Last night, a giddy audience gathered in the historic Englert Theatre, its marquee beautifully illuminating their entrance, for opening night of the third annual Refocus Film Festival. Onstage, Andrew Sherburne and Programming Director Ben Delgado expressed their gratitude for all who made the festival possible and shared some backstory on their efforts to screen Marielle […]
Eastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Swallowing a tooth, and other ways local poets ‘harness a feeling’ in short films at Refocus
“It is October. Everything is overturning,” writes Hannah Bonner in her debut book of poetry, Another Woman. “I pack a suitcase to get through October and drive to the shore with a video camera,” begins the poem “Video Footage” in Julia Anna Morrison’s Long Exposure, her first book of poems. It is October. And with […]
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‘Star Search: All Stars’ Ep. 7: Well-steeped tea spills, patterns clash and a fan favorite falls in the semi-final roast
Girl, this is not RuPaul’s best friends race. I can’t believe it’s already the top four but here we are, and what a challenge for it. I feel like everyone knows that the roast is harrowing.
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Almost too magical to be true, Lost Woods Festival brought stellar Iowa musicians, cozy furniture and spellbinding vibes in its second year
A mysterious secret location? Tick. A stunning line up of Iowa’s best bands? Tick. Delicious local food trucks? Tick. What’s not to love? With this in mind, I started the ninety-minute road trip from Iowa City to Cedar Falls with high expectations.
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‘Star Search: All Stars’ Ep. 6: Filthy, freakish and sickening in every sense, Dragula week had the artists going all-fucking-out
It was not a night for the faint of heart. The Dragula Ball was the most gripping, nutso, disgusting thing I’ve ever seen — and it was everything. The top five created three looks for three categories: Glamour, Horror and Filth.
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Review: You won’t be borden at ICCT’s ‘Lizzie the Musical,’ a rock-horror show rooted in history
Calling all true crime fans… Lizzie the Musical is a rock-infused retelling of the infamous Lizzie Borden case, in which Lizzie is accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother in 1892. The show explores the events leading up to the murders, focusing on Lizzie’s strained family life, her oppressive circumstances and her rebellious spirit. With […]
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Review: Riverside Theatre’s ‘POTUS’ is a smart, chaotic, wig-tastic political farce starring seven women
Closing out the political chapter of Riverside Theatre’s 2024-2025 season, following Derrick Wang’s opera Scala/Ginsburg, is Oregonian playwright Selina Fillinger’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. A fast-paced political farce set in the White House, the play follows seven women working behind the scenes to manage a […]
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‘It feels like we are one hive’: 100 percussionists fill City Park with sound in performance of ‘Inuksuit’
The sky overhead City Park in Iowa City was clear, a dome of deep blue. Under that sky, more than 100 musicians arranged in concentric circles around conductor Steven Schick, their legs folded in lotus positions. Schick stood up and brought a sea shell to his mouth. The sound was almost imperceptible, only the friction […]
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Bo Ramsey, Joe and Vicki Price set to make the Ideal Theater feel like the Mill this Saturday
Young musicians dominate the press and public consciousness, because talent and the energy of youth will always be compelling. But if we’re talking about music as a capital ‘A’ Art, people like Bo, Joe and Vicki have been making music for well nigh five decades…
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‘Star Search: All Stars’ Ep. 5: Comediennes create chemistry during a pseudo-Real Housewives reunion
The Real Housewives of Johnson County, this week’s challenge, was a non-scripted, Bravo-inspired live cast reunion for a season of TV that didn’t actually happen. It was, of course, hosted by Lil Kimmy Blaque in the role of one “Candy” Cohen.
Posted inEastern Iowa
John’s Grocery fried chicken returns for one night only as part of Chicken Town, a FEaST fundraiser
Many Iowa Citians have had a fried chicken-shaped hole in their lives since John’s Grocery closed its kitchen in early 2022. But this month, they’ll have a chance to fill that void with a two-piece (or two), if they act quickly. The fried chicken that was a staple for University of Iowa students and other […]
