Creativity is at the heart of everything we do.
"From student and faculty work in the classroom and on stages across our campus to visiting artists who share their knowledge, practice, and spirit with our campus and community, the Performing Arts at Iowa offer fertile ground for creativity. Audiences, students, educators, and artists can come together at the University of Iowa to collaboratively explore human possibility, shared challenges, and our full range of emotions.
We invite you to join the robust conversations and collaborations the performing arts inspire on our campus and beyond."
–André Perry
Executive Director, Hancher Auditorium and Office of Performing Arts and Engagement
Iowa: Where artists find their voice
Whether your passion lies in Theatre, Dance, Music, or multidisciplinary arts, Iowa provides a rich environment to explore diverse artistic expressions and discover your unique voice.
History of Performing Arts at Iowa
A spirit of creativity, collaboration, and exploration lives at the heart of our performing arts activities at the University of Iowa. The School of Music, Department of Theatre Arts, and Department of Dance have drawn talented students and exceptional faculty to Iowa City for decades.
The dedicated, experienced professionals in our Performing Arts Production Unit not only make campus performances possible (and spectacular) but also provide deep learning experiences for university students who gain the skills necessary to succeed in their chosen field—even if that field is not in the arts.
Hancher Auditorium contributes to the university’s robust performing arts culture by welcoming artists from around the country and the world to perform for and create with those on campus—as well as K-12 students and people of all ages in the wider community.
Together, these five units make up Performing Arts at Iowa—a collaborative endeavor dedicated to student success and innovation in the arts. Performing Arts at Iowa builds on the work of the former Division of Performing Arts, strengthening connections and partnerships among Music, Theatre Arts, Dance, Hancher, and Production.
A commitment to the creation of new works of art permeates Performing Arts at Iowa. The academic units encourage students and collaborators to push artistic ideas forward onto the stage; the Performing Arts Production Unit regularly takes nascent ideas and translates them into the physical or digital world; and Hancher Auditorium is one of the foremost commissioners of new work in the country.
Iowa: Your Destination for the Performing Arts
The University of Iowa has long been a place where creativity and the arts are celebrated. With music composed by UI School of Music student Sean Harken, the video is a celebration—and an example—of all that can be created here.
Infinite Dream
Through the lens of the arts, Infinite Dream explores the complex fabric of the American Story—our grand accomplishments, disruptive failures, and remarkable potential for excellence.
We All Rise
The performance of "All Rise" was the culmination of an ambitious project that brought together artists from the University of Iowa campus, the local community, and the musicians of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Visual and Performing Arts at Iowa
Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Iowa is about finding your voice. Artists of every medium and movement have left their mark on Iowa and the world, from playwright Tennessee Williams to sculptor Elizabeth Catlett.
News
SCOPE Productions announces Smino as 2026 Homecoming concert headliner
Alumnus Scott Icenogle turns his Iowa memories into music
UI professor Stephanie Miracle on the demands and rewards of interdisciplinary work
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