Have you ever wanted to peer into the future? Well, with our 2023-24 season overview, you can preview over 20 newly-announced performances coming to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts through June 2024. Our new season has a year’s worth of shows to get excited about. But don’t overlook the near-future fun you can have during a night out this July, August, and September!

Celebrating Documentary, Foreign and Indie Films

On Tuesdays this summer from July 11 through August 29, visit the Kirby Center to witness some of the best cinematic experiences in recent memory. Our W. Curtis Montz Film Series roster is full of award nominees and festival favorites. Each showings are at 1 p.m. for $3 or 7:30 p.m. for $5. Titles include, in order of appearance: music doc The Sparks Brothers. Investigative piece MLK/FBI. Black comedy Another Round. Affirming drama Minari. Adorable comedy Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Heart-wrenching true story Fire of Love. Dramedy The Worst Person in the World. And coming-of-age film Aftersun.

Scranton Band Dominates the Rock Scene

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, artists from NEPA helped define the next generation of independent music. Scranton band Captain, We’re Sinking’s 2013 effort, The Future is Cancelled, contributed heavily to our region’s rock dominance by winning over listeners with earnest storytelling and raw intensity.

On July 22, the band will play The Future is Cancelled in full as part of our Chandelier Concert Series—an intimate venue for the album’s intimate compositions. Come scream along.

Welcome World-Renowned Guitarist Steve Vai

We have the privilege of featuring a lot of amazing performers at the Kirby Center, but the importance of hosting Steve Vai can’t be understated. He’s truly one of the best guitar players in the world today.

After three Grammys, album sales of 15 million, and three decades spent being your favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist, Steve Vai is embarking on an international tour that includes a July 30 stop at the Kirby Center. As a young musician, Vai took lessons from Joe Satriani and played alongside Frank Zappa. All before he was 20. He then went on to perform with acts like David Lee Roth and Whitesnake before crafting his own solo efforts, amassing a discography of over 60 albums. Don’t just see Steve Vai because of his historic past, though. See him because he’s one of the best of the present. And because his guitar work will influence rock’s future.

An Intimate Performance by Taylor Ashton on Banjo

Armed with only his banjo and a dozen or so covers, Taylor Ashton took to the subway stations of New York City earning dollars from passersby. He called each dollar a pizza ticket, redeemable for one slice at any of the city’s 99-cent pizza joints. Today, Ashton is in a better spot with a better diet and prepping for his August release, Stranger to the Feeling. That release isn’t his only recent music, though. His collection of covers, aptly named Pizza Tickets, puts seven songs forward, including a rendition of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill.

Ashton’s tour puts him and his banjo in our Chandelier Lobby on Sept. 14, and if you’re a fan of good music and good times, you’ll put yourself there, too.

Rock Out with Blue October

Blue October fans bring palpable energy to our theater, and we’re happy to welcome them back Sept. 15. The band’s following proves they’re much more than their (extremely well received) radio hits. They’ve crafted over 10 studio albums, including the recently released Spinning the Truth Around: Part II, and their songs keep audiences coming back for sold out engagements each tour.

Gov’t Mule Delivers Southern-Tinged Jam Grooves

Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes, another extremely influential guitarist, has helped define the jam band sound playing alongside The Allman Brothers Band and members of The Grateful Dead. His own southern-tinged jam outfit, Gov’t Mule, brings the groove to the Kirby Center on Sept. 20, and if the vibe inside is anything like March’s engagement with Dark Star Orchestra, you won’t want to miss it.

David Spade Live in Wilkes-Barre

David Spade’s turns on television were hilarious. Whether it was his star-making tenure as part of Saturday Night Live, his Emmy-nominated performances in Just Shoot Me! or his recent stand-up special Nothing Personal, Spade’s penchant for comedy continues to entertain viewers across multiple eras of TV. His work on the big screen may be even more prolific, with iconic turns in Tommy Boy, Black Sheep and Joe Dirt cementing Spade’s position among the best in comedy cinema.

September 24 presents a rare opportunity to see Spade outside of the usual arenas and amphitheaters someone of his caliber usually visits on tour. Catch him inside the Kirby for a special night of comedy.

Mark Guiliana Quartet Brings a Unique Sound

As a drummer, Mark Guiliana has performed alongside the likes of David Bowie and St. Vincent. As the eponymous jazz quartet leader, Guiliana’s playing is joined by saxophone, piano, and bass in asking the question, “What if jazz’s improvisational spirit moved beyond composition to include genre?” On Sept. 30, see them answer the rhetorical as they blend traditional jazz with other established soundscapes, like grunge and garage.

We’re sure you’ll find something to get excited about. But remember, we announce new shows year round, so stay informed by liking us on Facebook and following us on Instagram.