With so many activities to partake in Bloomington, it’s hard to choose what you want to do first. But if you have some time and want to enjoy some time on IU’s campus, there is nothing better than a night out at the IU Auditorium. Here are the shows fans can look forward to this fall:
“Waitress” – Sept. 29-30, 2026
The hit Broadway musical “Waitress” is making its way to IU on Sept. 29-30.
With music written by Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, the musical tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a talented pie-maker and waitress stuck in an unhappy marriage after she discovers that she has gotten unexpectedly pregnant. Jenna seeks comfort in her OB-GYN Dr. Jim Pomatter and begins an affair with him. When she hears about a baking contest in a nearby county, Jenna realizes this is her chance to seize the moment and create the happy life she has always wanted.
Tickets are available to buy now on the IU Auditorium site.
“An Evening with Sutton Foster” – Oct. 6, 2026
Actress, singer and dancer Sutton Foster will come to Bloomington for a special one night only Oct. 6, at the IU Auditorium.
Known for her roles in musicals such as “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Anything Goes” and “Shrek the Musical,” as well as TV Land’s “Younger,” Foster will perform alongside IU dance and choral students and local K-12 performers.
Foster is a world-renowned Broadway performer having received seven Tony nominations, two of which resulted in Tony Award wins for Best Actress in a Musical. She also holds two honorary doctorates, an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Ball State University, where she occasionally teaches as an adjunct professor, and an Honorary Doctor of Music from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Tickets are now on sale on the IU Auditorium site.
Ballet Hispánico New York – Oct. 14, 2026
As one of the largest cultural institutions of its kind in the United States, Ballet Hispánico has been serving as a leading American Latino dance company for over five decades. The troupe will be coming to Bloomington Oct. 14 with an evening-length presentation of “CARMEN.maquia,” a performance choreographed by famous choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano.
Based on Georges Bizet’s French opera “Carmen,” which tells the tragic tale of Don Jose, a naive soldier that abandons his position and hometown sweetheart for the alluring Carmen, Ballet Hispánico’s reimagined version will tell the story from the titular character’s perspective.
Tickets are available to purchase on the IU Auditorium site.
“Dennis James Hosts Halloween” – Oct. 21, 2026
Dennis James, an IU alumnus and celebrated organist, and his beloved annual Halloween performance will be making a return to the IU Auditorium this year on Oct. 21 for “Dennis James Hosts Halloween.”
This year’s event will start with a theatrical radio-style reenactment of the mystery “The Vengeful Corpse,” from the Inner Sanctum series, which tells the story of Sarah Seaton, a New England woman that becomes obsessed with a colonial-era witch. This reenactment will star student actors from IU’s Department of Theatre and Drama. James will then perform alongside two classic silent films: the 1928 short “Habeas Corpus,” which follows comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as they raid cemeteries for a mad scientist, and Buster Keaton’s 1921 short “The Haunted House,” which tells the story of a bank teller who, after getting mistakenly blamed for a crime, hides out in a fake haunted house.
Tickets are available to buy on the IU Auditorium site.
“SIX” – Nov. 12-15, 2026
Two-time Tony Award winning musical “SIX” will be performed Nov. 12-15 at the IU Auditorium. Since opening in October 2021, “SIX” has won over 20 major theater awards, most notably Best Original Score and Best Costume Design in a Musical at the 75th Tony Awards in 2022.
The musical puts a pop music spin on the story of the six wives of English King Henry VIII. The six women compete to see who suffered the most at the hands of Henry with the winner becoming the pop group’s lead singer.
With five performances taking place at the IU Auditorium, tickets are now on sale.
The Singing Hoosiers Present “Holiday Chimes” – Dec. 5, 2026
The Grammy-nominated musical group Singing Hoosiers will perform “Holiday Chimes” Dec. 5 at the IU Auditorium. “Holiday Chimes” is a beloved tradition in Bloomington, blending classic holiday songs with contemporary favorites, creating an event the whole family can enjoy. The performance will be conducted by Chris Albanese, an associate professor of choral conducting and conductor for the Singing Hoosiers.
Tickets are now available for purchase on the IU Auditorium site.
Straight No Chaser – Dec. 10, 2026
A cappella sensation Straight No Chaser will be returning to Bloomington for a Dec. 10 performance at the IU Auditorium. Originating at Indiana University, the a cappella group started in 1996 with 10 male IU students and is now a nine-man act with Walter Chase, Jerome Collins and Steve Morgan from the original group still active. Like in the past, Straight No Chaser will perform a medley of holiday favorites, only this year’s performance will also be part of the group’s Making Spirits Bright Tour.
Tickets are available to buy online on the IU Auditorium site.
This story was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student's Fall/Winter 2026 Source Campus Visitor’s Guide.
