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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

New rules, new sets: Riverside produces a virtual show within a green screen world

New rules, new sets: Riverside produces a virtual show within a green screen world

Jenna Post, Arts Reporter April 7, 2021

Riverside’s newest virtual play, Sonnets for an Old Century, was filmed using a green screen to make an ambitious set design a reality. After seeing the sci-fi-esque final product, one may be surprised...

Three plays are the charm: City Circle to virtually present three original comedies in ‘Acting Out While Staying In’

Three plays are the charm: City Circle to virtually present three original comedies in ‘Acting Out While Staying In’

Jenna Post, Arts Reporter April 6, 2021

City Circle Theatre Company’s latest show, titled Acting Out While Staying In, aims to provide levity by not shying away from the reality of the pandemic. Each of the three original plays, all...

Stock image.

Riverside Theatre to celebrate Shakespeare’s birth month with ‘The Sonnet Project’

Abby McCusker, Arts Reporter April 1, 2021

In April of 1564, William Shakespeare was born. To celebrate the birthday of one of the theater's most popular playwrights, Riverside Theatre, in cooperation with other Iowa City arts organizations,...

A cast sheet for the University of Iowa Theatre Department’s Just For Fun Comedy show is seen on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021.

Six student comedians featured in upcoming Theatre Department comedy show

Tatiana Plowman, Arts Reporter March 31, 2021

Watching comedians like Kate McKinnon, John Mulaney and Carol Burnett inspired theater arts senior Olivia Williams to enroll in a stand-up comedy practicum with Theatre Department Lecturer Megan Gogerty...

Photo illustration by Grace Smith.

UI Theatre Department’s ‘Borderless’ presents audio experience that uplifts LGBTQ+ history

Maddie Johnston, Arts Reporter March 31, 2021

As long as film, television, and theater have prevailed, queer voices have been repressed. When queerness is present in these media, the uniting force between gay characters has historically been suffering,...

Raven, played by Emma Kohlenberg, watches as Poe, played by Ellie Turk, looks out the window during the “Sirens of the Field” dress rehearsal in Thayer Theatre in the Theatre Building on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. “Sirens of the Field” is a student written and directed play; written/co-directed by Brett Stone, and co-directed by Jivani Rodriguez. There will be a virtual performance of “Sirens of the Field” on Saturday, March 27, at 8:00pm.

Identity, grief, and self-discovery at the heart of upcoming UI play, ‘Sirens of the Field’

Abby McCusker, Arts Reporter March 25, 2021

UI student Brett Stone was sitting in their childhood bedroom in Ames, Iowa, overlooking the highway, when they first compared the sound of cars driving by to the song of the Sirens from Greek mythology....

The Englert Theater is seen March 14, 2021.

Stage to studio: How the Englert and other Iowa City venues have adapted their spaces during COVID-19

Abby McCusker, Arts Reporter March 14, 2021

Seven-hundred and thirty seats sit empty in the Englert Theatre, as they have since last March. While seats remain vacant as the coronavirus pandemic continues to prevent audiences from gathering safely,...

A row of hats is seen in the University of Iowa Costume Shop in the Old Museum of Art on Thursday, January 7th, 2021. Because of pandemic regulations, "The People Before the Park" will be streamed digitally as opposed to playing for live audiences.

Stitch by stitch: costuming ‘The People Before the Park’

Josie Fischels and Parker Jones March 14, 2021

Beginning next weekend, University of Iowa actors will dress in corsets, suspenders, and petticoats for the Theatre Department’s spring mainstage production, The People Before the Park. For many...

Contributed.

Local children’s theater shares fantasy stories in ‘Storytelling: A Pandemic Play’

Tatiana Plowman, Arts Reporter March 10, 2021

Although many theatre lights are still down, Young Footliters Youth Theatre will be lighting up the virtual Zoom stage for the Iowa City community from March 12 to 14, presenting an original play titled...

Screenshot of Zoom rehearsal for "Skeleton Closet" of Courtney Graham (left) and Kyle Braeske (right).

UI Theatre Department’s ‘Skeleton Closet’ grapples with grief and identity

Tatiana Plowman, Arts Reporter March 4, 2021

As a trans individual, playwright Matthew Neal noticed the lack of trans stories in mainstream media. This observation led the third-year theatre arts major to write his play, “Skeleton Closet,”...

University of Iowa freshman, Lily Woodard, poses for a portrait in a Daum Residence Hall lounge on Thursday, Feb. 25. She had to perform for the 10-Minute Play Festival alone in the lounge over Zoom because of COVID and provide her own costume. Woodard said, “The show must go on.”

The Ten-Minute Play festival to bring out underutilized talents in its participants

Jenna Post, Arts Reporter February 25, 2021

Undergraduate playwrights and actors have had the opportunity to showcase their talents through the University of Iowa Theatre Department’s Ten-Minute Play Festival for 24 years. Like most theater...

Photo of Robert Kemp and Jessica Murillo who star in "First Date: A Musical Comedy." Contributed.

City Circle to virtually present musical comedy ‘First Date’ for first show of the year

Tatiana Plowman, Arts Reporter February 22, 2021

Bringing the love right into Coralville and Iowa City homes, City Circle Theatre Company will present “First Date: A Musical Comedy” from Feb. 26 to 28. First Date premiered on Broadway on Aug....