Venue Details

Directions

Illinois State University is conveniently located at the intersection of Interstates 55, 74, and 39 for easy access from any direction. Take any route to Business 51, and then head south to Hovey/Beaufort Street (changes names at Business 51). The CPA is located three blocks east and the Box Office is located in the lobby.

If already on campus, come to the southeast corner of the Quad and look for the large glass-front building. Signs will point you to the Box Office.

Parking

• Free Event Parking is available in the School Street Parking Deck (400 W. Beaufort St. at School St.) for evening and weekend events. A sign out front indicates “Arts Event Parking” that states “Closed” or “Open.” When the “Open” sign is lit, enter and park in any spot numbered above spot 250 and below the blue parking zone near the top floor of the garage. Arts Event Parking includes all public Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts events in the Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall and Theatre, Westhoff Theatre, and Kemp Hall. It also includes Illinois Symphony Orchestra performances and additional rental events.
• Additional Public Parking is available in the South University Street Parking Garage (600 S. University St., just north of Beaufort St.) at any time for $1.00 per hour.
• For the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, free public parking is available in the St. John’s Lutheran Church parking lot across the street from the Ewing Cultural Center.

Box Office

• (309) 438-2535
• Open Monday-Friday
• Academic Year: 11 am-5 pm.
• Summer: Noon to 4 p.m.
• The CPA Box Office opens one hour before all performances (two hours before Illinois Symphony Orchestra performances) to process sales and hand out tickets being held at will call.

Pick Up, Will Call, and Mobile Tickets

There are three ways to obtain your tickets for the performance.

• Purchase tickets in person, and your tickets will be printed for you to take home.
• Will Call: When purchasing over the phone or by choosing the will call option online, tickets will be printed the day of the event and will be available for pick up at the box office beginning an hour before the performance (two hours before ISO performances).
• Mobile Tickets: For all purchase options (in person, phone, online), you can now choose a mobile ticketing option at no additional cost. A confirmation email will be sent for the sales transaction, followed by a second email with a link to your tickets. Instructions to either download a PDF of the ticket to your phone, or directly add them to your Google or Apple wallet (highly recommended) will be included. Be sure to add the tickets to your mobile wallet before arriving at the venue so that ushers can scan your tickets and show you into the performance with as little wait for you as possible.

Late Seating

All patrons should be seated in the performance venue 10 minutes prior to the performance.

For events in the Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall and Theatre, as well as at Ewing Cultural Center, patrons may be seated late at the discretion of the House Manager, during an appropriate break in the performance.

Due to the intimate nature of the Westhoff Theatre space, late seating for patrons may only be available at intermission, or not at all. This policy is for the safety of our patrons and actors as entering the theatre and seating areas requires walking on the stage. If you leave the venue during the performance for any reason, there is a chance you will not be able to be reseated. Seating is first-come, first-served, and it is strongly recommended to arrive earlier for performances in this space. Refunds will not be issued to patrons arriving late if there is no late seating or intermission for the performance.

Other Venue Policies

• There is no food or drink allowed in any of the performance venues with the exception of bottled water.
• For all theatrical performances, audio or visual recording of any portion of the event is strictly prohibited and can result in removal from the performance space and venue with no refund.
• Illinois State University is a non smoking campus, and there is absolutely no smoking or vaping in university buildings.
• There is no texting or cell phone usage allowed during performance. Please silence all cell phones and electronic devices once in the venue as they are a distraction to both the performers and other patrons.

Mailing Address

Illinois State University
Campus Box 5600
Normal, IL 61790-5600
(Main entrance is at the corner of School and Beaufort St in Normal)

Capacity

Center for the Performing Arts Theatre = 500 seats
Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall = 650 seats