Rob Lowe, Randy Rogers Band, Robert Earl Keen, Mavis Staples and Darlene Love among the stellar guests
TYLER, Texas (June 17, 2025) – The University of Texas at Tyler R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center announced the 2025-26 “Big Names, Big Entertainment” season.
Featuring Broadway hits, family-friendly programming and soaring artists, the season is packed with entertainment legends and legendary performances.
“I’m so excited by all that this season has to offer,” said UT Tyler President Julie V. Philley, MD. “We are honored to present such world class talent for East Texas audiences to enjoy. We want the Cowan Center to be widely utilized, so we’ve designed a season that has broad appeal.”
The Cowan Center season is dedicated to meeting the cultural needs of the region.
“We could not present such an amazing season without the support of sponsors, the Cowan Center advisory board, Cowan Center Circle members and our audiences,” said Jeff Noblitt, UT Tyler vice president for marketing. “We are excited to welcome new and returning audiences to enjoy the season.”
The new season includes Grammy® Award winners and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Darlene Love and Mavis Staples. Best known for the holiday classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” Rolling Stone Magazine calls Love “one of the greatest singers of all time.” Staples, who will perform with Shemekia Copeland, is also a Blues Hall of Famer, Kennedy Center Honoree, and National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient who is known for such hits as “I’ll Take You There.”
Rob Lowe will be the sole speaker of the Distinguished Lecture Series. Lowe’s iconic career spans four decades in film, television and theater, and he is also an acclaimed author. He has been nominated for two Emmys®, six Golden Globes®, and four Screen Actors Guild awards of which he won two.
Other notable appearances this season include country music legends the Randy Rogers Band, who has spent more than 20 years bringing the Texas Country tradition to fans worldwide, and Robert Earl Keen, with 21 records to his name, a band of stellar musicians and thousands of shows under his belt. Also coming to the Cowan Center is film, TV and stage actress Mandy Gonzalez, who recently performed in Broadway’s Tony®-winning “Sunset Boulevard” and previously played Elphaba in the Broadway production of “Wicked”, Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” and Nina Rosario in “In the Heights.”
This season the Cowan Center offers a new Family Series that introduces children to the arts and entertainment for the whole family. Disney’s Moana Live-to-Film Concert features a full-length screening of the beloved movie accompanied by live performances of a unique on-stage musical ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters and vocalists. Wild Kratts LIVE! 2.0 brings the Kratt brothers, Martin and Chris, live on stage to dive into another classic Wild Kratts adventure. Starring Peppa Pig and her family alongside a live orchestra, Peppa Pig: My First Concert is a fun, interactive introduction to classical music for ages 18 months and older.
New season series subscriptions are on sale Monday, June 23. Subscriptions allow for cost savings and priority access to all seats. For details, visit cowancenter.org.
The 2025-26 series include:
Broadway Series
- The Addams Family — A Musical Comedy
- Richard Thomas in Mark Twain Tonight!
- TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
- Clue: Live on Stage!
BIG Country Series
- Randy Rogers Band
- Robert Earl Keen
Performing Arts Series
- Parsons Dance
- DRUM TAO
- Circa’s Humans 2.0
Concert Series
- Stella Cole
- Mandy Gonzalez
- Darlene Love
- Mavis Staples and Shemekia Copeland
- Count Basie Orchestra
- Vitamin String Quartet
Family Series
- Disney’s Moana Live-To-Film Concert
- Peppa Pig: My First Concert
- Wild Kratts LIVE! 2.0
Arts In Education School Shows
- The Little Mermaid
- The Jungle Book
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.