Fall 2025
ARTSwego Performing Arts Series Presents
Villalobos Brothers
Friday, September 19th, 7PM
Waterman Theatre
The Villalobos Brothers are a GRAMMY-Award-winning family band, recognized as one of the foremost Contemporary Mexican ensembles in the world. With their unique fusion of Mexican folk, jazz, and classical music, they have captivated audiences across the United States, Mexico, India, Russia, and Canada. Their music is deeply rooted in the traditions of Veracruz, showcasing a vibrant blend of Son Jarocho, Son Huasteco, and Latin Jazz. The Villalobos Brothers have mastered the art of crafting original compositions and arrangements that not only pay homage to the richness of Mexican folklore but also push the boundaries of musical exploration. The Villalobos Brothers have graced prestigious stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Davies Symphony Hall, the Latin Grammy Awards, Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Ford Theatre in Hollywood, among many others. Their performances have garnered widespread praise, capturing the hearts of audiences with their virtuosic musicianship, infectious energy, and profound messages of love, brotherhood, and social justice.
Support for this program was received from the Hart Hall Global Living & Learning Center.
ARTSwego Performing Arts Series Presents
The Paza Experience
Tuesday, October 28th, 2024, 7PM
Hewitt Hall Ballroom
The Paza Experience cultural performance, performed by Delwin Fiddler Jr. Founder and Executive Director, and Dr. Samora Smith, Arts and Culture, includes Native American flute, drums, and traditional/modern songs with a full historical explanation and demonstration of the men’s and women’s traditional dances.
Paza, Tree of Life is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the truth and wisdom of Native American culture through the arts, education and raising awareness about the original people of these lands. The aim to bring people from all walks of life together by reclaiming the knowledge that brought peace and harmony to Mother Earth.
This project was made possible with support from the Richard S. Shineman Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to be a catalyst for change to enhance the quality of life in Oswego County.
Spring 2026
ARTSwego Performing Arts Series Presents
Manual Cinema's The 4th Witch
Wednesday, February 18th, 7PM
Waterman Theatre
The 4th Witch is a feature-length work inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Told through shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette and live music (without dialogue or narration), it follows a war-orphaned girl who, after fleeing an invasion led by Macbeth, is taken in by the three witches and trained under one strict rule: never use her powers for revenge. When she discovers Macbeth was responsible for her father’s death, she must choose between vengeance and healing. The 4th Witch is an inversion of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, exploring themes of grief, war, generational conflict, and cycles of violence through the collateral damage left behind on the battleground.
Manual Cinema is an Emmy Award-winning performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company that combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen.
This engagement of Manual Cinema is made possible in part through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
ARTSwego Performing Arts Series Presents
Makin' Cake
Presented in partnership with the “I am Oz” Diversity Speaker Series
Wednesday, March 11, 7PM
Hewitt Hall Ballroom
Cake Reception to follow performance
Dasha Kelly Hamilton, who was named Wisconsin Poet Laureate and Milwaukee’s Artist of the Year in 2021, describes herself as a “writer, performer, facilitator, mother, daughter, sister, builder, dreamer, phenomenon and change agent.” In her show, Makin’ Cake, she slices into American history exploring race, culture, and class in a refreshing and fun way. It is storytelling in layers and filled with aha-moments and poignant vignettes, digital media, and a supporting cast of two on-stage bakers. The show serves up an experience and a conversation about equity in America. Part history lesson, part social science revelation, Makin’ Cake is a short story about America's sweet tooth and pathway to salvation and leaves room for dessert and dialogue with a cake reception immediately following the performance. Makin’ Cake was initially commissioned by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, and included Dasha Kelly Hamilton facilitating arts-based conversations on race and class throughout the community. She continues to develop Makin’ Cake and to pursue dialogues about human and social wellness.