When you take stock of all the performing and fine arts offerings around the region, there's little doubt that entertainment lovers are spoiled for choice. Some of the most noteworthy and highly anticipated shows are mentioned here, but it's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the variety of theater, music, dance and visual arts that's either touring through our area or being produced by hometown creatives.
BEST OF BROADWAY SPOKANE
Why travel 2,100 miles to Broadway when the Best of Broadway series will practically deliver it to your doorstep? The contemporary revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's musical comedy COMPANY (Sept. 11-15, 2024) comes early in the season, bringing earworms like "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Being Alive" along with it.
For those who missed the 2022 national tour of COME FROM AWAY, there's another chance to see this heartwarming ensemble musical about strangers banding together in the face of tragedy (Nov. 1-3, 2024). During the New Year holiday (Dec. 31, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025), BEETLEJUICE the musical offers some morbidly life-affirming surreal comedy that draws on the 1988 hit film. (Fun fact: The original Broadway run starred Spokane's own Sophia Anne Caruso.)
Awaiting fans in spring and summer of 2025 are R.E.S.P.E.C.T (March 7, 2025) and MJ THE MUSICAL (July 8-13, 2025), two jukebox musicals celebrating the lives of R&B icons Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson. broadwayspokane.com
SPOKANE CIVIC THEATRE
If the Civic's 77th season has a through line, it's variety. Starting with the classic opener, Rodgers and Hammerstein's redemptive CAROUSEL (Sept. 13-Oct. 13, 2024), on to the farcical operatic romp LEND ME A SOPRANO (Jan. 31-Feb. 16, 2025) and the uplifting season finale WAITRESS (May 16-Jun. 15, 2025), the venue's five main-stage productions promise audiences household-name shows with a wide range of music, stories, characters and settings.
Downstairs, the Firth J. Chew Studio Theatre features timely revivals or contemporary plays that deserve to be better known. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE (Oct. 11-Nov. 3, 2024), Arthur Miller's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's drama, chronicles a doctor fighting against a small town's sinister self-protection. Sports fans might want to check out THE WOLVES (March 7-30, 2025), Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer-nominated play about the trials and tribulations of a girls' high-school soccer team. spokanecivictheatre.com
SPOKANE SYMPHONY & THE FOX
Even though the Spokane Symphony owns The Fox Theater, orchestral concerts aren't the only gigs at the venue. On Oct. 17, 2024, the country a cappella group HOME FREE takes the stage on their Crazy(er) Life Tour, giving their millions of social media fans a chance to hear them in person. With yet another twist on familiar, folky genres, the Ireland-Nashville supergroup THE CELTS arrives on Dec. 13, 2024.
But when it comes to straight-up classical, this season holds some really intriguing themes and mashups. For example, the fourth concert in the Spokane Symphony's Masterworks series pits BEETHOVEN VS. AI (Jan. 18-19, 2025), and a spring Pops concert centers on THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND AND MORE (March 15, 2025). THE VITAMIN STRING QUARTET performs ensemble versions of the music of Taylor Swift and Bridgerton on Nov. 23, 2024. One week later (Nov. 30), the emerging musicians of the Spokane Youth Symphony celebrate a major milestone when they hold their star-studded 75TH ANNIVERSARY ALUMNI CONCERT. foxtheaterspokane.org
NORTHWEST MUSEUM OF ARTS & CULTURE
Until Jan. 26, 2025, the MAC will continue to run IT HAPPENED HERE: EXPO '74 FIFTY YEARS AFTER, a commemoration of Spokane's small but mighty six-month stint as a World's Fair city. Another important anniversary is captured in 1924: SOVEREIGNTY, LEADERSHIP, AND THE INDIAN CITIZENSHIP ACT (until Feb. 2, 2025), which chronicles Spokane's hosting of the first American Indian Congress in 1925.
While getting the colorful backstory on these significant events in local history, you'll also be able to catch JOE FEDDERSEN: EARTH, WATER, SKY (Sept. 28, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025), a showcase of the Plateau Native artist's 40-year career in multiple media, such as printmaking, glass and ceramics. Extending to March 9, 2025 is WOMAN, ARTIST, CATALYST, a 48-piece exhibition that draws on the museum's permanent collection to highlight women's underrepresented contributions to art movements throughout the region. One key work to look for is "Palouse Rhythm," Z. Vanessa Helder's evocative watercolor of the undulating Palouse farmland. northwestmuseum.org
THE BING CROSBY THEATER
Many tribute bands approach their source music and stage presence with unparalleled reverence, aiming to give audiences an experience that rivals the original. These days The Bing is a hotspot for popular tribute acts, with PRINCE AGAIN (the music of Prince; Sept. 20, 2024), ABRA CADABRA (ABBA; Oct. 2, 2024), HYSTERIA (Def Leppard; Oct. 12, 2024); TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT (The Eagles; Nov. 24, 2024) and THE FAB FOUR (The Beatles; Dec. 13, 2024) representing just a handful of them. LAUREL CANYON LEGACY (April 18, 2025) goes one step further, performing selections from all the music that emerged out of that Los Angeles neighborhood during the 1960s and '70s.
Of course, there's original music, too, including acts like top UK blues rocker JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR (Nov. 1, 2024) and indie folk outfit BLIND PILOT (Nov. 26, 2024). Theater and film buffs will enjoy the venue's Stage to Screen series, which shows performances of acclaimed UK stage productions like the one-woman legal thriller PRIMA FACIE (Nov. 10, 2024). bingcrosbytheater.com
PANIDA THEATER
The Sandpoint-based Pend Oreille Arts Council (POAC) is well known for its art classes, fairs and studio tours, but don't overlook its established all-ages performing arts series at the historic Panida (rhymes with "Canada") Theater. Among this season's highlights are the Taiko drumming and song-driven storytelling of UNIT SOUZOU: CONSTANT STATE OF OTHERNESS (Nov. 8, 2024) and the discipline-spanning entertainment of COLLISION OF RHYTHM (April 30, 2025), which pairs tap dancing with beatboxing and multi-instrumentalism.
For something aimed squarely at the youngest generation, there's Missoula Children's Theater's live rendition of SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARVES on March 22, 2025. If your schedule calls for a more flexible activity, POAC's ARTWALK is a free, communitywide celebration of art that runs almost all summer. Expect that to start in mid-June 2025. artinsandpoint.org
REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES
Fans of choreography can enjoy more live entertainment than ever, thanks to an increasingly vibrant local dance scene that's attracting national companies. Gonzaga University's Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center hosts the artistry and athleticism of the L.A.-based contemporary dance troupe BODYTRAFFIC on Oct. 19, 2024. Then comes two disparate productions from San Francisco's ODC, a high-energy MIXED REPERTORY showcase (Jan. 31, 2025) followed by the family-oriented THE VELVETEEN RABBIT (Feb. 1-2, 2025). gonzaga.edu/mwpac
At the University of Idaho, the long-running LIONEL HAMPTON JAZZ FESTIVAL (April 15-18, 2025) is a draw for aficionados and newcomers alike. It features over 400 student performances alongside a dozen world-class jazz artists — plus fun and educational activities like workshops and special exhibits. uidaho.edu/jazzfest
Finally, Washington State University's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is celebrating 50 years and shining a light on the past five decades with the aptly titled YOUR COLLECTION (through Dec. 13, 2024). Take in pivotal pieces from the museum's archives, such as John Henry Tawchtman's 19th-century rustic oil painting "Green Landscape" and Roy Lichtenstein's eye-catching lithograph/screenprint "Still Life with Lemon and Glass." museum.wsu.edu
