Staff and Faculty Save 25% on Duke Arts Presents Performances

Discover an acclaimed artist you’ve never heard of and experience fresh ways of seeing the world

A collage of Duke Arts Presents artists performing 2026-27
Duke Arts Presents performances for the 2026-27 season include acclaimed artists and unique experiences. Photos courtesy of Duke Arts Presents

About a year ago, on a whim, Jessica Luginbuhl bought tickets to see a Duke Arts Presents performance of “Is It Thursday Yet?” Luginbuhl, a Lactation Consultant for Duke’s Durham Pediatrics, discovered the movement, music and video performance by dancer and choreographer Jenn Freeman the way she usually does – by reading the two-paragraph description online.

Then she asked herself the questions she always considers before purchasing tickets: Is this interesting? Will this be mind-expanding? Will it be fun?

Luginbuhl can’t stop thinking about “Is It Thursday Yet?” and Freeman’s performance depicting her life following her autism spectrum disorder diagnosis at age 33. Or the colorfully joyful performance of “Taylor Mac’s Holiday Sauce” she saw last December with tickets purchased at a 25% discount provided to Duke staff and faculty.

See Duke Arts at American Tobacco Campus

Four free concerts take place Wednesdays in September.

Learn More

And she’s hoping the Duke Arts Presents performances she has circled for the upcoming 2026-27 season are just as unexpectedly enthralling.

“The thing I like about going to the arts is if it's doing what it's supposed to do, it changes the way you think about things and the world around you in a way that other things don't,” Luginbuhl said.

Duke Arts Presents programming are known for being wide-ranging, with a mix of well-known artistic voices and rising stars across disciplines. Director of Programming Aaron Shackelford works with faculty members to identify artists relevant to what is taught in Duke classrooms, according to Duke Arts Director of Communications Frances Howorth.

This season, the performances align with the “Our Common Home” theme, bringing together artists from around the world whose work reflects on identity, environment and our shared value.

Jessica Luginbuhl
Jessica Luginbuhl / Photo by Natalia Weedy

Some 2026-27 season highlights include:

  • Sept. 22, Mo Amer: For the third year in a row, Duke Arts Presents will showcase a comedian in one of its first events of the season. Last year, Atsuko Okasuka was one of the first events, and Roy Wood Jr. performed two years ago. 
  • Nov. 1, Awadagin Pratt: This world-leading pianist brings a program for the “We the People” initiative focusing on American music from spirituals to Florence Price.
  • Dec. 13, An Evening with Renee Elise Goldsberry: Known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in Broadway’s “Hamilton,” Goldsberry performs holiday favorites.
  • Jan. 29 – 30, “TREES”: This “live documentary” is directed and performed by Sam Green, a longtime favorite of fans of the Full Frame Film Festival. This unique format pairs documentary with live music and narration to create a communal live audience experience.
  • March 20, HopeBoykinDance: Troubled No More: The world premiere of a new dance piece by former Alvin Ailey dancer Hope Boykin in honor of fellow Durham native Pastor Shirley Caesar.

For her part, Luginbuhl already has picked out four performances she is eager to see this season: Sacred Spaces, Mo Amer, “Falling: a disabled love story,” and HopeBoykinDance. Each one sounded intriguing when she read the online summary, and she’s hoping they become her new favorites.

“That's what's so cool about being close to Duke – you have access to some pretty incredible performances,” Luginbuhl said. “I feel very lucky.”

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

Follow Working@Duke on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube.