Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois Is Getting a Stage Show This Summer

Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois is getting a musical theatre adaptation, announced as part of the performing arts series at Bard College’s Fisher Center. Justin Peck, who choreographed Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story update, is directing and choreographing the show, which runs for a few dates in late June and early July. Illinois is also slated for an as yet unannounced run in Chciago later in the summer. See all of the Bard dates below.

Working with Stevens’ songs, Peck wrote a story for the show with Jackie Sibblies Drury, who won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play Fairview. Released in 2005, Illinois was the second installment of Stevens’ purported efforts to record an album in honor of all 50 of the United States. Only Michigan received the same treatment, in 2003. Stevens most recently issued A Beginner’s Mind in 2021, a collaboration with Angelo De Augustine. His latest solo album is 2020’s The Ascension.

Illinois:

Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.
Friday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 2 at 2 p.m.