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Picnicking outside Ewing Manor

Plan Your Festival Adventure Today!

Do you have tickets to today’s performance? Make the most of your Festival experience with these options:

Arrive Here

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival performs at both Ewing Theatre and the Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Illinois State University. Determine which Venue you are attending and visit Parking & Directions for details.

Explore our Pre- and Post-Show Entertainment

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival often offers free pre-show entertainment before our mainstage performances.

  • Live Music
    • Summers at the Festival are sweeter with live music! Join us for free performances. Visit the Calendar for the full schedule.
  • Green Shows
    • Green shows, named for the green lawn of the grounds, are short shows performed before the mainstage performance. These mini performances are often tied thematically to the play you are about to see. Visit the Calendar for the full schedule.
  • Pre-Show Talks
    • Would you like to know more about the play you are about to see? Join us for artistic discussions before select performances. Visit the Calendar for the full schedule.
  • Post-Show Talk-Backs
    • Join us after select performances for talk-backs with the actors and Artistic Director John C. Stark. Visit the Calendar for the full schedule.

Enjoy a Meal

A staple of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival experience is picnicking on the beautiful Ewing grounds or the Illinois State University Quad before the performance. Patrons are encouraged to come early and spread out on the lawn - whether you bring your own dinner or find something here!

  • Picnics
    • Part of the ISF experience is picnicking before a performance! You are welcome to bring your own food and drink to the Festival. The Ewing Grounds are open for picnics starting at 6 p.m.
  • Concessions
    • Located in the Ewing Courtyard, the ISF concessions area offers an assortment of snacks, beverages, beer, and wine for purchase. Opens at 6 p.m.
  • Food Trucks
    • Local food trucks are sometimes available before performances. Visit the Calendar for the full schedule.

Take a Tour

Learn more about our spaces with a tour!

  • Ewing Manor Tours
    • Ewing Cultural Center, located on the Sunset Hill estate of the late Hazle Buck Ewing, sits majestically on 6.5 acres of wooded landscape in Bloomington, Illinois. This beautiful estate, rich in local history, is preserved and elegantly maintained due to the generosity of prominent citizens who discovered a way to celebrate the area's culture, landscape, and nature.
    • Explore the historic building often called “The Castle” by locals. Davis and Hazle Buck Ewing built Ewing Manor in 1928-1929 and lived in influential circles. Davis was a cousin of Adlai Ewing Stevenson, an Illinois governor and U.S. Presidential candidate, and Hazle was an heir to the Wrigley Chewing Gum family. The manor’s Channel-Norman architectural style and surrounding gardens, (created by the same landscape architect who also designed Springfield's Lincoln Memorial Gardens), make it one of the most beautiful historic homes in the state. And that holds true for the inside as well, with much of the home's original furnishings intact.
    • Both public and group tours of the Manor are available. Visit the Tours page of the Ewing Cultural Center website for prices and details.
  • Genevieve Green Gardens Tours
    • The Genevieve Green Gardens is an essential part of the Ewing Cultural Center and consist of neighboring gardens that embrace and connect the Ewing Manor and the Ewing Theatre. The Genevieve Green Gardens project was funded from a bequest to the Illinois State University Foundation from Bruce V. Green honoring Genevieve Carlock Green, his wife of 47 years. The gardens honor her profound love of flowers and nature.
    • Group tours of the gardens are available. Visit the Tours page of the Ewing Cultural Center website for prices and details.

Visit Other Attractions

Looking to make a day of it? There are a number of outstanding attractions near the Festival.

 

2026-05-11T11:57:32.689363521-07:00 2026