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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

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 21, 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....

Photo of Jeremy 
Geragotelis, writer and performer, from An Unsettled Body. Contributed by director Kenneth Collins.

‘An Unsettled Body,’ to explore historical moment through new lens

Maddie Johnston, Arts Reporter February 18, 2021

On a Sunday morning in 1661, in the small town of Newbury, Massachusetts, a young Quaker woman named Lydia walked naked into her church. In 17th century New England, Puritans exerted extreme power...

The University of Iowa Theater Building as seen on Monday, May 6, 2019.

Generation Candyland: UI Theatre Department’s next play tackles some not-so-sweet subject matter

Jenna Post, Arts Reporter February 11, 2021

Trigger Warning: This article includes mentions of substance abuse and trauma. The name “Candyland” may bring to mind children happily playing a brightly colored family-friendly board game....

Contributed.

Riverside’s ‘Will Power’ reimagined for virtual classrooms

Jenna Post, Arts Reporter February 8, 2021

Since beginning in 2006, the Will Power series has brought many of Shakespeare’s works to the classroom. Ordinarily, the annual event involves the Riverside Theatre team visiting middle school classrooms...

The University of Iowa Theater Building is seen on Monday, May 6, 2019.

‘the serpent under’t’ sheds new light on theatrical trauma stories

Tatiana Plowman, Arts Reporter February 4, 2021

This article includes mentions of sexual misconduct and trauma When University of Iowa student Emmy Lane Palmersheim was young, they adored the stories of Greek mythology. They read all of the Percy...

Photo from the City Circle Theatre Company's 'A Christmas Cabaret.' Contributed.

City Circle Theatre to premiere original cabaret-style performance for Christmas

Jenna Post, Arts Reporter December 13, 2020

City Circle Theatre Company hopes to bring its audience out of the pandemic blues by doing the same for Santa Claus with a musical variety show, A Christmas Cabaret, which premieres on Dec. 18. An...

Photo of the cast and crew members of Riverside Theatre's A Christmas Carol. Contributed.

From Christmas past to the virtual present: Riverside performs A Christmas Carol

Jenna Post, Arts Reporter November 29, 2020

Riverside Theatre brought one of the oldest Christmas stories to the new world of virtual theater. A Christmas Carol was made available for streaming on Nov. 27 through the theater’s website. Despite...