May: The month in theatre
Though the University of Iowa presents excellent theatre throughout the school year, its reputation in playwriting comes to full flower in the University’s annual New Play Festival. During the last w...
The Stage
The Broken Chord examines the effects of Alzheimer’s on communities...
“How do we experience an epidemic?”
Martin Andrews, Producing Director of Working Group Theatre, poses this question during a rainy Saturday...
The Stage: The month in theatre
For fans of the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde that can’t be satisfied by merely watching it on cable practically every day, the only remedy is to “bend and snap” their way to see Theatre Cedar Rapids’ p...
A Standing Ovation for American Dad
As a theatre critic, I am not in the habit of reviewing TV shows, although I love television to the point where I consider it a hobby. In particular, my favorite shows are animated sitcoms because of...
The Stage: Interview: William Missouri Downs
Riverside Theatre is now featuring William Missouri Downs’s play The Exit Interview (directed by Ron Clark), showing Jan. 25-Feb. 17 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The play is about a profess...
The Stage: Theatre Cedar Rapids’ Underground New Play Festival
One of my best friends used to work at a state-run hospital for convicts who required intense psychiatric care. She once observed, “Hearing a guy say ‘Jesus told me to kill my wife’ is enough to turn...
The Stage: All in A Day’s Work
From Broadway to Boise, all new plays face the same obstacles. The writer agonizes over when the play is finally complete. The director struggles to combine the writer’s intent with their own artisti...
The Stage: Grad Students Take a Bow: New Play Festival 2012
At the end of every spring semester, The University of Iowa Theatre department brings us its annual New Play Festival. Composed of several new works written and directed by MFA students. Since the fi...
The Stage: Love and Dysfunction From Across the Globe
Big Love March 29-April 14 University of Iowa Theatre Building, David Thayer Theatre More than film, literature, painting or almost any medium, theatre is a living, breathing art form. We see...
The Stage: Worthy Traditions
December in any town in the United States large enough to have a ballet school means one thing: the annual ritual of The Nutcracker. In the imagination of young dancers everywhere, it’s alwa...
The Stage: Telling
My father never made it to the war. Like many in his generation–he was born in 1923–he wanted badly to fight in World War II. Having learned there were only two standard eye charts used i...
The Stage: The Month In Theatre
Megan Gogerty’s new solo show Feet First In The Water With A Baby In My Teeth runs Sept. 9 – Oct. 2 at Riverside Theatre Coralville Center for the Performing Arts Hairspray The Coralville...
The Stage: Summer Takes a Bow
For reasons known only to God and the bureaucrats, school starts in Iowa City in August instead of waiting decently until after Labor Day. Despite the resumption of scholarly activity, however, Augus...
Stages for All Ages
Summer in Iowa City may bring with it a decrease in the number of students but, like parking places downtown, the city’s many stages always manage to stay occupied. This season brings a selection of ...
The Stage: Local Playwrights Debut
First things first: The winner of last month’s contest is Rachael Carlson, who not only came up with a reference to urine in Shakespeare but also came up with one that I did not even know, from Measu...