Our annual Hancher is for Hawkeyes sale offers UI students deep discounts on many upcoming Hancher performances! Discounted tickets will be available from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. from the Hancher Box Office on Thursday, August 28. The sale continues online until Tuesday, September 2, at 11:59 p.m
An artist whose career has unfolded in myriad genre-bending ways sits down at the piano.
One of the sharpest voices in comedy brings her incisive wit to Club Hancher. Dulcé Sloan spent seven years as a contributor to The Daily Show, and her Comedy Central Presents special was included in The New York Times’ “Best Comedy of 2019” roundup.
For over 15 years, Sharon Van Etten has been a creature of evolution, her music moving across modes and styles. Her latest, self-titled record was conceived with a new band, The Attachment Theory. Join Van Etten as she discusses her latest work and the arc of her career.
Music | Infinite Dream
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
with special guest Helado Negro
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Music | Infinite Dream
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
with special guest Helado Negro
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Sharon Van Etten has been a creature of evolution, her music moving across modes and styles. Helado Negro opens the show with a solo set of music mixing electronics, pop songcraft, and psychedelic textures.
Multidisciplinary | Infinite Dream
Farmhouse/Whorehouse
an Artist Lecture By Suzanne Bocanegra
starring Lili Taylor
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Multidisciplinary | Infinite Dream
Farmhouse/Whorehouse
an Artist Lecture By Suzanne Bocanegra
starring Lili Taylor
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Suzanne Bocanegra recounts threads of her family’s life on a Texas farm. Her tale unfolds as aural and visual memoir, weaving elements of art, design, and monologue into a startling, humorous performance.
José James and his band will share their gleaming, multifaceted sound—and likely have you dancing in no time. Local rapper and producer Jim Swim opens the show.
An internationally acclaimed actor, writer, and director, Smith visits Iowa City to perform two solo shows: In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Frederick Douglass NOW. Join Smith as he discusses his career across stages, screens, and styles.
Discussion | Infinite Dream
Kaveh Akbar and Eve L. Ewing
reading and conversation
University of Iowa Literary Legends
Friday, September 19, 2025
Discussion | Infinite Dream
Kaveh Akbar and Eve L. Ewing
reading and conversation
University of Iowa Literary Legends
Friday, September 19, 2025
Kaveh Akbar and Eve L. Ewing's discussion will reflect upon the transformative power of language, the tensions between optimism and reckoning, and the role of art in envisioning a more just and imaginative future.
Film | Infinite Dream
32 Sounds
a film by Sam Green
with music by JD Samson & sound design by Mark Mangini
Friday, September 19, 2025
Film | Infinite Dream
32 Sounds
a film by Sam Green
with music by JD Samson & sound design by Mark Mangini
Friday, September 19, 2025
32 Sounds is a documentary film—delivered in real-time—that explores the ways in which sound can shape our perception of the world, seemingly bend time itself, and make boundaries permeable.
Theater | Infinite Dream
Roger Guenveur Smith
In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat: Personal Tribute to a Revolutionary Artist
Friday, September 19, 2025
Theater | Infinite Dream
Roger Guenveur Smith
In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat: Personal Tribute to a Revolutionary Artist
Friday, September 19, 2025
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.
Music | Infinite Dream
Alan Sparhawk and His Band followed by a DJ set with JD Samson
special double bill
Friday, September 19, 2025
Music | Infinite Dream
Alan Sparhawk and His Band followed by a DJ set with JD Samson
special double bill
Friday, September 19, 2025
Two indie icons bring their current projects to Iowa City. Alan Sparhawk’s band opens the first half of the evening. JD Samson (of Le Tigre and MEN) closes out the bill with a DJ set.
A 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.
Dance | Infinite Dream
Dance | Infinite Dream
Meandering River
A place-based, meandering journey with the Iowa River
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Explore the intertwined ecologies of people, nonhumans, water, and infrastructure. A multidisciplinary experience in honor and in awe of the Iowa River.
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.
Josh Johnson is quietly, convincingly reinventing standup comedy and his fans delight in the steady stream of new thoughtful, laugh-inducing stories. Wired says he is “the funniest man on the internet.” We say he might be even funnier live on stage.
