University News

Forgottonia Premiering at Hainline Theatre July 20

July 12, 2024

Printer friendly version

MACOMB, IL - - Rural Illinois will be the focus of a new multimedia show at Western Illinois University's Hainline Theatre.

Macomb-area musician Chris Vallillo will premier his latest "Forgottonia" project at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. The performance will feature a reflective look at rural Illinois over the past 40 years through Vallillo's music and storytelling while featuring photography by Tim Schroll.

"Essentially, I wanted to reimagine Forgottonia as I saw it through my perspective and share that with the people who live here and never really see it for what it is because they're in the middle of it," Vallillo said.

Vallillo has produced seven albums throughout his career, using his music to celebrate rural life, the civil rights movement and Abraham Lincoln. He has also co-produced and hosted Rural Route 3 on public radio, served as the Illinois State Scholar for The Smithsonian Institute's traveling exhibit on roots music and contributed to the U.S. Library of Congress's American Folklife Collection.

The name "Forgottonia" is inspired by the movement in 1972 of multiple McDonough County residents, including WIU alum Neil Gamm, to protest the lack of infrastructure funding coming to west central Illinois.

Vallillo was awarded a Rural Initiative Grant from the Illinois Humanities Council to produce "Forgottonia."

Tickets for the performance are $20 and are available online, at bit.ly/4eUEh7n.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing