886-9428 | www.thegaslighttheatre.com
“The Curse of the Pirate Gold,” now through March 31
“Harlie’s Angels,” April 4 to June2
Invisible Theatre
1400 N. First Avenue, Tucson
520-884-0672 | www.invisibletheatre.com
“Come Fly with Me,” March 2 and March 3
“A Conversation with Edith Head,” March 7 to March 10
Richard Glazier’s “From Broadway to Hollywood,” March 23 and March 24
“Thriller of the Year,” April 23 to May 5
“The Shadow of Her Smile,” May 17 and May 18
Live Theatre Workshop
3322 E. Fort Lowell Road, Tucson
520-327-4242 | www.livetheatreworkshop.org
“Moonlight and Magnolias,” March 1 to March 24
“The Big Dipper: Calendar, Compass and Clock,” April 6 to April 14
“The Little Dog Laughed,” April 19 to May 12
Fifth annual Young Playwrights of Tucson, June 1 and June 2
Pima Theater
4905 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson
520-206-4500
“These Shining Lives,” Feb. 22 to March 3
“The Addams Family – a New Musical,” April 18 to April 28
“Mini Macb… The Play That Shall Not be Named,” May 4 and May 5
Rogue Theatre
300 E. University Boulevard, Suite 150, Tucson
520-551-2053 | www.theroguetheatre.org
“An Iliad,” Feb. 22 to March 10
“Love’s Labor’s Lost,” April 18 to May 5
Saguaro City Music Theatre
10240 N. Valle Del Oro Drive, Tucson
520-809-5729 | www.saguarocity.org
“Studio Arts Presents,” June 21 to June 23
Scoundrel & Scamp
738 N. Fifth Avenue, Suite 131, Tucson
520-448-3300 | www.scoundrelandscamp.org
“The Book of Will,” Feb. 29 to March 17
“Rainbow in the Old Pueblo,” May 10 and 11
University of Arizona, School of Theatre, Film & Television
1025 N. Olive Road, Suite 239, Tucson
520-621-7008 | www.theatre.arizona.edu
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Feb. 25 to March 17
“Argonautika,” March 24 to April 7
“Much Ado About Nothing,” April 14 to 28
“New Directions Festival,” March 21 to March 31
“Sophomore Showcase,” May 1
“I Dream in Widescreen,” May 4
Winding Road Theater Ensemble
Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music and Art
330 S. Scott Avenue, Tucson
520-401-3626 | www.windingroadtheater.org
“Amadeus,” Feb. 16-March 3
“An Aviary for Bird of Sadness,” April 6-7
Music
Venues like Fox Tucson Theatre and the Rialto Theatre bring in large numbers of touring artists performing live for their fans whether they want to hear the crooning voice of Chris Isaak or the industrial metal electronica of Ministry. Meanwhile, Tucson’s own classical performers offer a slate of operatic and orchestral wonders both old and new.
Centennial Hall
1020 E. University Boulevard, Tucson
520-903-2929 | www.centhall.org
Kronos Quartet, March 4
Herbie Hancock, April 14
Celtic Women, May 5
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert, May 17
Fox Theatre Tucson
17 W. Congress Street, Tucson
520-547-3040 | www.foxtucson.com
Wailin’ Jennys, March 2
Brian Seltzer Rockabilly Riot! March 3
Kansas, March 14
Here Come the Mummies, March 17
Trailblazing Women of Country, March 20
Taylor Hicks, April 12
Asleep at the Wheel, April 21
Chris Isaak, May 10
Rialto Theatre
318 E. Congress Street, Tucson
520-740-1000 | www.rialtotheatre.com.
