More Headliners for Springfield's Arts District

As the Historic Gillioz Theatre celebrates 100 years in October, it is expanding to book shows at more venues around town, growing potential for Springfield's arts district in the process.

Geoff Steele, executive director of the Gillioz Center for Arts and Entertainment, has been booking shows for the venue for 11 years, but two recent partnerships are offering potential for a wider variety of acts to appear on stages in Springfield.

First, in September 2025, the History Museum on the Square, which owns the Historic Fox Theatre, approached the Gillioz about partnering to book shows at the intimate 613-seat historic theater. For Steele, this means the ability to book acts who might not be big enough for the Gillioz.

"The Fox is going to let us bring a whole lot of talent that has historically not come to the Ozarks," Steele says.

Then, a few weeks later, another partnership was struck with nearby Hammons Field, home of the Springfield Cardinals, bringing Steele and the Gillioz on to help with programming and artist relations for the 8,000-seat venue, offering potential for significantly larger acts to play in town.

Overall, Steele sees these partnerships, along with other development in the community, as good news for Springfield in building up a true arts district, realizing potential that has been growing here for the past 100 years.

"I've been saying for 15 years that Springfield is pregnant with enormous potential," Steele says. "I've been saying for the last six months, this is the year we give birth. We're making decisions that are going to radically influence and increase our quality of life over the next couple of generations."