**** 1/2 out of ***** In a crowded yet quiet theater, the audience members barely moved as they held their breath, watching the engrossing Shutter Island. Martin Scorsese, the famed director of such...

When people think about bluegrass, images of gray-haired men in collared shirts and ties plucking away at banjos might come to mind. However, the guys in Split Lip Rayfield prefer wearing T-shirts and...

For its 20th anniversary, the Celebrating Cultural Diversity Festival isn’t ordering fireworks or lining up Lady Gaga to throw it down on the main stage. It doesn’t need to. “Every year is special,”...

In a world in which photographers work in the digital fortress of computers, Kelli Connell enjoys working in a darkroom. “Sitting at a computer [editing photos] holds a little less magic,” she said. The...

Think of a singing penis, a Heisman Trophy, and a comb phone. Think Poona the F*ckdog. “It’s so over the top,” codirector and actor Brian Tanner said, describing the play. “But it seemed like...

The experience of being on tour has definitely been interesting for Velvet Davenport — even if it hasn’t been the most hygienic. “You just have to get to a place, play music, and have fun,” said...

Watching porn has never been on my list of things to do before I die. However, when the UI put its foot down on the Bijou last week for its scheduled Disco Dolls in Hot Skin in 3-D, I was actually a wee...

For writer Karen Leona Anderson, poetry and science go hand-in-hand. She wrote her dissertation at Cornell University on the two subjects and researched bees for her latest collection of poems, titled...

Following a musical in the fall, Kirkwood Community College students will experiment in drama and farce in a dark comedic production. House of Blue Leaves will be produced three times, beginning Friday...

While the works of British, German, and American composers are easy to find in Iowa, music from other locales may at times be less prominent. This weekend, the YL Male Voice Choir, a Finnish group, will...

Devotion can come in many forms. For some, including female Hindi ascetics, it can mean sacrificing a typical life in the name of religious adherence. Antoinette DeNapoli, a visiting professor of Asian...

Lauren Baker has bruised knees. Playing the humorous main character of Ruth in Iowa City Community Theatre’s production of Wonderful Town requires her to fall down a lot. While her role also entails...