Fairfield University unveils May 2026 arts and culture lineup
Fairfield University announces a robust schedule of arts and culture events throughout May 2026, featuring acclaimed performances, art exhibitions, and engaging programs for the campus and greater community.
Taking place at venues across campus, this month’s offerings highlight contemporary creativity, global perspectives, and critical conversations. May programming includes performances from The National Theatre Live and The Met Live series’, tours with Carey Mack Weber, curator of For Which It Stands…, and more.
Many events connect to America250: The Promise and Paradox, Fairfield University’s ongoing exploration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, highlighting the arts as a catalyst for dialogue, reflection, and community engagement in Connecticut and beyond.
REGINA A. QUICK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
National Theatre Live
Monday, May 18 | 7 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) feature in a five-star, triumphantly acclaimed new production of Arthur Miller’s classic play, from visionary director Ivo Van Hove (A View from the Bridge). One family, the heart of the American dream. When wartime delivers profits for Joe, it comes at a price when his partner is charged with criminal manufacturing deals, and his eldest son goes missing in action. Will peacetime bring peace of mind, or will he be confronted by the consequence of his actions?
Filmed live from the West End, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Tom Glynn-Carney (House of the Dragon), and Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake) also feature in this disturbingly prescient play.
The Met: Live in HD
Tuesday, May 19 | 1 p.m. & 6 p.m. (Encores)
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Pre-screening talk with Orin Grossman, PhD in the Wien Experimental Theatre at 12 p.m.
Following her acclaimed 2024 debut in Madama Butterfly, soprano Asmik Grigorian returns to the Met to star as Tatiana, the lovestruck young heroine, in Tchaikovsky’s passionate adaptation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin. The production also features baritone Iurii Samoilov as the urbane Onegin, who realizes his affection for Tatiana too late. Directed by Tony Award-winner Deborah Warner, the Met’s evocative staging has been praised for its rich detail and emotional depth. Tchaikovsky’s luminous score captures the sweeping emotions of first love, regret, and lost opportunity, with unforgettable highlights like Tatiana’s heart-rending Letter Scene and Onegin’s despairing final aria. Set against a vivid backdrop that moves from rural Russia to St. Petersburg’s glittering society, this stirring production beautifully brings to life a timeless story of love and heartbreak.
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM
Art Exhibition
Through Saturday, July 25 | T-W, F-Sa 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Th 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall and Walsh Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
This exhibition examines depictions of the American flag through more than 70 works by a diverse group of artists, beginning during WWI with Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918 and continuing to the present day, including a textile sculpture commissioned for the show from Maria de Los Angeles.
The exhibition includes work in a variety of media by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu, and challenges viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all.
Thursday, May 7 | 12 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join us as we discuss some of the works on view in For Which It Stands… in an informal setting, led by Curator of Education and Academic Engagement Michelle DiMarzo.
Thursday, May 7 | 1 p.m.
Virtual
Join us as we discuss some of the works on view in For Which It Stands… in an informal virtual setting, led by Curator of Education and Academic Engagement Michelle DiMarzo.
Virtual Meditation and Mindfulness
Monday, May 11 | 5 p.m.
Virtual
Join Jackie DeLise, master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and stress management expert, for a virtual guided meditation class. DeLise will share ancient wisdom for our modern lifestyle and will guide you in becoming your true self. No prior experience necessary. Learn how to cultivate inner calm, clarity, peace, and harmony in your life. All are welcome!
Meditation and Mindfulness in the Museum
Tuesday, May 12 | 5 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join us in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries for restorative sessions led by teacher Jackie DeLise. DeLise is a master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and stress management expert.
Curator’s Tour with Carey Mack Weber
For Which It Stands…, Walsh Gallery
Wednesday, May 27 | Noon
Walsh Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join Carey Weber, curator of For Which It Stands… and executive director of the Fairfield University Art Museum, for an exhibition tour! Please note: although the exhibition encompasses both the Museum’s Bellarmine Hall Galleries and the Walsh Gallery, each tour will focus exclusively on one location.