John Waite, March 7
Flogging Molly, March 15
Toto, March 19
DJ Pauly D, March 21
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, March 24
Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited, April 12
Rhiannon Giddens, April 27
Blues Traveler, May 13
191 Toole
191 E. Toole Avenue, Tucson
520-740-1000 | www.rialtotheatre.com
Mahalia, March 3
Indigenous Takeover, March 15
Victoria Canal, March 29
Las Cafeteras, April 6
Tinsley Ellis, April 10
The Brothers Comatose, April 13
Club Congress
311 E. Congress Street, Tucson
520-622-8848 | www.hotelcongress.com
Gabrielle Pietrangelo, March 12
The Black Moods, April 5
Late Night Drive Home, April 22
Lawrence Rothman, May 11
Upsahl, May 15
Century Room
311 E. Congress Street, Tucson
520-622-8848 | www.hotelcongress.com
Alan Larson Quinet, March 15 and March 16
Thistle & Bear, March 17
Bernstein/Goldings/Stewart Trio, March 20 and March 21
Alter Egos: Peter Saxe Quintet Plays the Music of Ellington and Strayhorn, March 22
Donny McCaslin, April 12
Hotel Congress Plaza Stage
311 E. Congress Street, Tucson
520-622-8848 | www.hotelcongress.com
International Women’s Day Mini-Fest, March 8
Agave Heritage Festival Kickoff with Flor de Toloache and Somo do Sisal, April 19
Lola Kirke, April 25
Sea of Glass Center for the Arts
330 E. Seventh Street, Tucson
520-210-4448 | www.theseaofglass.org
Barn Swallows, March 8
Acoustic Eidolon, March 16
Gaeya and the Mockingbird Voice Healing Sessions, March 29
Linda Ronstadt Music Hall
260 S. Church Street, Tucson
520-791-4101 | www.tucsonmusichall.org
She’s Got Soul with Tucson Symphony Orchestra, March 17 and March 18
Broadway Legends with Tucson Symphony Orchestra, April 6 and April 7
Phil Wickham, April 18
Yo-Yo Ma, May 9
Pandora Y Flanes, May 26
AVA Amphitheater
Casino del Sol, 5655 W. Valencia Road, Tucson
www.casinodelsol.com
Ice Cube w/Too Short, May 27
Pima County Fairgrounds
11300 S. Houghton Road, Tucson
Tesla, April 18
The Mexican OT and Paul Wall, April 21
Michael Salgado, April 23
Wiz Khalifa, April 25
Music Festivals
Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, March 3
Tucson Folk Festival, April 5 to April 7
Tucson International Mariachi Conference, May 1
True Concord Voices and Orchestra
520-401-2651 | www.trueconcord.org
Bach St. John Passion, Feb. 23 to Feb. 25
Erika Burkhart, soprano, Feb. 28
Nicole Cabell, soprano, March 28
Gloria & Bernstein, April 5 to April 7
Tucson Symphony Orchestra
For locations, visit www.tucsonsymphony.org
100 Years of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25
Brass and Brahms, March 2 and March 3
Beethoven’s Fourth, March 9 and March 10
She’s Got Soul, March 16 and March 17
Verdi’s Requiem, March 22 and March 24
Broadway Legends, April 6 and April 7
Holst’s Planets, April 12 and April 14
Charlie Chaplain’s “City Lights,” April 20
Young Composer’s Full Orchestra, May 4
Yo-Yo Ma, May 9
Young Composer’s Strings and Winds, May 10
Young Composer’s Strings and Brass, May 11
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert, May 17
Dance
Classical dance aficionados have exciting opportunities this spring. With Ballet Tucson putting on a concert combining a classic work with the world premiere of a new work by a Tucson artist and Centennial Hall hosting the Mark Morris dance company as it tours through the city, the dance offerings provide a rich treat of innovative work within the medium.
Ballet Tucson
200 S. Tucson Boulevard, Tucson
520-903-1445 | www.ballettucson.org
Paquita/Kiyon Ross’ Sum Stravinsky, March 22 to March 24 at Leo Rich Theater
Centennial Hall
1020 E. University Boulevard
520-903-2929 | www.centhall.org
Mark Morris Dance Group: The Look of Love, March 12
Pima Community College
Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road, Tucson
520-206-6986 | www.pima.edu
Pima Dance – Spring Performance, May 3 and May 4
UA School of Dance
Stevie Eller Dance Cener, 1737 E. University Boulevard, Tucson
520-621-1162 | www.dance.arizona.edu
Dance Springs Eternal, April 11 to April 14, April 18 to April 21
Art
With a thriving community of talented artists, Tucson is home to multiple galleries showing works national and local. The following are just a few of the exhibitions making a temporary stay in the city at some of the major art institutions.
Etherton Gallery
340 S. Convent Avenue, Tucson
520-624-7370 | www.ethertongallery.com
Andy Burgess and Matt Magee: Signs and Signals, now through March 30
MOCA Tucson
265 S. Church Avenue, Tucson
520-624-5019 | www.moca-tucson.org
Sofia Cordova: Sin Agua, now through June 23
Sarah Hubb and Sarah Zapata: Between Gravity and Ground, now through June 23
Fay Ray Portals: March 8 to Sept. 22
Tucson Desert Art Museum
7000 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson
520-220-3888 | https://tucsondart.org/
Gold Fever: Glory and Greed in the Western Expansion Years
Circa 1930: Memories of the General Store, Feed Sacks, Quilting and More
Tucson Museum of Art
140 N. Main Avenue, Tucson
520-624-2333 | www.tucsonmuseumofart.org
Enduring Legacies: The James T. Bialac Indigenous Art Collection, now through March 17
CUMBI: Textiles, Society and Memory in Andean South America, now through Feb. 25
Popol Vuh and the Maya Art of Storytelling, now through Oct. 20
Time Travelers: Foundations, Transformations and Expansions at the Centennial, March 17 through Oct. 6
University of Arizona Museum of Art
1031 N. Olive Road, Tucson
520-621-7567 | www.artmuseum.arizona.edu
Annie Lopez: Origin Story, now through June
Pulse: Weavings and Paintings by Marlowe Katoney; now through March
The Samuel H. Kress Collection, now through March
Our Stories: High School Artist 2024, February to May
