As the long, hard winter sets in big-time, what say we make the best of an all-too-typically Midwestern situation?

Instead of bemoaning the facts of mid-January life in Central Illinois, let's exploit them to our own fruitful end.

If the weather outside is frightful, then just stay inside, for heaven's sake, and enjoy any one of the countless arts and entertainment possibilities coming our way in the weeks ahead.

Boredom is simply not an option with this much stuff going on.

To help you, GO! has corralled all of the big-ticket items already scheduled between now and spring.

Plenty more items will doubtless be added to the mix in the weeks ahead, which is why we invented the GO! Calendar listings, the most complete source around for up-to-the-minute area happenings.

Theater

The local winter-spring theater scene kicks in tonight with the duel openings of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap at Bloomington's Community Players and the farcical Alone Together at Conklin's Barn II in Goodfield.

And that's just for starters. In the months ahead, no theatrical genre will go untouched on area stages.

At Illinois State University, the season begins with Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts (Feb. 20) in Westhoff Theatre, followed by Frank Wedekind's drama of teen sexual passions, Spring's Awakening (Feb. 22) in the Center for the Performing Arts Theatre. Irwin Shaw's Bury the Dead is next (March 26), in Westhoff, followed by Shakespeare's comedic Twelfth Night (April 3), in Allen Theatre. Operetta comes next, via Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow (April 4) in the CPA Theatre, with a Moliere farce, Tartuffe (April 25), winding up the season in Westhoff.

At Illinois Wesleyan University, the main stage season in McPherson Theatre begins Jan. 29 with a revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, followed Feb. 26 by a mid-winter's night's Shakespeare comedy, Love's Labors Lost (Feb. 26). In IWU's Laboratory Theater, it's the musical Working (April 8) and a Georg Buchner double-header, Woyzeck and Leonce & Lena (May 21).

At Eureka College, the school's Pritchard Theatre will be the site of the Hindu legend, Shakuntala (Feb. 19), and the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical, The Threepenny Opera (April 15).

At the Barn II near Goodfield, "Alone Together" will be followed by the musical revue, G.I. Jukebox (March 22) and the Neil Simon comedy, The Sunshine Boys (April 24).

Heartland Theatre Company in Normal has two winter-spring productions on tap, beginning with John Patrick Shanley's drama, Doubt (Feb. 21), and ending with William Inge's bittersweet comedy, Bus Stop (April 17).

Following "The Mousetrap," Community Players will be back with the Gershwin musical revue, Crazy For You (Feb. 29), and the family comedy favorite, Father of the Bride (May 2).

Meanwhile, that long-running rite of spring, The American Passion Play, returns to the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts for a seven-weekend stand beginning March 8.

National touring productions passing through the area include Ring of Fire (Jan. 14, Sangamon Auditorium, Springfield; Feb. 7-8, Peoria Civic Center); Defending the Caveman (Jan. 19, Sangamon Auditorium), Evita (Jan. 30, Sangamon Auditorium; April 23, U of I Assembly Hall, Champaign), The Velveteen Rabbit (Feb. 9, Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts) and Catch-22 (Feb. 23, Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Decatur).

Also: I Love a Piano (March 1, BCPA), Cats (March 3, Sangamon Auditorium), Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight! (March 14, BCPA; April 19, Sangamon Auditorium), Disney's High School Musical: The Ice Tour (March 28-30, Peoria Civic Center), The Producers (March 29, Assembly Hall), Jesus Christ Superstar (April 22-23, Peoria Civic Center), Seussical (April 26, BCPA), Movin' Out (May 9, Sangamon Auditorium), and Chicago (May 9-11, Peoria Civic Center).

Comedy

With three full-time comedy clubs at play within Pantagraphland bounds - Bloomington's Funny Bone and Treehouse Lounge, Mason City's Mason City Limits - no weekend will pass by without peals of laughter. So check out their weekly menus.

On the auditorium front, there's country jester Rodney Carrington, (7 tonight, Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Decatur), yadda-yadda man Jerry Seinfeld (Friday, Peoria Civic Center), Christian humorist Chonda Pierce (Jan. 26, Bloomington's Victory Christian Center), "Queer As Folk" alum Hal Sparks (Feb. 21, Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts), Comedy Central mainstay Brian Regan (Feb. 22, Peoria Civic Center), the Bob & Tom All-Star Comedy Tour (Feb. 23, Virginia Theater, Champaign), Lake Wobegons' Garrison Keillor (April 9, U of I Krannert Center) and the Reduced Shakespeare Company's Completely Hollywood (abridged) (April 19, BCPA).

Rock-pop-folk

Coming to Twin Cities venues as of press-time are: folkie Ellis Paul (Saturday, Blue Moon Coffeehouse), the Christian-leaning Winter Jam 2008 with NewSong, MercyMe, BarlowGirl, Skillet and Mandisa (Jan. 24, ISU Redbird Arena), the rock-rap ranting of Kid Rock and Rev Run (Jan. 26, U.S. Cellular Coliseum), folk-pop duo the Indigo Girls (Feb. 1, Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts), folk singer Catie Curtis (Feb. 16, Blue Moon Coffeehouse) and Dave Mathews Band associates Tim Reynolds & TR3 (Feb. 29, BCPA).

Not to mention: Hispanic Elvis impersonator El Vez (March 28, BCPA), B-N folk faves Patti Larkin (March 28, Blue Moon Coffeehouse) and Willy Porter (April 12, Blue Moon Coffeehouse), Christian rockers Casting Crowns with Leeland and John Waller (April 25, U.S. Cellular Coliseum) and "Alice's Restaurant" proprietor Arlo Guthrie (May 16, BCPA).

