The Iowa City Artists Registry, which the city’s Neighborhood Outreach division maintains as part of the Public Art Program, is intended to assist local artists by connecting them with the community as well as art organizations and venues. But since it went online in February, the registry is still struggling to get attention from both […]
Englert Theatre
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Andre Perry to leave the Englert, search begins for next executive director
In a news release invoking “a new chapter,” the Englert Theatre in Iowa City announced on Tuesday that long-time executive director Andre Perry would be stepping down on Sept. 13 to “tackle new projects in the community.” Current Englert marketing director John Schickedanz will serve as the interim executive while the board of directors conducts […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Lighting the way: The Englert’s historic marquee shines once more
On Friday, Dec. 18, the historic Englert Theatre lit up the icy streets of downtown Iowa City as its newly restored marquee shone above in all its 1950s-vintage glory. With exposed ankles turning red and propane heaters blazing, only the clouds of frigid breath were missing underneath an array of masks, Santa Claus hats and […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Witching Hour hosting virtual fest featuring Danez Smith, Stacey Walker, Black Belt Eagle Scout and more
The arrival of COVID-19 in Iowa on March 8 spelled disaster for the 2020 Mission Creek Festival, which was set to take place in downtown Iowa City April 1-4. But the Englert Theatre had time to adapt their other annual festival, Witching Hour, for a pandemic world. The 2020 Witching Hour Festival, presented by the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert makes the best of the pandemic, presenting and fostering engagement with the arts digitally
Throughout its 108-year history, the Englert Theatre in Iowa City has always changed with the times. From its origins as a vaudeville theater, to a movie theater and now a revered space for performing arts, the Englert has grown into its role as a cornerstone in Iowa City’s art scene. Through its regular programming as […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert web series ‘Nuggets of Wisdom’ presents a friendly dialogue on race and queerness
Viewers might watch an episode of the Englert Theatre’s new series, Nuggets of Wisdom, and think Sharon Udoh and Jonny Stax have been close friends for years. Whether it’s the chemistry they have in their conversation, or how comfortable they seem talking about personal subjects, there’s a sense of familiarity. The two actually met in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Wine, dine and donate: Brix contributes more than $13,000 to fellow downtown businesses and arts organizations
When Nick Craig, owner of Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar in Iowa City’s Northside Neighborhood, was making plans for his girlfriend’s April 19 birthday, he knew the couple couldn’t celebrate the way they would under normal circumstances. He and Lacy Laughton would usually mark the occasion by going to a performance or eating at […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Downtown Iowa City Arts Showcase: Darius Stewart, the Englert’s 2020 Nonfiction Writing Fellow, discusses Iowa City, poetry and HGTV with Elly Hofmaier
As part of Little Village’s ongoing Downtown Iowa City Arts Showcase, we highlight poet Darius Stewart and his work as the Englert Theatre’s Nonfiction Writing Fellow for 2020. Stewart is the second recipient of the fellowship, which was designed to give writers a space to create and a new way to connect with the community. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mission Creek Festival 2020 is canceled, may reschedule
The 15th annual Mission Creek Festival is the latest event to fall to the coronavirus pandemic. Festival organizers sent an email just before 6 p.m. Thursday announcing the cancellation of the festival “in its current form” due to the public health risk. Originally scheduled to take place at various downtown Iowa City venues April 1-4, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mission Creek Festival announces Kim Gordon, Black Belt Eagle Scout and more for 15th fest
The Englert Theatre is once again bringing the freshest names in music and literature to downtown Iowa City with the 15th annual Mission Creek Festival. They’ve curated a jam-packed lineup for the festival’s truncated four-day schedule, kicking of Wednesday, April 1 (no foolin’).
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Young spoken-word poets express ‘heartache and joy’ on the Englert stage for the IC Speaks showcase
Stage lights cast a blue hue on a lone mic as attendants trickled into the Englert Theatre to see the IC Speaks Showcase on Saturday night. About a dozen students from West, City, Liberty and Tate high schools filled the first two rows on the theater’s west side. In the hour and a half that followed, the students got up one by one to stand at
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with: Kev Marcus, of Black Violin
Kev Marcus (Kevin Sylvester) and Wil B (Wilner Baptiste) were just kids when they met in the orchestra room at Dillard High School of the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (the majority-black magnet school also counts Nonpoint’s Elias Soriano and upcoming Rum Tum Tugger Jason Derulo among its alumni). But what began as a
