In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat: A Personal Tribute to a Revolutionary ArtistPart of Hancher's Infinite Dream festivalPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonThis is one of two stirring shows by an internationally acclaimed actor, writer, and director.Roger Guenveur Smith calls forth two essential figures of the American narrative. This performance is inspired by Smith’s friendship with the young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose meteoric rise was halted by his tragic death at the age of 27.“a blend of...

A special double billPart of Hancher's Infinite Dream festivalPart of Club HancherPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonTwo indie icons bring their current projects to Iowa City.Alan Sparhawk co-founded the seminal rock band, Low, in 1993 with his wife Mimi Parker. Low sustained critical success for nearly thirty years with its quiet/noisy dynamic. Following Parker’s passing in 2022, Sparhawk has carried the emotional intensity of his former project into an unexpected, gripping solo career. With material...

TICKETSFree and open to the public. No ticket requiredPart of Hancher's Infinite Dream festivalPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonA soft-spoken, sharp-thinking comic, Josh Johnson is convincingly reinventing standup comedy with fully-formed sets dropping on YouTube on a weekly basis. Join Johnson as he discusses his process and philosophy with writing and performing comedy.Seating opens at 1:30 p.m.Josh Johnson website

TICKETSFree and open to the public with registrationRSVP will go live online on Tuesday, September 2 at 10:00 a.m.Part of Hancher's Infinite Dream festivalPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonA multidisciplinary experience in honor and in awe of the Iowa River.Explore the intertwined ecologies of people, nonhumans, water, and infrastructure. Audiences will gather at the Lagoon Shelter House and travel along a guided walking-tour featuring dancers, soundscapes, and interactive prompts designed to enhance...

Frederick Douglass NOWPart of Hancher's Infinite Dream festivalPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonThis is one of two stirring shows by an internationally acclaimed actor, writer, and director.Roger Guenvuer Smith's Frederick Douglass NOW examines the life and work of the self-liberated abolitionist and pioneering orator Frederick Douglass. Smith has edited Douglass's 19th century texts into a jazz-infused narrative bookended by original writing.“Smith makes Douglass’s critique of American life seem...

The Flowers TourPart of Hancher's Infinite Dream festivalPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonA soft-spoken, sharp-thinking comic rolls out new material as fast as the news cycle spins.Josh Johnson is quietly, convincingly reinventing standup comedy. He released the equivalent of 28 hourlong specials in 2024—and all the material was of the immediate cultural moment. His social media following is nearly four million people strong, and his fans delight in the steady stream of new thoughtful, laugh...

WildflowersPart of Club HancherPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonA warm and textured voice. The beauty of a lone piano. A musical garden of ‘Wildflowers.’Kurt Elling is undeniably among the most incredible and influential jazz vocalists of our time. His 2024 Wildflowers recording projects featuring performances with solo piano—first with Sullivan Fortner and then with Joey Calderazzo—were impromptu and near-instantaneous sessions. Those recordings bring Elling’s expressiveness to the fore beautifully...

WildflowersPart of Club HancherPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonA warm and textured voice. The beauty of a lone piano. A musical garden of ‘Wildflowers.’Kurt Elling is undeniably among the most incredible and influential jazz vocalists of our time. His 2024 Wildflowers recording projects featuring performances with solo piano—first with Sullivan Fortner and then with Joey Calderazzo—were impromptu and near-instantaneous sessions. Those recordings bring Elling’s expressiveness to the fore beautifully...

TICKETSFree and open to the public, no ticket requiredPart of Hancher's 53rd seasonThe Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Harlem Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at Glenn Schaeffer Library/Dey House in the Frank Conroy Reading Room. This event is free and open to the public with limited seating capacity.Harlem Quartet is a New York-based, award-winning ensemble engaged in a week-long residency at the University...

With A.B. Spellman, OratorPassion for Bach and ColtranePart of Hancher's 53rd seasonPresented in collaboration with the University of Iowa String Quartet and Woodwind Ensemble Residency ProgramsFunded in part by the Richard E. Kerber Woodwind Excellence FundEnsembles from different traditions share a passion for two of music’s towering figures.Jeff Scott was a founding horn player of the wind quintet Imani Winds and created the Grammy-winning oratorio Passion for Bach and Coltrane. The current...