The University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts will produce Slaughter City, a work by UI Playwrights Workshop Graduate Naomi Wallace, as its next Mainstage production. Slaughter City will be on stage at 8 p.m. April 10-12 and April 16-19, and at 2 p.m. April 13 and 20. All shows will be held in the David Thayer Theatre of the UITheatre Building.

Slaughter City, directed by Meredith Alexander, is a darkly comedic drama infused with muscular poetics 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?

This powerful, humorous, and timely play explores the issues of human rights and corruption. Resistance confronts greed, as characters move forward, backward, and sometimes sideways through time in the dark, beautiful, and unsettling world of Slaughter City.

Tickets are $17 ($12 for seniors, $10 for college students and youth 17 and younger, and $5 for UI students with a valid UI ID) and are available through the Hancher Box Office at 319-335-1160 or 800-426-2437 or online by visiting the Hancher website.

Slaughter City is intended for mature audiences and contains adult themes, explicit sexual content, partial nudity, and strong language.

This production is being presented as part of the Series on Arts and Rights (SOAR), a joint initiative of the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights and the Division of Performing Arts.

Slaughter City panel discussion

Also in conjunction with SOAR, immediately following the April 13 matinee performance of Slaughter City, a panel of experts will join the audience in a discussion of the themes and ideas presented in the show. This in-depth discussion of the real-world situations, theatrical styles, and historical events influencing the writing of the play will expand our understanding of the world of Slaughter City. Panel guests will discuss issues of race, gender, sexuality, and labor history, and will invite the audience to ask questions.

Panelists will include:

• Beth Cleary, associate professor of theatre at Macalaster College
• Peter Rachleff, professor of history at Macalaster College
• Jennifer Sherer, director of the UI Labor Center
• Isaac West, assistant professor of communication studies at the UI

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, contact the Hancher Box Office in advance at 319-335-1158.