The Morris Performing Arts Center

South Bend has an excellent theater, the Morris Performing Arts Center, that has a very active and varied program. Within the next couple of months, for example, the Morris will host:

---> A run of the broadway musical Once,

---> A performance by Martin Short & Steve Martin,

---> An evening with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson,

---> A performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony number 6,

and lots more besides.

The theater is a lovely place to visit. It was build in 1922, and its architecture catches much of the optimism of that era. It has had its ups and down through the years, but is right now in a definite up period, having undergone a major renovation in 1998.

As an historical aside (pictured above, from todayinndhistory.com), the Morris has a place in Notre Dame history --- in October 1940 2,500 people watched the world premiere of the movie Knute Rockne: All American, while 25,000 people gather outside to see the stars, Ronald Reagan, Pat O'Brien, Bob Hope and Kate Smith, walk the red carpet.