Area college students of a literary bent will gather together at Mount Mercy University on Wednesday, Sept. 6 for a shared reading. The public is invited to attend the free event.
Rob Cline
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Giving Tree’s ‘The Elephant Man’ offers nuanced performances that honor the playwright’s legacy
Bernard Pomerance, playwright of The Elephant Man, passed away on Aug. 26 at the age of 76. Less than a week later, the Giving Tree Theater production of the play — which won for the Tony for best play in 1979 — opened and offered proof that its author will long be remembered.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
NewBo Arts Fest introduces event cups for alcohol in its 11th year
The 11th edition of the New Bohemia Art Festival will take over the NewBo district in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, Sept. 3. Activities get underway at 7:30 a.m. with the NewBo Run, a half marathon and 10K. Artist tents open at 10 a.m.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Joe Bonamassa shredded at the Paramount Theatre
Joe Bonamassa is an interesting kind of famous. On the one hand, you can say his name to many music-loving folk and receive a blank stare in response. On the other, he can sell out the Paramount Theatre with a bottom ticket price of $102. Which is to say: To know him, apparently, is to love him.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Will Braden brings the best cat videos to Cedar Rapids
Watching cat videos on the internet — whether done earnestly or ironically — has long been something of a private endeavor. Sure, you might share your favorites, but odds are you haven’t been gathering your friends together for mass viewings of feline hijinks. That can all change this Saturday, Aug. 19 as the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library presents CatVideoFest.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Actors deftly handle the intimacy and emotion of ‘Constellations’
Bend time and space to fit Constellations at Giving Tree Theater into your schedule. Jo Jordan and Kyle Shedeck, under the direction of Richie Akers, bring authentic emotion to a complex script by Nick Payne that explores the intersection of love’s fragility and inevitability.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
SPT New Play Incubator Series captures honest emotion via beautiful language in ‘Conjure’
At the beginning and end of ‘Conjure,’ written by area poet and playwright Jennifer Rouse, the all-female cast joins hands and forms a circle, their faces turned inward toward one another. It’s a ceremonial act, and it signals and exemplifies the palpable bond linking these performers/characters. It also exemplifies the challenges the work poses to the audience.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Men of Tortuga’ argue action and ethics in Foundry’s taut, fraught inaugural production
Two impressive pillars in the Shores Event Center frame the playing area for ‘Men of Tortuga,’ the first production of the Foundry Forge, part of a new arts endeavor headed by Jason Alberty. The production itself is supported by two impressive pillars, as well — a strong script by Jason Wells and sharp performances by the cast of five under Alberty’s direction.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Foundry Forge brings a new theater vision to Cedar Rapids
This week, a new arts organization in Cedar Rapids will stage its first production. The Foundry Performance Laboratory presents Jason Wells’ Men of Tortuga under the banner of the organization’s performance division, the Foundry Forge.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
NewBo Market will be host to Fields of Yogis this weekend
Fields of Yogis will host “Choose How You Grow,” co-sponsored by Little Village, an ambitious festival committed to all things yoga, Aug. 11-13 in Cedar Rapids’ NewBo District.
Posted inCommunity/News
Learn bystander intervention skills in Cedar Rapids at free workshop
As our national discourse coarsens, it can be difficult to know how to best respond to hateful words and actions in public confrontations. Positive Words and Actions — a Cedar Rapids organization dedicated to combating racism and stereotypes about Muslims, immigrants and refugees — hopes to offer some guidance for these fraught situations.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
DCI’s “Best Open Class Tour Event” Tournament of Drums returns to Kingston Stadium
Tournament of Drums Kingston Stadium — Saturday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. Who says you need a football game to enjoy a dazzling halftime show? The Tournament of Drums returns to Kingston Stadium this Saturday night, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. The event honors Cedar Rapids’ long history in the world of drum corps — […]