UNIVERSITY LECTURES & EVENTS
Art Exhibition
Icons on Ammo Boxes: Christian Art of Hope and Sorrow from the War in Ukraine
March 16 – May 22
Fairfield University Downtown, 1720 Post Road
Artists Sonia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko transform fragments of ammunition boxes from the front lines of the war in Ukraine into sacred icons—works of witness, prayer, and hope for a just peace. This exhibition features 27 works, including selections from the Mariupol Deisis (2022), a new Marian series (2025) dedicated to Ukrainian children held in captivity, and a newly created icon of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Presented by Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact, and the Center for Arts & Minds.
See the Message Center below for Connecticut’s top events in May – Celebrate Connecticut with our latest local merch, perfect for showing your state pride!
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY STORE
Children’s Storytime in the Fairfield Forest
Saturdays, May 2 – May 30 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Downtown Bookstore, 1499 Post Rd., Fairfield
Every Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., depending on attendance, local reading teacher and Fairfield University Store employee Steve Gaynes takes children on a journey through the magic of the written word.
Children’s Storytime is held in the Fairfield Forest children’s section at the Fairfield University Store, located at 1499 Post Road in Fairfield Center. This event is geared toward children’s interests, including the books and/or guests that will be chosen. Children’s Storytime is open to the public. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Meet & Greet with Author Lauren Barnett
Saturday, May 2 | Noon
Downtown Bookstore, 1499 Post Rd., Fairfield
Author Lauren Barnett will be discussing her latest book, Don’t Tell My Mom That I Love Her, at 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, at the Fairfield University Store, 1499 Post Road, downtown Fairfield.
Enter Maggie—adorably, exhaustingly, and sarcastically twelve—a modern-day Margaret (a là Judy Blume) whose private diary is her daily outlet for (over)analyzing her “miserable” and “confusing” life. In entries that vary as wildly as her mood swings, Maggie beautifully articulates (and screams from the rooftops) the bitter day-to-day battles of (pre-) adolescence and all the things her parents, teachers, and peers shockingly do not understand.
Barnett is the founder of Family Consultants of Westport (FCW). She is a licensed, nationally board-certified mental health professional with over thirty years of experience working with middle school girls and their parents. She has guided thousands of pre-teen and teenage girls through the challenges of growing up.
Book Launch of MAHALA by Author Carol Marques Barrios
Tuesday, May 12 | 7 p.m.
Downtown Bookstore, 1499 Post Rd., Fairfield
Author Carol Marques Barrios will be launching her new novel MAHALA, at the Fairfield University Store (1499 Post Road) on Tuesday, May 12, from 7 to 8 p.m.
MAHALA is historical fiction meets family saga in this sweeping Caribbean tale perfect for fans of Jamaica Kincaid, Wide Sargasso Sea, and The Island of Missing Trees. The setting is St. Vincent, British West Indies, in 1900. A woman born before her time, Mahala was always a maverick. Adopted by her mother’s best friend and raised next door to her biological siblings, she grows up with the generational challenges of not one, but two families of Indian descent navigating colonial Caribbean society. From a young age, Mahala knows the plan all four parents have set for her future: leave school, marry well, run a household, plan her own future daughters’ weddings. But she believes fiercely there must be more to life than this Caribbean island and its restrictive customs.
Mahala is a page-turning, coming-of-age story about women’s rights, family expectations, and the courage to forge your own path in a world determined to limit your choices.
Don’t miss
• Fairfield Theatre Company Weekly Round Up: Sunny Sweeney announced
• Passport to CT Wine Country program launches with three new locations
• Space Ballroom Weekly Round-up: 5 shows announced, including Craig Finn and Patterson Hood
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May events at Fairfield Theatre Company
5/6 – Howie Day
5/8 – A Night of Jazz
5/9 – Gary Louris
5/10 – Grahame Lesh & Friends
5/12 – The Lone Bellow
5/14 – Andrew Duhon
5/16 – Graham Parker
5/16 – Buckethead
5/17 – FTC Short Film Festival
5/18 – Second Wind
5/20 – Joanna Chang
5/21 – Arrival from Sweden
5/22 – Als Fest
5/22 – Drayton Farley
5/23 – Pangea Worldbeat
5/27 – Suzy Bugguss
5/28 – Steve Forbert
5/29 – Adrenalize: Def Leppard Tribute
5/30 – Goodnight Moonshine
Click here for more information & order tickets.
May events at PeoplesBank Arena
5/24 – Journey, click here to purchase tickets
5/29 -Don Toliver, click here to purchase tickets
5/30 – LA Sparks vs Connecticut Sun, click here to purchase tickets
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