Elsewhere: Christian pop singers Steven Curtis Chapman, Will Franklin and Caleb Chapman (Feb. 9, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Decatur), rockers Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin (Feb. 18, U of I Assembly Hall), Blue Man Group How to Be a Megastar Tour 2.1 (April 1, Peoria Civic Center) and another area gig from Arlo Guthrie (May 15, Sangamon Auditorium, Springfield).

Country

Scheduled for Twin Cities venues thus far is just one all-out country offering: Trace Adkins and Luke Bryan (Feb. 8, U.S. Cellular Coliseum).

Elsewhere, things are a bit more active: Martina McBride, Jack Ingrim and Lady Antebellum (Feb. 22, U of I Assembly Hall), Brad Paisley, Rodney Atkins and Chuck Wicks (Feb. 22, Peoria Civic Center) and Travis Tritt (April 17, U of I Assembly Hall).

Jazz-R&B-World

In B-N, the big names on board so far include: Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (Jan. 19, Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts), blues singer Shemekia Copeland (Jan. 24, New Lafayette Club), a jazz keyboard love fest via GLT Jazz Masters with Bill Charlap (Feb. 2, ISU Center for the Performing Arts), the all-star Tommy Castro & The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue (Feb. 7, New Lafayette Club), Irish band Gaelic Storm (Feb. 8, BCPA), the Harlem Gospel Choir (Feb. 16, BCPA) and blues guitarist Coco Montoya (March 15, New Lafayette Club).

Elsewhere: fiddler Natalie McMaster (Jan. 26, U of I Krannert Center), jazz guitarist Chris Korblein (Jan. 26, Sangamon Auditorium, Springfield), Chicago Jazz Ensemble with Jon Faddis (Feb. 17, Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Decatur), world music trio 2 Foot Yard (Feb. 21, Krannert Center), Irvin Mayfield & The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (Feb. 26, Krannert Center) and the Kenny Barron Trio and Russell Malone Quartet (March 12, Krannert Center).

Also: Phil Coulter & The Irish Pops Orchestra (March 12, Sangamon Auditorium), Marvin Hamlisch and Monica Mancini (March 29, U of I Krannert Center), African Children's Choir (April 4, Kirkland Fine Arts Center), Ann Hampton Callaway (April 24-26, Krannert Center); and Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain and Master of Percussion (April 30, Krannert Center).

Classical

On the Twin Cities front, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra will be busy in the weeks ahead with: An American Dream (Feb. 13), Winter Pops Tribute to LeRoy Anderson (Feb. 15) and a trio of Masterworks concerts with Van Cliburn Competition pianists Roberto Plano (March 9), Sa Chen (April 4) and Joyce Yang (April 25) - all performed in the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition, the ISO's subsidiary Illinois Chamber Orchestra performs a Beethoven bill (Jan. 26) and the Durufle Requiem (Feb. 15) in Bloomington's Second Presbyterian Church.

Elsewhere: the Royal Philharmonic with Pinchas Zukerman (Jan. 16, U of I Krannert Center), pianist Christopher Taylor (Jan. 31, Krannert Center), the Guarneri String Quartet and Johannes String Quartet (Feb. 7, Krannert Center), State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico (Feb. 28, Krannert Center), Orion String Quartet with David Krakauer (March 6, Krannert Center), Kronos Quartet (March 18, Sangamon Auditorium, Springfield; April 3, Krannert Center), violinist-pianist duo Gil Shaham and Akira Eguchi (April 5, Krannert Center), Germany's Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin (April 10, Krannert Center) and pianist Anton Kuerti (April 10, Krannert Center).

Dance

On the local front, the offerings include Indian dance troup Ragamala (April 11, Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts) and the annual ISU Dance Theatre Spring Concert (May 1-3, ISU Center for the Performing Arts).

Traditional spring performances by the McLean County Dance Center, Twin Cities Ballet and USA Ballet also are in the offing.

Elsewhere: the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre (Jan. 16, Sangamon Auditorium, Springfield; Jan. 18-20, Krannert Center, Urbana), Diavolo (March 8, Krannert Center), Riverdance (March 7-9, Peoria Civic Center), the Mark Morris Dance Group (March 27-28, Krannert Center) and South Indian dance ensemble Aniruddha Knight (April 20, Krannert Center).

Etc., etc.

In the realm of things not easily pigeon-holed, Twin Cities venues will host Doodlebops Live! (Friday, U.S. Cellular Coliseum) and The Harlem Globetrotters (Jan. 24, U.S. Cellular Coliseum).

Outside Twin Cities limits, odds-and-ends attractions include: World's Toughest Bulls & Broncs (Saturday, Peoria Civic Center), Harlem Globetrotters (Jan. 23, Prairie Capital Convention Center, Springfield), Cashore Marionettes: Simple Gifts (Jan. 25, Sangamon Auditorium, Springfield), Monster Truck Show (Feb. 1-2, Prairie Capital Convention Center) and The Pipes, Drums & Dancers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and Band of the Coldstream Guards (Feb. 6, U of I Krannert Center).

Also: Monster Jam Monster Truck Racing (Feb. 8-9, Peoria Civic Center), Monster Nationals Monster Truck & Thrill Show (Feb. 9, U of I Assembly Hall), Golden Dragon Acrobats (Feb. 15, Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Decatur; Feb. 17, Sangamon Auditorium), Go, Diego, Go!: The Great Jaguar Rescue (Feb. 25-26, Assembly Hall), and wild animal thrills with Tales From the Field with Jeff Corwin (April 26, Kirkland Fine Arts Center).