The University of Iowa Division of Performing Arts is preparing to kick off another exciting season with hundreds of live performances in music, theater, and dance.
Tickets for the 2013-14 season handled through the Hancher Box Office will go on sale Monday, Aug. 26, including Mainstage productions of UI Theatre, the School of Music’s Band Extravaganza, and numerous productions of the Department of Dance, including Dance Gala.
The Hancher Box Office is located in the University Capitol Centre (Old Capitol Town Center) in downtown Iowa City. Tickets are available for purchase by phone (319-335-1160 or 800-426-2437) or walk-up between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available online.
Additional detailed event and ticketing information for all Division of Performing Arts events is available at arts.uiowa.edu.
Department of Theatre Arts
Water by the Spoonful, Oct. 10-20
Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Water by the Spoonful tells the story of Iraq war veteran Elliot Ortiz as he struggles to find his place in the world, while being haunted by the ghosts of his past. As families splinter and collide, online and face-to-face, Quiara Alegría Hudes masterfully draws patterns of genuine warmth, forgiveness, and redemption.
The Imaginary Invalid, Nov. 14-23
An aging hypochondriac with a miserly streak, Argan decides the key to solving his medical needs is to marry off his daughter to a doctor. Unfortunately for him, his gold-digging wife, his wise-cracking maid, and his daughter have other ideas. A fun, fresh take on Molière’s most often produced comedy; this new adaptation could be just what the doctor ordered for a fun evening in the theater.
Iowa Partnership in the Arts: Makeover, Feb. 6-16
Abandoned after World War II, a feisty mom parlays her gift for glamour and gab into an empire catering to the dreams of women across the country. Told with insight and humor, and freely inspired by the lives of pioneer entrepreneurs Estee Lauder and Mary Kay, this new musical reflects a changing vision of women in our times. Makeover, with book and lyrics by Darrah Cloud and an original score by Kim Sherman, spans the styles that shaped popular music for 50 years.
The Partnership in the Arts Program was established in 1992 to support the creation of major new works of theatrical art with collaboration from national and international guest artists.
Absurd Person Singular, March 6-15
Acclaimed playwright Alan Ayckbourn outdoes himself this time with a hysterical farce following three couples, in three kitchens, on three successive Christmas Eves. Watch as relationships change, fortunes soar and then dive, and the social kaleidoscope gets shaken up. Add an off-stage couple whose jokes are really bad, some of the most ingenious failed suicide attempts ever devised, and lots of gin, and you’re in for some truly memorable holiday parties!
Slaughter City, April 10-20
This poignant and timely play by University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop graduate Naomi Wallace is a poetic drama that tells the story of a group of workers in a meatpacking plant. As their working conditions deteriorate, a stranger named Cod floats through their world encouraging them to take action. But will the revelation of his dark secrets undermine his efforts?
Department of Dance
Dance Gala 2013, Oct. 17-26
For more than 30 years, UI’s Dance Gala has wowed audiences by showcasing some of the best choreography and dance from one of the most highly acclaimed dance programs in the country. This year’s featured special guest choreographer is UI Alumni Fellow Simone Ferro.
Dancers in Company Home Concert, Feb. 27-March 1
The UI’s premier touring repertory company splashes onto campus with its hugely popular home concert. Don’t miss your opportunity to see this company of talented and exciting dancers!
School of Music
Band Extravaganza, Nov. 5
The Hawkeye Marching Band, alongside the UI Golden Girl and Drum Major, perform highlights from the 2013 football halftime shows. Rounding out the evening are powerful performances from the UI Symphony Band and the big band sounds of Johnson County Landmark.
UI Opera (tickets on sale through the Englert Theatre)
Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill, Nov. 8-10
The remarkable journey through the career of one of the most extraordinary artists of the 20th century. Kurt Weill has created some of the most popular and daring musical theatre pieces of his day, collaborating with a dazzling array of literary giants including Bertolt Brecht, Langston Hughes, Alan Jay Lerner, and Ira Gershwin.
Die Fledermaus, May 2-4
Johann Strauss’s effervescent operetta Die Fledermaus is a delightfully comic story of revenge, seduction, and mistaken identity, centered on a high-society party thrown by Prince Orlofsky. Man-about-town Eisenstein is to be jailed, his wife is being seduced by an old flame, his friend Dr. Falke has a plan to exact revenge for a past prank, and everybody wants to go to the party!
UI String Quartet Residency Program
This exciting new program will bring five nationally recognized string quartets to the University of Iowa School of Music for extended residences. Performances include:
- JACK Quartet, the String Quartets by UI Composers, Oct. 11
- JACK Quartet, Oct. 12
- Daedalus Quartet, Nov. 17
- Chiara Quartet: Bartok Cycle, Dec. 6-7
- Jupiter Quartet, Feb. 28
- Fry Street Quartet, April 8 and 10
The Division of Performing Arts is a unit of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to attend any of these performances, call the Hancher Box Officein advance at319-335-1160 or 800-426-2437.