17 arts events in mid-Missouri to stoke your spring fever in 2023

Columbia is springing forward.

Our arts calendar is filling up with a number of exciting events to stoke a collective spring fever. From fresh theatrical material to favorite festivals and much more, the next few months promise a wide variety of experiences.

Here are just 17 of the opportunities on approach. Many more worthy offerings await and, no doubt, the cultural calendar will just keep expanding.

More:These 9 stories shaped Columbia's arts and culture scene in 2022

Columbia 2023 concerts: Grammy nominee Hailey Whitters, Dismal Niche and more

March 5: Iowa native Hailey Whitters earned a 2022 Song of the Year Grammy nomination for her writing work on the Brandi Carlile/Alicia Keys cut "A Beautiful Noise." The country music Whitters releases under her own name also raises a gorgeous, heartfelt ruckus. Tickets are $15-$20; songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr. shares the bill. Visit https://rosemusichall.com/events/ for more.

March 23-27 Every other year, the Plowman Competition comes to Columbia, and with it a remarkable array of musical talent. A series of recitals and contest performances bring the present and future of classical music close. Visit https://www.odysseymissouri.org/ and https://www.plowmancompetition.org/ for program and ticket information.

May 6: Forward-thinking Columbia collective Dismal Niche brings a creative kindred spirit, North Carolina rapper Mavi, to town and a date at Rose Music Hall. Tickets are $20. Learn more at https://rosemusichall.com/.

May 7: We'll know Feb. 5, the day this story goes to print, how Samara Joy fared at the Grammys. The 23-year-old singer is up for best new artist and best jazz vocal album. Whatever happens, Joy's talent is undeniable and she's destined to impress Columbia listeners when she plays the "We Always Swing" Jazz Series with a pair of shows at Murry's. Tickets range from $20-$47. Visit https://www.wealwaysswing.org/season/2022-2023/ for details.

May 12: While technically a spring date, Texas country-rock crowd-pleasers Whiskey Myers will kick off the next round of The Blue Note's outdoor Summerfest shows. Visit https://thebluenote.com/ for ticket information.

May 27-28: A delightful Memorial Day weekend marriage of two delights: live music and trail riding, Pedaler's Jamboree is a trek between spring and summer. The mini-festival's artist lineup is on its way. Watch https://www.pedalersjamboree.com/ for updates.

Columbia theatre and film: True/False, musical at Stephens and 'Stomp'

Feb. 17-19, 23-26: Playwright Theresa Rebeck's "Seminar" excavates dangerous dynamics in the literary world, as a well-known writer creates havoc for the four aspiring novelists under his tutelage. Talking Horse Productions has an established history of bringing such razor's-edge material to the stage, and will bring Rebeck's scenes to life. Tickets are $18-$20. Visit https://www.talkinghorseproductions.org/ for showtimes and more.

March 2-5: Challenging the way we see, and the stories we tell ourselves, the True/False Film Fest exposes its audiences — no less than Columbia, but stretching farther — to the best nonfiction film, as well as music and art installations. Visit https://truefalse.org/ to learn more.

March 10: Across social media, Scott Seiss has become known as the "angry retail guy." His viral videos shed light on the absurd conditions retail workers often endure. The comic's career to date transcends his clever observations — he's shared stages with Patton Oswalt, Roy Wood Jr. and more. Get to know him better on a visit to The Blue Note this spring. Tickets are $25-$30. Visit https://thebluenote.com/events/ for details.

March 17-19, 23-24: "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" mines the abundant, absurd humor of a spelling-bee setting. Stephens College students will spell and sing the laughs in this staging. Tickets are $20. Learn more at https://www.stephens.edu/events/category/?category=performing-arts.

April 5: Feel the rhythm as "Stomp" returns to the University of Missouri Concert Series; the long-running show has proven percussion is a way of life. Tickets range from $53 to $66. Learn more at https://concertseries.missouri.edu/.

April 7-8: Mareck Dance, formerly known as Missouri Contemporary Ballet, will deliver its always outstanding "Live!" show set to live, original music and featuring exciting new choreography. Tickets range from $28 to $48. Visit https://concertseries.missouri.edu/ for more information.

April 13-16, 20-23 and 27-30: The characters of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" are fresh in many viewers' minds after an Oscar-winning 2020 adaptation starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman. The remarkable August Wilson penned this musical drama, and his characters will find their rhythm on-stage in this Columbia Entertainment Company production. Tickets range from $12 to $20. Learn more at http://www.cectheatre.org/.

Unbound Book Festival, David Sedaris bring unique voices to Columbia

April 17: One of the truly great humorists of his generation — and a fixture of both NPR and the New York Times' bestseller list — David Sedaris brings his unique voice to Missouri Theatre, as part of a celebration of KBIA-FM's 50th anniversary. Tickets are $49.50-$59.50. Details at https://concertseries.missouri.edu/.

April 20-23: The Unbound Book Festival returns to downtown Columbia, stretching across genre and theme to enfold all manner of literary delights. Poets Ross Gay and Patrick Rosal will share the keynote conversation, and early author announcements include novelist Lydia Millet and multi-genre writers Benjamin Percy and Matthew Salesses. Watch the lineup take shape and learn more at https://www.unboundbookfestival.com/.

Along gallery walls

Feb. 28-April 7: The Tiny Things exhibit at Columbia Art League promises powerful images at a small scale, nothing larger than 8 inches by 8 inches. "Size isn’t everything; so what is it really, and how does it impact the creation, vision, and enjoyment of art?" the exhibit description asks. See more at https://columbiaartleague.org/.

March 6-31: One of the cornerstone events on each year's arts calendar, the Paper in Particular exhibit at Columbia College gathers remarkable, far-flung talent around one material. This is the 44th edition of the show, a testimony both to tradition and possibility.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.