Infinite Dream Festival, a new two-week, multidisciplinary festival will debut in Iowa City this October, organizers announced Wednesday. The festival is a collaborative effort between the University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium and the Office of Performing Arts and Engagement. Infinite Dream will include orchestral, jazz and alternative music; a conversation with Iowa Writers’ Workshop alums […]
Eastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
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Cedar Rapids Opera celebrates Juneteenth with new, kid-friendly show mixing Mozart and Charlie Parker
Since its early days, the Cedar Rapids Opera has sought to add original works to their repertoire. “I started the company 25 years ago,” said Dr. Daniel Kleinknecht, the opera’s founder, who still serves as artistic director. “It was an idea I had, kind of because in the ’80s, ’90s, so many of my friends […]
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‘If I don’t stick up for the drag queens, who’s gonna stick up for me?’: a Q&A with James McMurtry ahead of his sold-out Iowa City show
On tour promoting his latest album, The Horses and the Hounds, James McMurtry made headlines for wearing a dress. During his encore at a Nashville show in May, the 61-year-old Americana singer-songwriter donned a red dress while singing his 2002 track, “Red Dress.” He chose the outfit in protest of Tennessee’s recent anti-drag legislation, and […]
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Weekender Central Iowa! PrideFest | Juneteenth Kickoff | PrideFest 2023
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium June is the month for all things Pride! Celebrate queer pride at the events surrounding Capital City Pride’s PrideFest! All colors of the rainbow will be highlighted in the skies of East Village as well as at the Lauridsen Amphitheater, Wooly’s and […]
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Weekender Eastern Iowa! Pokey’s Fest | You-Pick Strawberries | CR Pride
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium It’s a stacked weekend in Eastern Iowa! There’s a plethora of awesome events lined up, from the newest desert-tinged session of Feed Me Weird Things at Trumpet Blossom to a chance to live out your hobbit fantasies at Windy Goat Acres. Celebrate […]
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Weekender Eastern Iowa! SotA | Gallery Walk | Open Air Media Festival
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium It’s not summer yet, but it’s in the air! Summer of the Arts kicks things off with the Iowa Arts Festival this weekend, offering a multitude of musical acts, visual arts booths and food vendors galore. You can also catch the second […]
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Weekender Eastern Iowa! TrevorFest | Iowa Renaissance Festival | Waldemar
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium Wish your day-to-day had a lot more “thee”s and “thou”s in it? Good news: The Iowa Renaissance Faire approacheth this weekend in the Amana Colonies! If you’re more into a contemporary vibe, there’s still plenty to choose from. Enjoy the international reggae of […]
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Theater Review: ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ from Coralville’s City Circle Theatre Company
Before now, I wasn’t familiar with the 1992 Tony award winner for best play, Dancing at Lughnasa, or its playwright Brian Friel, who has been called “Ireland’s Chekhov.” I also must admit that I’ve attended Coralville’s Center for the Performing Arts and its resident theater company, City Circle’s productions, far less than some of the […]
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Forty years ago, volunteers pulled off the first Iowa Arts Festival. Summer in Iowa City has never been the same
What started 40 years ago as a volunteer-led labor of love is now a downtown Iowa City institution: the Iowa Arts Festival. Back in the summer of 1983, Joyce Carroll and Kristin Summerwill helped organize a multi-day event on the Ped Mall that brought together artisans, visual artists, poets, local musicians such as Greg Brown […]
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Set and staged in Iowa City, Riverside’s two-woman play ‘The Roommate’ explores the desire to burn it all down and start over
Though the play takes place in Iowa City, and was written by an alumnus of the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, this marks the first time The Roommate has been staged in Iowa City, according to Adam Knight. “I knew the story [before moving here], I knew it took place in this quiet, Midwestern town, […]
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The Iowa Pop Art Fest brings music and more artists Saturday in Cedar Rapids for its third year
The Iowa Pop Art Festival returns to Cedar Rapids this Saturday for its third and biggest year yet. Not only is this year’s showcase of Iowa visual artists presenting more artists than previous years (over 120), live music will be part of the festivities with a lineup including Penny Peach, MAAAZE, Soultru and more. Saturday’s […]
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Theater Review: ‘The Roommate’ at Riverside Theatre
The Roommate was penned by one of the most produced playwrights in the country right now, Jen Silverman, who received an MFA in playwriting at the University of Iowa. The show takes place in Iowa City and, for the first time now, is being staged here Though Silverman’s lived all over the world, Iowa must […]
