
YES, or Youth Entertainment Series, is an educational program for area public and private schools, home schools, and educational organizations that is offered free of admission! The focus of YES is to teach kids through the magic of theatre by exposing them to high quality performance on The Orpheum stage. YES also offers FREE study guides to all performances so teachers can incorporate the core values and the concepts presented in the shows into their school curriculum. Just click on the TEACHERS button to have access to these resources!
The YES program is funded by the Galesburg Community Foundation. We are so grateful for their support as we are always looking for opportunities to invest in our communities!
Looking to have your school or educational organization attend a YES performance? We would love to have you. You MUST make a reservation to attend, so call us at 309/342.2299 or email tim@theorpheum.org.
2022-23
YES Season!
sponsored by




Friday, February 10th at 10am & 1pm
Lights! Camera! Action! When Pete the Cat and his buddy Callie sneak into the Hollywood Studios, they get lost in the world of movies. Join Pete, Callie, Ethel the Apatosaurus, and Robo-Pete in this rockin’ new musical adventure featuring several fun-filled Pete the Cat books including Cavecat Pete, Pete the Cat and the Treasure Map, and The Cool Cat Boogie.
RESERVATIONS CLOSED
We've reached our capacity for this event: sorry!
Geared towards grades PreK - 3
Thursday, February 16th @ 10am & 1pm
When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion which results in a tremendous peach - and launches a journey of enormous proportions. Suddenly, James finds himself in the center of the gigantic peach among human-sized insects with equally oversized personalities, but after it falls from the tree and rolls into the ocean, the group faces hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements. Thanks to James' quick wit and creative thinking, the residents learn to live and work together as a family.
Geared towards grade K-4
RESERVATIONS CLOSED
We've reached our capacity for this event: sorry!


Friday, March 3rd @ 10am & 1pm
In 1947, the Year of the Boar, a young girl leaves China for a new beginning in America... But it's harder than she expected. Though her classmates in Brooklyn come from a variety of backgrounds, Shirley is the only one who doesn't speak English, and she worries that she will never have a friend. But through a new love of the Brooklyn Dodgers and her hero Jackie Robinson, Shirley begins to feel at home. Based on the book by Bette Bao Lord and told using Chinese and English, with humor and multimedia staging, the play celebrates the bravery and sacrifice of those who bring new perspectives to our country.
Geared towards grades K-4
Thursday, April 13th @ 1pm
Awe-inspiring and gravity-defying! Aerial Dance Chicago will take to the sky at The Orpheum with their unique dance work that launches concert dance into the creative and expressive possibilities of the vertical realm.The Orpheum Theatre is proud to be partnering with the Knox College Dance Department along with our sponsors Blick Art Materials and the Galesburg Community Foundation to bring this mesmerizing show to our community’s youth. Sign up now, as seating is limited!
Geared towards grades 4 and up

Wednesday, April 26th @ 10am & 1pm
History in 50 minutes – seven actors, two feet off the ground, share 21 square feet of space to recreate the entire American fight for independence. Using only the actor’s bodies, voice and (pantomimed) cannons, the show evokes an epic time period in American history. Combining tongue-in-cheek humor with a dash of derring-do, this show displays bare-boned and imaginative physical theater.
Geared towards grades 4 and up