Kurt Elling headlines Club Hancher for a concert featuring Christian Sands on piano in support of the release of the third volume of Wildflowers.
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Harlem Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Frank Conroy Reading Room. This event is free and open to the public.
Music
Imani Winds and Harlem Quartet
with A.B. Spellman, Orator
Passion for Bach and Coltrane
Friday, October 10, 2025
Music
Imani Winds and Harlem Quartet
with A.B. Spellman, Orator
Passion for Bach and Coltrane
Friday, October 10, 2025
The current Imani Winds ensemble, the Harlem Quartet, and a jazz trio come together to perform the piece at The Englert. A.B. Spellman—a poet, music critic, arts administrator, and legend of the Black Arts Movement—will provide the stirring oration at the heart of the work.
Indie darlings of the 1990s—steeped in music of the 1960s—crank up their mesmerizing sound. Whether you are a longtime fan or new to the band’s sound, you’ll want to be in the musical lab with Stereolab. Stereolab plays The Englert Theatre on October 12.
Hustle to secure your seat for a comic whose territory is personal—and hilarious. Kelsey Cook's first special, The Hustler, racked up three million views on YouTube with even more viewers watching on Hulu. In her latest special, Mark Your Territory, she shares personal stories that are equal parts embarrassing, shocking, and hysterical.
A virtuoso of the first order, Jeremy Denk will perform a selection of Bach’s Partitas—works known for being as complex and challenging as they are gorgeous.
Disney’s Moana Live-to-Film Concert features a full-length screening of the beloved animated movie accompanied by live music performed by an ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters, and vocalists.
In this special program, Yo-Yo Ma explores music at the center of his musical firmament, pairing it with his thoughts about how it has shaped his thinking about art, human nature, and our ongoing search for meaning.
Free
Dance
Trisha Brown's "Floor of the Forest"
set by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia
Saturday–Friday, November 1–7, 2025
Dance
Trisha Brown's "Floor of the Forest"
set by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia
Saturday–Friday, November 1–7, 2025
Floor of the Forest will be staged by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia.
Saxophonist, vocalist, and composer Camille Thurman was last at Hancher for a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Christmas concert in 2019. Now, Thurman and the quartet come to Club Hancher to share their captivating blend of innovation and tradition—pushing jazz forward while embracing its roots.
In dialogue with Hancher, the Trisha Brown Dance Company will develop two distinct programs that engage audiences with the range of Brown’s artistry reframed against an array of natural and built landscapes.
In dialogue with Hancher, the Trisha Brown Dance Company will develop two distinct programs that engage audiences with the range of Brown’s artistry reframed against an array of natural and built landscapes.
Dance
Trisha Brown Dance Company
Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage
Friday, November 7, 2025
Dance
Trisha Brown Dance Company
Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage
Friday, November 7, 2025
In celebration of the centennial of iconoclastic American artist Robert Rauschenberg, the Trisha Brown Dance Company performs Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage, featuring two masterpieces. Student dancers from the University of Iowa’s Department of Dance will perform Brown’s Foray Forêt.
Discussion | Literature
GOOD THINGS: An Evening with Samin Nosrat
Celebrating her new book, Good Things
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Discussion | Literature
GOOD THINGS: An Evening with Samin Nosrat
Celebrating her new book, Good Things
Thursday, November 13, 2025
In an evening about creativity and connection, Samin will remind us how cooking can not only nourish our bodies but also satiate our desire for kinship and community.
Poetry | Club Hancher
Poetry | Club Hancher
Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye
Part of Mic Check Poetry Fest
Friday, November 14, 2025
Presented in collaboration with Mic Check Poetry Fest and Iowa City Poetry. Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye are two exceptional spoken word artists whose collaboration is greater than the sum of its parts.
Music
Minnesota Orchestra
with Thomas Søndergård, Music Director, and Benjamin Beilman, Violin
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Music
Minnesota Orchestra
with Thomas Søndergård, Music Director, and Benjamin Beilman, Violin
Saturday, November 15, 2025
We are delighted to welcome the Minnesota Orchestra back under the baton of Thomas Søndergård for a concert featuring violinist Benjamin Beilman, an adventuresome and passionate performer with a rich and deep tone.
