On April 3 and 4, Hancher Auditorium held its inaugural Stop/Time Festival, a multi-disciplinary, multi-venue fest spread throughout the University of Iowa campus and downtown Iowa City. “There’s a lot of stuff we know that’s cool that just doesn’t get on as many stages,” festival organizer Andre Perry said in an interview with Little Village […]
Eastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Posted inArts & Entertainment
A quick guide to excellent arts venues in central and eastern Iowa
Good venues can serve as essential third spaces for neighbors to come together and witness, celebrate and commiserate. They’re also easy to take for granted. Each time you buy a ticket and attend a performance, you’re helping to increase the viability of your favorite spaces and keep Iowa’s arts economy strong. These top-notch spots are […]
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Review: Bob Dylan wasn’t afraid to start a song over to give Hancher a masterful show
Bob Dylan has never been afraid of surprising an audience. On a sunny day in late July at the Newport Folk Festival a young Dylan stood in front of a disconcerted public with a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar backed by a rock band—the very first time the famous folk singer did that.
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Worth a Rewatch: Say hello to ‘Scarface’ (1932), a blood-soaked tribute to Al Capone nearly eviscerated by censors
Welcome back to Worth a Rewatch — new reviews and reevaluations of old films featured at Iowa’s nonprofit cinemas. Think of it as a small historical adventure, an investigation of an artifact and perhaps, the way meaning has changed over time. Today we look at Howard Hawk’s 1932 gangster magnum opus Scarface, which the Bijou Film Board will be screening at FilmScene this weekend.
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Margaret Cho discusses performing in red states, conservative comedians and the benefits of bombing onstage
It’s been said that you should never meet your heroes. However, as a workaholic Asian-American trying to make her way in the comedy world from the heart of Iowa, I’ve never been one for listening to the word “should.” So, when I had an opportunity to have a conversation with comedy icon Margaret Cho, I had to go for it.
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Review: Iowa Stage Theatre’s ‘The Seagull’ is Chekhov with a modern soundtrack — and it’s fantastic
I went into The Seagull with some dread. I’ve never been a big fan of Anton Chekhov. The Russian playwright is one of the most influential figures within his medium, likely known to even non-theater-goers by virtue of the concept of “Chekhov’s gun.” His reputation as one of the greatest playwrights of all time is […]
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Review: Descendants lead Q.C. punk fans in a night of aggression and joy, joined by Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Nobro
This past Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day in the Quad Cities, which boasts the only bi-state St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States. The occasion saw hundreds of people dressed in green and imbibing drinks throughout the day. As a veteran bartender, I know that the madness of St. Patrick’s calms by roughly 6 […]
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Andre Perry hopes Stop/Time celebrates the ‘spirit of innovation’ Iowa City artists and festival-goers embrace
I first met Perry standing in front of the bar at The Mill (R.I.P.). He was memorable for his manner: he pays attention, asks probing questions, looks you in the eye and seems to actually care about what you say. At the time he had a band, The LonelyHearts, and was working on an MFA in […]
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The Free Art Studio finds a new space for their weekly ‘bad art’ workshops in Iowa City
The Free Art Studio, an Iowa City organization that strives to make art accessible for all, held their first workshop in their new home, the Ned Ashton House, on March 8. The studio was previously housed in Iowa City’s Wright House of Fashion. With help from a variety of community members, Lauren Simmering and Penelope […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
237 Collective to mark its new nonprofit status with a cozy night of poetry and storytelling in Cedar Rapids
“We began as a local art gallery and supply shop and quickly realized there was a gap to fill in Cedar Rapids around community connection,” Long-Williams said. Eventually, “we began exploring what it would look like for 237 to be a nonprofit, and after two years, have officially made the transition.”
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Mission Creek Festival and Brink announce lineup for Day Party, a new, one-day festival of music, arts and food
Saturday, April 25 will mark the first Day Party, a one-day mini-festival in downtown Iowa City co-directed by Mission Creek Festival and Brink, a literary nonprofit supporting hybrid writing. Tickets went on sale Friday morning.
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‘The more aggressive we got, the more we found ourselves’: The Rumours reflect on their rise ahead of a hometown show at Octopus College Hill
When the Rumours pull into the venue Saturday and start unloading their van, it’s inevitable someone will assume they’re the “girlfriends carrying the guy’s gear.” “They don’t know that we’re the girl band that’s actually playing,” said Ela Moore, bassist and singer for the Rumours. “Yeah, it’s one of those situations. We get a lot of disrespect, so we’re just kind of pissed off about it.”
