For 48 years, the Meherrin River Arts Council has brought big-city talent to a small-town stage, and its 2026-27 season keeps that tradition going with three nights of entertainment.
Holiday Dance Party: Destination Soultown featuring The Sensational Soul Cruisers
Saturday, December 5
MRAC opens the season with Holiday Dance Party, a night of classic soul and Motown from the Sensational Soul Cruisers. The 11-piece band, best known for its high-energy Destination Soultown show, puts four vocalists, a horn section, keyboards and a full rock-and-soul rhythm section on stage to bring back the sounds of Motown, Stax Records, the Sound of Philadelphia and Carolina beach music.
The set list draws on songs made famous by the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Earth, Wind & Fire, Barry White and many others.
Terry Fator: Pure Imagination
Saturday, February 6
Las Vegas headliner Terry Fator takes to the road in 2027 with Pure Imagination, an all-new 90-minute show that combines ventriloquism, comedy, music and impressions with the characters his fans know best. Fator built the show from a lifetime of characters, song parodies and comedy sketches. "I compiled them all together to give my audience a fun look into my creative psyche," he said.
Audiences will meet Winston the Impersonating Turtle, country star Walter T. Airdale, Apollo Theater legend Julius, Vikki the Cougar and Maynard Tompkins, the world's greatest Elvis impersonator. This tour also brings new characters and impressions based on real-life stars. "So you can look forward to seeing and hearing Willie Nelson, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, plus a few surprise 'guests,'" Fator said.
Scotty McCreery
Saturday, February 27
Country music favorite Scotty McCreery closes the season 15 years after winning the 10th season of American Idol at 17. His first album, Clear as Day, debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 that year, making him the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut at No. 1 with a first album.
Since then, the Garner native has sold 4 million albums, earned seven No. 1 singles and passed 3.5 billion career streams. In 2024, Garth Brooks, Josh Turner and Randy Travis invited and inducted him into the Grand Ole Opry.
McCreery marks this point in his career with 15, a retrospective album that collects his No. 1 hits alongside four new recordings, including an official version of Your Man with Josh Turner, the song that introduced him to Idol audiences. The album also includes Five More Minutes, which became his first No. 1 after he spent much of his savings buying back the song's rights.
"Whether five people show up or 5,000, the music side of me is never going away," McCreery said.
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Emporia-Greensville Performing Arts Center. Patrons who buy season tickets — that’s all three shows in the same order — save 10 percent.
“As a volunteer-led nonprofit, MRAC depends on its community to keep the series going. Buying tickets, bringing friends and family to a show and donating when possible all help keep professional live entertainment right here at home.”
Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at tickets.mrac-arts.com/season
For more information, contact the MRAC box office at 434-634-6001.
