Theater & Literary Arts

Civil!: A New Musical

  • November 20 (Friday) at 7pm - Developed during this the 250th anniversary of our country, “CIVIL!” is a musical about two teenage brothers torn apart by the American Civil War and forced to survive on opposite sides of a divided nation. “CIVIL!” was composed by local CNY lyricists and arranged by musicians from around the world. Featured in the story are places, events, and people from central NY, bringing to life the triumphs and tragedies of American history here in our community.

Blending comedy, romance, and tragedy in a modern musical style, CIVIL! explores family, friendship, and agency in a nation at war—asking how young people endure when history gives them no good options, and whether love and family can survive when the world is tearing itself apart. CIVIL! asks us to reflect on how history is told, and what it means to write our own story.

For more information and tickets, please visit Cortland Collective Impact Initiative

Past Events

We Declare: A Storytelling Project for Our Times

  • September 26 (Saturday) at 2pm in the Performance Space
Liberty through Mist and Haze by Terry Plater

We Declare is a storytelling project for these times. In the lead-up to July 4, 2026, participating local writers have created short pieces in response to brief phrases taken directly from the Declaration of Independence. These personal stories are not editorials, but provide a snapshot into this moment in American history, a period with uncanny parallels to 1776.  

DCC Storytelling Festival 2026

  • October 1-3 - The new DCC Storytelling Festival will be an opportunity to listen to master storytellers and to learn how to tell your own story. All events are free and open to the public! This program is made possible in part with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and NYS Legislature, administered by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.