Lauren Watt is kind of a theatrical superhero. From crying actors to flickering lights to water splashed across the stage, the stage manager handles it all without a blonde hair out of place.  When...

A dancer moves to the music of a violin player and saxophonist. Their gloved hands moves through the air, simultaneously providing data for a computer program called HIDI, which uses them to create a unique,...

Chicago’s Second City improv and sketch group has taught some of the world’s most successful comedians, including Chris Farley, Joan Rivers, Steve Carrell, and Stephen Colbert, to name a...

Actor, singer, and songwriter Chuck Mitchell has been around the block, from New York City and California to a farm outside of Detroit, and finally to a Mississippi River house in Iowa. With every move...

Fresh off the release of his new album, Let the Good Times Roll, on Feb. 10, rocker JD McPherson plans to bring this belief to Iowa City tonight, where he will kick off his new tour. McPherson sat down...

Step dancing, or stepping, is a form of dance performed in many African-American fraternities and sororities. At 10 p.m. today in the IMU, Step Afrika, the first company dedicated to stepping, will perform. “The...

One of the state of Iowa’s most famous athletes, Dan Gable, will speak on one of the 2014’s most acclaimed films at 3 p.m. Saturday at FilmScene, 118 E. College St. Gable, a former Hawkeye...

In the play Black Comedy, a sculptor waits for an art dealer in his London flat, which is bathed in darkness. Suddenly, the power goes out — and the lights come up on the disoriented characters, who...

The following account is a complete mess.  I’m sorry. The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival (BaconMania VIII) in Des Moines on Jan. 31 was designed on such a grandiose scale and executed so flawlessly...

Iowa City chef and owner of the Motley Cow David Wieseneck discusses one of his favorite flavors. Q: Why do you work with bacon? A: It’s great because it’s so whimsical. It’s one...

In an increasingly digital world, paper is often regarded as obsolete or trivial, from books and newspapers to grocery bags and plates. But imagine a sheet of paper whose components are personal and meaningful,...

The velvety echo of a violin and the thunder of a bomb. The mellow tune of a cello and the shrill of a missile. Though usually perceived as contrasting media, these sounds come together in a union of calm...