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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 University of Iowa Department of Theatre building is seen on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.

Review | UI Theatre Department’s ‘Ugly Lies the Bone’ is an honest depiction of hope and recovery

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter April 25, 2023

A stage hung with picture frames, set with a chandelier of photographs and a cluttered kitchen table, and a screen in front of which a woman reclines in an armchair knitting. This is how “Ugly Lies...

Alex MacKay, playing Jack Manningham, and Andrew Cole, playing Sergeant Rough, perform during a production of “Angel Street” presented by Dreamwell Theatre at the ArtiFactory in Iowa City on Friday, April 14, 2023. The show premiered on Broadway in 1941 and is known for coining the term “gaslighting.” ArtiFactory will run the show until April 22.

Review | Dreamwell Theatre opens ‘Angel Street’ at the ArtiFactory

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter April 18, 2023

Gas lamps shed a golden glow over the fragile figure of a woman on her chaise lounge. The tea on the table beside her sits abandoned and cold while she anxiously waits for her husband to return home. Dreamwell...

Kristina Ratkawski and Andrew Cole perform during a dress rehearsal of Angel Street in the Trinity Episcopal Church building on Monday, April 3, 2023. The show will open in the Artifactory Building on Saturday, April 15.

Dreamwell Theatre to present production of ‘Angel Street,’ play that defined gaslighting

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter April 10, 2023

The term “gaslighting” is popular in social discourse, typically used in the contexts of political campaigns or toxic relationships. This weekend, the roots of this term will see the light. Dreamwell...

Willow Creek Theater Co. presented Melancholy Play by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Regen Kuker. This play was preformed on Thursday the 9th through Sunday the 12th. The play follows a young woman Tilly who seems to attract everyone she meets until her melancholy goes away and her connections change.

Exploring the thriving local theater scene in Iowa City

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter April 4, 2023

Local theaters are booming in Iowa City through collaborations, new building openings, and an exciting season of shows. Riverside Theatre, Willow Creek Theatre, Iowa City Community Theatre, and...

The outside of the Riverside Theatre is seen at the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City on Friday, April 8, 2022.

Riverside Theatre’s production of ‘Fefu and Her Friends’ pays tribute to legendary playwright and empowers women

Stella Shipman and Emma Gaughan March 21, 2023

The stage is a place where theater comes to life, and the characters share their stories with the audience and build a world — most of the time. In Riverside Theatre’s production of “Fefu and...

The cast for South Bend Civic Theatre's production of Something Rotten rehearses July 12, 2022. The production runs from July 15 to 31, 2022. Civic Theater Puts On Something Rotten

UI Theatre department presents humorous retelling of Shakespeare and history of musical theatre with “Something Rotten!”

Emma Gaughan, Arts Reporter March 8, 2023

Being true to oneself — that’s how the cast and crew of “Something Rotten!” describes the theme of the show. The show was presented by the University of Iowa Theatre department at Mabie Theater...

Emma Hughs and Jennifer Hogan perform during a rehearsal of The Fog Comes on Little Cat Feet in the Artifactory building on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.

Dreamwell Theatre presents world premiere of ‘the fog comes on little cat feet’

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter March 1, 2023

A small room is lined with chairs and lit by fluorescents, filled with the sounds of a vending machine spitting out snacks, a telephone ringing off the hook, and hushed conversations between anxious...

Jun 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; The cast of Six: The Musical performs during the 75th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 12, 2022.

Review | ‘Six: The Musical’ at the Des Moines Civic Center is an energetic feminist reclamation

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter February 21, 2023

Having been an avid fan of the “Six” musical soundtrack for quite some time now, I thought I knew what to expect when I took my seat for the live performance at the Des Moines Civic Center. As...

Actors Bryan Lawler (left) and Marty Reichert (right) perform "Never Say No" in the opening night of The Fantasticks at Willow Creek Theater in Iowa City on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.

Review | ‘The Fantasticks’ flips romantic comedy on its head

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter February 14, 2023

The small theater on Gilbert Street echoed with laughter on Feb. 10 as audiences settled in for a romantic comedy of epic proportions in the Willow Creek Theatre Company’s presentation of “The...

Señor Fillmore, played by Johan Avila, helps Alma, played by Sara Alvidrez, with her work during a dress rehearsal for the University of Iowa theater department’s production of Braided Sorrow Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Review | ‘Braided Sorrow’ a tribute to women silenced by femicide in Mexico

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter February 7, 2023

Blue light bruised the dark stage where a young girl sat on a small box. She ran her fingers over her long braid before slicing it off with scissors. The play “Braided Sorrow,” originally written...

Masha (Valerie Davine) and Sonia (Susan Fuhrmeister) cry themselves silly.

ICCT presents ‘Vanya and Sonia and Marsha and Spike,’ gives humorous look into hope and family

Emma Gaughan, Arts Reporter February 1, 2023

A great passion for theater is what unites the actors, crew, and volunteers that made the Iowa City Community Theater’s production of the Tony-Award Winning play “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and...

Actors Martin Andrews and Tim Budd perform in the final dress rehearsal for the play A Walk In The Woods at Riverside Theatre In Iowa City on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

Review | Riverside’s ‘A Walk in the Woods’ is a powerful play about human connection and hope.

Stella Shipman, Arts Reporter January 31, 2023

The Riverside Theatre transformed into a woodland grove in the mountains of Switzerland on the evening of Jan. 27, surrounded by three-dimensional trees of light and chicken wire with a single wooden...