I decided to see Ailey II on Nov. 4 at the Englert Theatre more to fulfill my drive to explore the unknown in the arts than from a desire to see it. The opportunity to interview Ailey II Artistic Director Troy Powell for Englert’s Stages magazine was the tipping point — he’d been insistent on the point that dance is an art that anyone can appreciate and understand. And so I went.
Daniel Boscaljon
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‘Going Home’ to the Ped Mall
Over the next few weeks, as you wind through the labyrinth of fences that define the rat maze within the Ped Mall, be sure to stop at the two pop up spaces (designed by Sanjay Jani of AKAR ARchiTecture) and spend a few moments meditating on the meaning of home as mediated by four local architectural firms.
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‘Iphigenia Point Blank’ not just a retelling, but a focus on the world today
This month, the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts has the honor of presenting a Iphigenia Point Blank: Story of the First Refugee. Its final performances will be Nov. 8-10 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. at the David Thayer Theatre, UI Theatre Building. Tickets are $5-20.
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Video premiere and interview: The Awful Purdies, ‘45’
Because “45” has a simple, catchy melody, its easy to overlook the levels of depth that make it great. The melody is accompanied by a complex arrangement of acoustic elements, one of the hallmarks of the Awful Purdies’ sound. It unfolds into Katie Roche’s vocals and includes textured and layered harmonies that echo and support them.
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Ghosts of the past haunt a timely production of ‘The Price’ at Riverside
Throughout the play, the Franz family consistently seems unwilling to face the loneliness of silence. In general, while lines are delivered with passion or reserve, the production allows a sense of accumulation — like the crowded stage — in which everything adds together.
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Witching Hour Q&A: Janelle James on developing her comedy style
Janelle James, one of the featured comedians for the 2018 Witching Hour festival, performs at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Englert Theatre (tickets $15-55), opening for fellow Illinois-to-New York transplant Liza Treygar.
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What to look forward to at Witching Hour 2018
Now in its fourth year, Witching Hour, the festival dedicated to exploring the unknown and engaging the imagination, returns this year on October 12 and 13, 2018.
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The 10th annual Iowa City Book Festival is underway!
Literature, of course, has never been bound to books — but books have become increasingly unbound through various iterations and innovations.
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Five questions with: Dave Alvin
On Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. (tickets: $25.00), The Mill will host Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, two independent legends who have collaborated on a new album, ‘Downey to Lubbock.’
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‘BlacKkKlansman’ collapses past and present into a powerful statement of black reality
When I went to see ‘Sorry to Bother You,’ directed by Boots Riley, last month, I had thought it was one of the best pieces of absurdist cultural commentary I had seen, even considering Childish Gambino’s “This is America.” Including Spike Lee’s newest, ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ we now have three pieces of art that provide a stark exposition of the racist nature of American power.
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Festival whiteness: Hinterland was a success — but for whom?
By almost every metric, the 2018 Hinterland Music Festival was an incredible success. It drew in 9,300 people for Friday and 11,500 for Saturday. As a reference, in 2010, Madison County (home of St. Charles, Iowa, where the festival is held) had a total population of 15,753. Even if the total for Saturday included event staff, volunteers, roadies, band members, etc., the gathering at Hinterland would still constitute a population larger than 35 of the counties in Iowa.
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Compassion drives Bo Burnham’s ‘Eighth Grade’
I had never heard of Bo Burnham, who wrote and directed ‘Eighth Grade’ (currently screening at both FilmScene and Marcus Cinemas in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids), but found it fitting that my child — who just completed that educational milestone — was quite familiar with his work.
