Expansion and change: Highlights from 2025 in entertainment, Fort Wayne-area arts | Entertainment

It could be said that 2025 was a year of expansion and change in the world of local arts.

The modernized Arts United Center reopened with a larger footprint. Fort Wayne’s public art profile grew as an internationally known artist brought the city’s largest mural to life at Electric Works. Leadership changes were announced at a number of arts organizations.

Here is some of what happened in local arts and the entertainment world, and a few hints at what to expect in 2026.

Stage

Arts United Center, 303 E. Main St., reopened with a community celebration Oct. 25 after a $41.5 million renovation project to modernize and expand the facility. Fort Wayne Civic Theatre was the first organization to return with full-scale performances, taking advantage of new projection technology for its production of “Frozen” from Nov. 8 to 23. Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne Inc., which operates the venue, estimates that about $8.3 million of the renovation budget was spent on theatrical technology equipment. Fort Wayne Ballet also leveraged the new projection technology for its production of “The Nutcracker” this month.

Other updates at the venue included improvements to make all levels of the building accessible. Civic Theatre and Fort Wayne Dance Collective are partnering for a March production of “Footloose,” which will feature performers of various movement abilities.

Civic this month moved most of its operations back into the venue, where it will have administrative offices, some creative offices and a dedicated scene shop. But there is less square footage for Civic to lease after space was repurposed in Arts United Center’s basement, so its costume shop will now be located on the first floor of the Anthony Wayne Building, 203 E. Berry St., across from the Allen County Courthouse.

Fort Wayne Youtheatre moved its offices to Park Lake Professional Complex on Lake Avenue in the spring.

Looking ahead: With Civic’s “On The Road” productions behind it and the organization on firm financial footing, Executive/Artistic Director Phillip H. Colglazier announced in October that he will retire at the end of June after more than 25 years with the organization. Applications are now closed for the position. Once selected, a new hire is expected to start June 1.

A renovation project for the former Scottish Rite theater was announced in 2024 and some work was done this year. Work is expected to continue in 2026, with a reopening projected for 2028.

Art

The city’s largest mural was installed in September and early October as Australian artist Damien Mitchell worked on the 15,000-square-foot project on the Union Parking Garage at Electric Works. He was joined by three local artist apprentices – Hannah Boersema, Bernadette Fellows and Chrystel Lopez – during work on the $100,000 piece. Mitchell also enlisted the help of Brooklyn, New York-based artist Vince Ballentine. The mural combines images of the former General Electric campus’ history while giving nods to future generations and incorporating native animals and flowers.

Flowers and large scale are also part of an installation dedicated in October in the West Central neighborhood. Local sculptor Cary Shafer’s 30-foot-tall “Amaryllis” is inspired by the work of Jody Hemphill Smith, an art educator and painter who operated Castle Gallery in the neighborhood. She died in 2023 and the Hemphill Smith Art Foundation led by her husband, Mark Paul Smith, commissioned the sculpture which can be seen by thousands of motorists a day as they head toward downtown along West Jefferson Boulevard.

Other public art projects in the city this year include a collaborative project by Brandon Coley, Natalie Fetzer, Carly Mitchell, Mitchell Egly and Jon Mendelson on the west side of a building at 222 Pearl St. facing Pearl Street Arts Center. Thirteen artists created new sidewalk murals for the 2025 edition of Clean Drains to raise awareness about what washes into the city’s rivers. Jordan Kurzen and Jeremy Stroup created crosswalk murals at intersections along and near South Wayne Avenue. Julie Wall in August completed a 2,000-square-foot mural in the east parking garage entrance of the Riverfront at Promenade Park. Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne art students created a mural on the exterior of Lake Avenue Market at Lake Avenue and Anthony Boulevard.

Fort Wayne Museum of Art received a gift of contemporary glass work with an estimated value of close to $1 million. It was announced in October that Ralph Lowenbach of New Jersey made the gift of 96 pieces, which were collected with his late wife, Dena. As the museum’s reputation in the studio glass world continues to grow, the donation brings the museum’s total to nearly 900 glass sculptures.

