418 South Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, United States
A historic arts & entertainment venue in downtown Carbondale Illinois
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SPECIAL SCREENING & CONVERSATION with WALTER THOMPSON-HERNÁN
Special Screening of If I Go Will They Miss Me, and Pipas (Kites) with an in-person conversation wit
About the films:
If I Go Will They Miss Me
A boy sees ghostly figures of other boys in his neighborhood as he grapples with his father's distance. These visions uncover hidden connections between them and their shared heritage.
Pipas (Kites)
A 25-year-old Rio gangster named Duvo seeks redemption through conversations with his guardian angel in this magical realist tale of life in the favelas.
About the filmmaker:
Thompson-Hernández has written for The New York Times, where he was a multimedia subculture reporter. At The Times, Thompson-Hernández wrote about the Compton Cowboys, who eventually wrote a book revolving around them, The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland, published in 2020 by HarperCollins. His work has additionally been featured in NPR, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, and Remezcla.
In 2022, Thompson-Hernández directed the short film If I Go Will They Miss Me which had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award. It was then expanded into a feature-length film of the same name starring J. Alphonse Nicholson and Danielle Brooks, and premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2025, Thompson-Hernández directed the documentary Untold: Shooting Guards for Netflix, revolving around an incident involving Washington Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton. That same year, he made his narrative directorial debut with Kites, which premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, where it received a Special Jury Mention for Viewpoints.
Doors & Varsity Bar open at 6
FREE Admission - Sponsored by the Fine Arts Activity Fee, School of Media Arts.
Free Admission - RSVP Below
The Stage Co. Presents : Season 44
make believe
By: Bess Wohl
Directed By: Shay Miller
Four young siblings recreate their everyday lives in a game of make-believe in their attic, while the world beneath them bodes a more sinister reality. Defying all narrative expectations, Make Believe is a gut-wrenching meditation on the imprint of childhood trauma on adults.
April 17-19 & 23-26, 2026
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R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIV
In co-operation with the Fuller Futures Festival 2026
“R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE” -- a play by D.W. JACOBS from the life, work, and writings of R. B. Fuller, directed by Kira Rutter, and performed by Jon-Michael Rutter.
This one-man show is coming to Carbondale for these special performances in The Varsity Balcony Theater -- at the corner of South Illinois Avenue and Cherry Street, just a couple of blocks east of the Fuller Dome Home! These performances are brought to you in partnership with the Fuller Futures Festival 2026 here at SIU.
The play takes the audience on an inspiring journey through the life of one of the 20th century's greatest visionaries and an immensely impactful change agent who helped forge the modern SIU and reshape the world we live in today.
Doors and hospitality open one hour prior to each performance.
Friday April 24 - 6:30 PM showtime
Saturday April 25 - 6:30 PM showtime
Sunday April 26 - 1:00 PM showtime
Tickets available at the door or advance below
FILMS
LIVE EVENTS, THEATER, ART
LIVE EVENTS, THEATER, ART
LIVE EVENTS, THEATER, ART
LIVE EVENTS, THEATER, ART
LIVE EVENTS, THEATER, ART