Iowa City playwright Mary Swander’s most recent play began with a chance find at a local store. “Years ago, I took a walk down the road one day from my place, an old Amish one-room schoolhouse, to the country store,” Swander recounts on her Substack. “There, they have a rack of literature … My eyes […]
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Chris Okiishi wants to offer an ‘astonishing take’ on cult classic ‘Carrie: The Musical’ in Cedar Rapids
Carrie: The Musical, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Sept. 20–Oct. 13 This article is about two great shows happening in the corridor this season, and it is also a love letter to two theater powerhouses. The impact of Chris Okiishi and Patrick Du Laney on the performing arts in eastern Iowa cannot be overstated. Even before starting […]
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The rise, fall and meteoric resurgence of Brazil’s ‘forbidden dance’ is inspiring Iowans to Zouk
One of the most popular contemporary partner dances was almost stifled out of existence at the end of the 20th century. “When people say Lambada, people think, ‘Oh, the forbidden dance?’ That is the first thing that comes to mind for people. And that’s a very wrong idea, actually, because it’s a sensual dance, but […]
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Armed with a Hammond organ (or two), Delvon Lamarr and his trio have a groovy set in store for Des Moines
It only makes sense that at his home in northern Indiana, Delvon Lamarr’s garage is packed full of Hammond B-3 organs. “I had seven, but I just sold one, so now I got six,” Lamarr told me. “I always regret when I get rid of things. I’ve had all kinds of synthesizers and stuff, and […]
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Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops are ready to make a ‘wall of music’ at Wooly’s with Deerhoof
The name Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops comes partly from an inside joke. In Kansas City, frontman Wheeler and bassist Jill McLain-Meister came across a group of three people living together who always wore security guard outfits and jokingly named them the “poly mall cops.” But the name also reflects the multiple drummers […]
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Anyone can Catan at an upcoming tournament in Cedar Rapids, the result of a geeky cross-state collaboration
Less abstract than chess, but more complex than Scrabble, Eurogames — which came to prominence in the late ’70s and early ’80s in Germany and quickly spread across Europe — offer players multiple paths to victory and more intricate strategy and tactics. Leading the charge of this stylistic expansion stateside was Klaus Teuber’s 1995 release […]
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Expect ‘all hits,’ cool outfits and ‘epic cardboard hearts’ at Cupid’s Lounge, a Valentine’s show from Ramona & the Sometimes, the Lovin’ Forkful
Cupid’s Lounge: Songs About Love by Talented Locals xBk Live, Des Moines, Saturday, Feb. 10 at 8:30 p.m., $13-18 Des Moines rock outfit Ramona & the Sometimes wants to sweep you off your feet — or at least rock your socks off — at their Valentine’s takeover of xBk Live, Cupid’s Lounge: Songs About Love by […]
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Comedy helped ‘tough guy’ Felonious Munk grow into a family man, actor and stand-up star on the rise
What does comedian, actor and social commentator Felonious Munk want Des Moines to know before his show at Teehee’s Comedy Club on Feb. 3? “My comedy is designed to make you giggle first, but also to make you think,” he said. “I don’t consider myself to be a super smart comedian, but I do think […]
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Three Saturdays, nine performances, one stage: The Englert’s Local Showcase Series returns Jan. 17
The Englert Theatre’s Local Showcase Series returns in 2024 with three nights of performances featuring exclusively local artists. The goal of this series, spanning January and early February, is to group musically inclined newcomers with experienced veterans on the same night. It is also an opportunity to connect area musicians. The first showcase on Saturday, […]
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Film festivals, student projects and a new cinema are putting the Quad Cities on the international filmmaking map
Over the past nine years, Quad Cities students with the Urban Exposure Independent Film Project have amassed a filmography equivalent to a small studio. “I think that we have 30-something films that we’ve made,” said Gaye Shannon Burnett, co-founder of the Azubuike African American Center for the Arts. “The kids that go to film school […]
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Broadway Sinfonietta’s live score (and then some) ‘Spider-Verse’ concert to swing through Des Moines
You’ll want to sit through the credits of this Marvel movie, just not for the usual reason. “The movie ends … and then we score the whole credits for eight minutes,” said Emily Marshall, the New York-based conductor who will be leading the Broadway Sinfonietta for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert when it […]
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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, […]