Looking ahead: The Public Art Commission this month approved an artist and project to replace the “77 Steps” light installation in the alley between 113 and 127 W. Berry St. James Lucey’s “Flow” is expected to be installed in early summer. The “77 Steps” installation has reached the end of its five-year lifespan and the cost to repair damage to the piece was estimated between $300,000 and $500,000, according to commission advisory member Alexandra Hall. Materials for the new project, with a budget of $100,000, have a 10-year warranty.

The commission’s ongoing Shout-Out Fort Wayne program of neighborhood art projects will continue in 2026 with projects such as a permanent installation in the Harvester community. Argentinian artist Sasha Primo was in the city this fall to speak with residents before creating a piece that is projected to be installed in McCormick Park in the spring.

Art This Way’s Art Crawl fundraiser will return in 2026 after taking a year off while the Downtown Improvement District underwent a reauthorization and expansion process to secure an additional 10 years of financial support. Art This Way is a program of the district, also known as Downtown Fort Wayne.

Music

Fort Wayne Philharmonic announced in July that Music Director Andrew Constantine would exit his role at the end of the 2026-27 season after nearly two decades with the organization. Candidates for the position will be brought to the city during the 2027-28 season with the goal of having someone in place as early as the 2028-29 season, President and CEO Brittany Hall told The Journal Gazette this summer.

After 28 years, Robert Nance stepped down in August as president and artistic director of Heartland Sings. Longtime Heartland vocalists Eric Miller and Natalie Young became president and artistic director, respectively.

James W. Palermo retired in June as executive director of Pearl Street Arts Center, which operates as a performance venue and offers the Pearl Arts Music Academy serving more than 500 area students. Angie Fincannon was named its new executive director.

Pearl Arts hosted 25 students for a three-day music academy headed Tony Award winner Heather Headley in November. The Northrop graduate told The Journal Gazette that the academy was a pilot program, which she hopes to expand into a longer camp in 2026 and ultimately a year-round program at Pearl Arts.

Looking ahead: The Philharmonic unveiled new branding in August during a ceremony at its future downtown headquarters, which is expected to open in spring after a $2.1 million interior renovation project now underway at 826 Ewing St. The orchestra’s operations will relocate there from 4901 Fuller Drive off St. Joe Road northeast of the main Purdue University Fort Wayne campus. The new headquarters includes small rehearsal and performance spaces.

Among music acts slated to play area stages next year are Brett Young on Jan. 31, Plain White T’s on Feb. 13 and Don McLean on May 16 at Honeywell Center in Wabash. Memorial Coliseum will host Journey on June 18 and Weird Al Yankovic on Oct. 15. Wayne Newton will perform Feb. 13 at Clyde Theatre.

TV

Fort Wayne got some time in the streaming spotlight – in name, anyway – with the Apple TV+ show “Stick” about a fictional golfer from the city who makes it big. References to the city include a shot of a Journal Gazette page and a glimpse of a mural from the city, both of which were recreated for the show. The series’ season finale was screened at Fort Wayne Cinema Center in August followed by a virtual Q&A with the show’s creator, Jason Keller.

Closer to home in the real world, PBS Fort Wayne appointed Edward Leon as its new president and CEO.

Among scripted series that ended in 2025 were: “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “And Just Like That…,” “Andor,” “Big Mouth,” “The Conners,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Harlem,” “S.W.A.T.,” “Upload” and “You.” The finale of “Stranger Things” will be released Dec. 31.

Looking ahead: PBS Fort Wayne’s Explore channel, 39.4, will become the World channel Jan. 1. The channel will share documentaries, informational programs and daily international newscasts.

Headley’s Netflix series, “Sweet Magnolias,” was renewed for a fifth season and filming took place in 2025 for a likely release in 2026. A premiere date has not been announced.

Series expected to take their final bow in 2026 include “The Boys,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “The Neighborhood” and “Outlander.”