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Attacca Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Frank Conroy Reading Room. This event is free and open to the public.
Pianist, vocalist, and Hancher’s composer-in-residence Gabriel Kahane joins the vibrant Attacca Quartet for a performance which employs Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major as a scaffolding. Ravel’s work will be interwoven with Gabriel Kahane’s Klee and Final Privacy Song.
Nate Smith fearlessly fuses his original modern jazz compositions with the sounds of R&B, pop, and hip-hop. A series of viral videos—viewed millions of times—has established Smith as one of the most influential and popular drummers of his generation.
Music
Jane Lynch's A Swingin' Little Christmas
featuring Kate Flannery & Tim Davis with The Tony Guerrero Quintet
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Music
Jane Lynch's A Swingin' Little Christmas
featuring Kate Flannery & Tim Davis with The Tony Guerrero Quintet
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Classic holiday tunes come to life in this hilarious and heartwarming holiday extravaganza with Jane Lynch, Kate Flannery, Tim Davis and The Tony Guerrero Quintet
Based on true events, Kinky Boots follows the journey of two people with nothing in common — or so they think. The unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they realized ... and discover that you change the world when you change your mind.
Music
Music
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Duke in Africa
Thursday, January 29, 2026
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis gives new life to compositions in a program designed by saxophonists Chris Lewis and Alexa Tarantino, which is drawn from albums including Afro-Bossa, Liberian Suite, and the Grammy Award-winning Togo Brava Suite.
Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.
Music
Gabriel Kahane
Magnificent Bird & Book of Travelers
An evening of stories, music, and food
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Music
Gabriel Kahane
Magnificent Bird & Book of Travelers
An evening of stories, music, and food
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Hancher’s composer-in-residence revisits two of his exceptional song cycles in a single day—an opportunity to immerse yourself in Kahane’s lyrically beautiful work and affecting vocals and join a community dinner.
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Isidore String Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Frank Conroy Reading Room.
Winners of the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition and a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the members of the quartet forge an emotional connection with audiences—valuing the listener as a fifth member of the ensemble.
Music
An ensemble of stellar vocalists and instrumentalists come together to share the iconic music of RENT like never before.
One of our most movingly powerful storytellers, Jason Isbell, returns to Hancher to share his truths with his band.
Hancher’s favorite dance company returns to Iowa City for the first time in 10 years! American Icons celebrates dynamic works by four trailblazing artists of the 20th century: The Joffrey Ballet co-founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, Joffrey alum Glen Tetley, and prolific dance pioneer Martha Graham.
Music
Joshua Bell and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Joshua Bell, Music Director & Violin
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Music
Joshua Bell and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Joshua Bell, Music Director & Violin
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Undeniably among the most celebrated violinists of his era, Joshua Bell is also music director of the chamber ensemble The Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Bell and the orchestra will perform music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Antonin Dvořák, and Charles Ives.
Camila Fernández has deep roots and contemporary sensibilities. Building on the mariachi legacies of her famed father and grandfather, she brings the music of yesterday, today, and tomorrow together as she explores the endless possibilities of mariachi and ranchero music.
The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize — this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef.
Orchestra Baobab's Afro-Cuban sound is as fresh and captivating as ever. For one night only, Club Hancher becomes the Baobab Club, and the house band takes its rightful place on the stage. Don’t worry—we’ll leave plenty of space for dancing!
The 4th Witch is a feature-length inversion of Shakespeare’s Macbeth created and performed by a celebrated Chicago-based company known for captivating live cinematic experiences.
Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.
Pianist Brad Mehldau brings his acclaimed trio, featuring drummer Jorge Rossy and bassist Felix Moseholm, to Club Hancher for an evening of spectacular creativity and musicianship.
Music
POSTPONED: Ray LaMontagne
Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour
with special guest The Weather Station
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Music
POSTPONED: Ray LaMontagne
Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour
with special guest The Weather Station
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Ray LaMontagne is on the road—including this first-ever stop in Iowa City—celebrating his first full length album, "Trouble," playing the record in its entirety as well as songs from across his two-decade career.