Prairie Fire Theatre's mission is to share the magic, wonder, and community-buiding power of music with everyone in our community, regardless of an individual's financial circumstances. For four weeks each May, our music company tours approximately 45 elementary schools, churches, and libraries, presenting our original children's opera (including a portable set, costumes, five singers, and a pianist) to almost 10,000 elementary-age children. We conduct as many as 3-4 performances a day during that month. Every single performance is presented FREE-of-charge - no school, regardless of their financial situation, ever has to pay. It's one of the most anticipated programs offered in central Illinois schools. In addition, our "Music Under the Stars" concert (a concert of opera music and music theater numbers) is performed FREE-of-charge (a local park and a university in July) to ensure that anyone and everyone can attend without feeling like they have to dress up or pay to hear fine music. Lastly, each August we produce a large main stage musical with singers, actors, and orchestra musicians drawn from our pool of local talent, often including college music faculty and students. We offer the opening night performance as "pay-what-you-can" so that, once again, everyone can attend a high quality music theater production without paying a cent. Producing high quality shows such as ours is expensive, which is why the price of tickets can become out of reach for some people. In addition, we urge people to come in casual dress, so they aren't intimidated by having to "dress up." Your support will allow us to continue making these high-quality music productions accessible to everyone in our community by offering free performances.