Movies

“A Minecraft Movie” narrowly edged out Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” for the top spot in domestic box office rankings as of Wednesday. “Minecraft” was sitting at No. 1 with $423.9 million versus “Stitch” at $423.8 million. “Superman” was in third place with “Jurassic World: Rebirth” in fourth and “Wicked: For Good” rounding out the top 5. The “Wicked” sequel, which was released in November, could inch its way up the ladder as sales continue to be tallied.

Looking ahead: The following are among anticipated releases on Hollywood’s 2026 calendar, which is subject to change.

• “28 Days Later: The Bone Temple,” Jan. 16 – The franchise continues decades after “28 Years Later”

• “Wuthering Heights,” Feb. 13 – Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star in the adaptation

• “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” Feb. 20 – Using lost footage of the King

• “Scream 7,” Feb. 27 – Neve Campbell returns to the franchise

• “Project Hail Mary,” March 20 – Andy Weir novel adaptation starring Ryan Gosling

• “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” April 3 – Animated sequel starring Chris Pratt

• “Michael,” April 24 – Michael Jackson biopic

• “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” May 1 – Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep lead a star-studded returning cast

• “Mortal Kombat II,” May 15 – A sequel to the 2021 franchise reboot

• “Star Wars: The Manadlorian and Grogu,” May 22 – A standalone extension of the Pedro Pascal-led streaming series

• “Masters of the Universe,” June 5 – Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man

• “Scary Movie 6,” June 12 – Marlon and Shawn Wayans continue the horror spoof franchise

• “Toy Story 5,” June 19 – Buzz and Woody return as the toys face being replaced by gadgets

• “Supergirl,” June 26 – Milly Alcock stars in this addition to James Gunn’s DC superhero franchise

• “Minions 3: Mega Minions,” July 1 – Steve Carell and Pierre Coffin again provide voices

• “Moana,” July 10 – A live-action retelling of the Disney story

• “The Odyssey,” July 17 – Christopher Nolan pulled together an all-star cast for his adaptation of Homer’s epic

• “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” July 31 – Tom Holland’s MCU hero is back

• “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie,” Aug. 14 – The franchise’s third big-screen adventure

• “Digger,” Oct. 2 – Tom Cruise teams up with director Alejandro González Iñárritu

• “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” Nov. 20 – A prequel telling the story of Haymitch’s games

• “Jumanji 3,” Dec. 11 – The story continues

• “Avengers: Doomsday,” Dec. 18 – The Russo brothers return to the MCU

• “Dune: Messiah,” Dec. 25 – The third installment of the Timothee Chalamet-led film series

Deaths

Local blues musician Gary “G-Money” Brabson died in May. Clyde Theatre, where G-Money had been a Monday-night staple, hosted a celebration of his life in June.

Local artist Terry Pulley died in November. The Broadway Arts District will honor him during its First Friday event Jan. 2 with more than 400 pieces of his art on display and available for purchase at locations along the Broadway Corridor.

Among other notable deaths in the entertainment world: Actors Loni Anderson, Ruth Buzzi, Richard Chamberlain, D’Angelo, Anthony Geary, Gil Gerard, Graham Greene, Gene Hackman, Diane Keaton, Val Kilmer, Diane Ladd, June Lockhart, Joan Plowright, Robert Redford, Tony Roberts, Tristan Rogers, Prunella Scales, Terence Stamp, Loretta Swit, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Michelle Trachtenberg, Malcom-Jamal Warner and George Wendt; author Frederick Forsyth; fashion designer Giorgio Armani; filmmakers Robert Benton, David Lynch and Rob Reiner; musicians Sonny Curtis, Roberta Flack, Connie Francis, Chuck Mangione, Ozzy Osbourne, Wayne Osmond, Johnny Rodriguez, Bobby Sherman, Angie Stone, Sly Stone, Brian Wilson and Peter Yarrow; and TV personalities Anne Burrell, George Foreman, Hulk Hogan, Ananda Lewis, Wink Martindale and Phil Robertson.