Pygmalion: More than Music

While Pygmalion may be known amongst Illini as a music festival, this year’s lineup features an impressive group of non-musicians alongside musical acts. There are three non-music categories to this year’s Pygmalion lineup (Think, Made, and Lit), each intriguing in their own right.Headlining the festival is comedian Eric Andre, of The Eric Andre Show fame. Recently appearing in The Lion King (2019), Eric Andre is sure to draw college-age crowds at the Canopy Club that enjoy his particular sense of humor. Michelle Wolf, former Daily Show and Late Night writer as well as White House Correspondents Dinner headliner, is set to grace the Krannert Center stage. Also appearing in the Think lineup are Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski, former Mars Hill Bible Church pastor Rob Bell, a live performance of Goeff Sobelle’s Homein the Colwell Playhouse, the PYGHACK Hackathon, and an Astronomy on Tap discussion.The Made lineup is comprised entirely of the small businesses participating in Made Fest, an outdoor market with handmade and vintage items. In total, there are thirty-three small businesses, with products ranging from clothing and accessories to ceramics and art. Local record label Polyvinyl will also be in attendance Each seller is sure to be unique, and this pop-up-shop-style festival will not be one to miss.The Lit lineup consists of mostly authors, with each Lit event being free of charge. Surprisingly, Michelle Zauner is appearing both as herself in the Lit lineup (promoting her book Crying in H-Mart) and as her musical alias Japanese Breakfast. Other author appearances include Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize winner J. Allyn Rosser and her Rome Prize-winning poet husband Mark Halliday, spoken word poet Mahogany L. Browne, inaugural Urbana poet laureate Will Reger, NEA poetry fellow Matthew Murrey, and Univerity of Illinois graduate students Aumaine Gruich, Jason Nafziger, Jessica Tanck, Justin Smith, s.g. maldonado-vélez, and Kyle Callert. Also included is the Champaign-Urbana chapter of Human Library and a Poetry Marathon at The Bread Company.The music at Pygmalion is sure to impress, but so will the rest of the content at this year’s festival. Be sure to visit thisispygmalion.com for tickets and more information.