The University of Iowa’s new Hancher Auditorium will open with a flourish in September followed by a season filled with world-class artists.

Hancher will welcome the public to tour the building during open houses on Sept. 9 and Sept. 11. Then on Friday, Sept. 16, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will play a free concert outdoors on the Hancher Green to celebrate the opening of the facility. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band was the first touring act to play on the original Hancher stage in 1972.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, Hancher Auditorium’s opening gala will feature comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short as well as Martin’s band, the Steep Canyon Rangers. The black tie optional event will be followed by a champagne toast and a few surprises to usher in a new era in Hancher’s history. The gala performance is supported by Richard and Mary Jo Stanley.

A brochure detailing the first season in the new facility has been mailed to Hancher donors who will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets. The public on-sale date for most of the Hancher season is Friday, June 10, while tickets for the first Broadway show will go on sale on Friday, Aug. 5. West Music is the season sponsor for the 2016–17 Hancher season.

In October, Hancher will welcome touring Broadway shows back to Iowa City for the first time since 2008.

The winner of nine Tony Awards, The Book of Mormon will play a limited six-day, eight-performance engagement Oct. 11–16 at Hancher Auditorium. The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century” and Entertainment Weekly says it's “the funniest musical of all time.” The Book of Mormon will go on sale to the general public on Aug. 5.

A brand new production of The Sound of Music, directed by three-time Tony Award–winner Jack O’Brien, will play a seven-performance engagement Jan. 31 through Feb. 5. The spirited, romantic, and beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award–winning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss,” and the title song.

Mamma Mia!, featuring the music of ABBA and on its final tour, will play the auditorium for three performances Feb. 25–26.

The season also includes some of the biggest names in classical music including soprano Renée Fleming, pianist Emanuel Ax (who helped select Hancher’s new Steinway and Sons Concert Grand Piano), the Cleveland Orchestra, the Ying Quartet with pianist Billy Childs, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra.

The centerpiece of the opening season will be the presentation of five preview performances of the Joffrey Ballet’s new rendition of The Nutcracker, featuring choreography by Christopher Wheeldon and a revised story and new art by Brian Selznick. Hancher commissioned and presented the world premiere of the original Joffrey Nutcracker, and is a producing sponsor of the new production. The preview performances will be presented Dec. 1–4.

Hancher Partners supporting The Nutcracker include Sue Strauss, Richard and Mary Jo Stanley, an Anonymous Family Foundation, Leonard and Marlene Hadley, Herbert A. and Janice A. Wilson, Douglas and Linda Paul, Gary A. and Ladonna K. Wicklund, OPN Architects Inc., and the Iowa House Hotel.

Other Hancher commissions this season will include The Migration: Reflections of Jacob Lawrence, by the dance company Step Afrika!; The Day, by UI alumnus and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang for cellist Maya Beiser; Pomp, Brass, and Lunacy! featuring Tomáš Kubínek with Orchestra Iowa, University Choirs, and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon; and a new work by Samuel Carl Adams to be performed by Emanuel Ax.

Two Club Hancher events—one featuring bluegrass and country artist Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands and the other featuring jazz ensemble the Fred Hersch Trio—will be held in Strauss Hall, a flexible and intimate space in the new facility. Other Strauss Hall events include the Puppet State Theatre Company of Scotland’s The Man Who Planted Trees; the innovative dance work Soil, co-created by UI faculty member Michael Sakamoto; and Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq in concert with the groundbreaking but troubling film, Nanook of the North.

Saxophonist David Sanborn, who attended the UI in the early days of the jazz program, will return with his Electric Band. Current and former members of the UI jazz bands, including some who played with Sanborn at the university, will perform during a portion of the concert.

Additional musical performances on the schedule include the Chucho Valdés Joe Lovano Quintet, Asleep at the Wheel performing Merry Texas Christmas Y’all, and Las Cafeteras.

Jessica Lang Dance will perform a program that includes Tesseracts of Time, a piece developed in collaboration with architect Steven Holl, who designed two buildings—Art Building West and the Visuals Arts Building—on the UI campus.

Three multi-disciplinary artists with a deep interest in social justice issues are on the Hancher schedule including the dance company Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, Circus Oz from Australia, and Marc Bamuthi Joseph and his show titled /peh-LO-tah/, which explores soccer as both a positive and negative force around the world.

Hancher will collaborate with the annual Mission Creek Festival next year, and, in collaboration with the Graduate College, will present a lecture by current Secretary of the Smithsonian—and former UI president—David Skorton.

On Thursdays throughout the season, beginning on Oct. 6, the Stanley Café in Hancher Auditorium will be open to the public from 5 to 7:30 p.m. These casual events will occur whether or not there is a performance that evening. Appetizers and beverages will be available for purchase.

Hancher will present four culinary arts events throughout the season featuring unique menus from Pullman Bar & Diner, Atlas Restaurant and Bar/Basta Pizzeria Ristorante, Oasis—The Falafel Joint, and Share. Tickets to the culinary events must be purchased in advance.

The 2016–17 Hancher season is supported by more than 125 Hancher Partners and gifts to the Hancher Circle through the UI Foundation. A complete list of Hancher Partners can be found on the Hancher website, www.hancher.uiowa.edu.

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 participate in this program, please contact the Hancher Box Office in advance at 319-335-1158.