You have to be pretty big time to get the schedulers at Hancher Auditorium to move shows around to accommodate your needs. They did it for Diana Ross. Then Kristin Chenoweth. And now, the Big Splash.
"It’s outside our standard practice to present during the summer for a variety of reasons," Rob Cline, Hancher's director of marketing and communication told the Press-Citizen for a previous article. "We like to present when there are as many students as possible here, but we didn’t want to pass up this opportunity."
Cline was referring to Diana Ross's upcoming July appearance, which was squeezed in on an atypical date, just like Kristin Chenoweth's New Year's Eve performance was.. A big time performance can make the theater more flexible with its booking, and though many haven't heard of it yet, the Big Splash is destined to become a big name.
The idea for The Big Splash has been years in the works, and there remains more than a year of preparation to come.
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Iowa City Press-Citizen - Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Every Thursday through the month of June, Hancher will provide free activities aimed at entertaining kids and families for the second year in a row. The Hancher Family Fun Night will start for the year on June 6, running from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Smith Lobby of Hancher with a focus on music.
“It’s like a giant instrument petting zoo, there’s instruments all around," said Leslie Anstedt, Hancher's assistant box office manager. "It’s really loud but it's really fun.”
This event will give students of all ages a chance to experiment with a variety of instruments. Other activities such as ukulele lessons and "Kooky Karaoke" are also scheduled for the evening.
The idea for the series came from Tracy Kueter, a member of the Hancher Guild, the theater's volunteer group.
The Gazette - Tuesday, June 4, 2019
IOWA CITY — High divers will launch from 100 feet above their pool. The Flying Wallendas will perform 50 feet above the Iowa River. A fantastical flotilla will be on the river. Instruments will make music beneath the water. And dancers, bands and spectators will frolic on the dry land around Hancher Auditorium.
But we’ll have to wait more than a year to experience The Big Splash, a three-day celebration embracing the power of the Iowa River that sometimes rages, sometimes glides through the University of Iowa campus.
The Daily Iowan - Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Artists and engineers are coming together to make waves at a festival celebrating the river that is such a large part of the University of Iowa and Iowa City communities.
The Big Splash!, scheduled for August 14-16, 2020,will commemorate the Iowa River, along with the 100th anniversary of IIHR – Hydroscience & Engineering. Three days of events will take place along and on the Iowa River, and will be free to the public.
“One of the amazing aspects of this event is the capability of bringing the science and the arts together, not in a forced fashion but in a way that will integrate and complement each other perfectly,” IIHR – Hydroscience & Engineering Director Gabriele Villarinisaid at a press conference that unveiled the plans for the events.
OurQuadCities - Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Chuck Swanson, Executive Director of Hancher is in the studio to discuss the newly announced 2019-20 schedule of upcoming performances at Hancher! We get an inside look at what to expect from their upcoming season, what we can expect from Hancher in the future and a glimpse into the process Hancher goes through to select their performances!
KHAK - Thursday, May 9, 2019
Hancher Auditorium announced it's lineup for the 2019-2020 season on Wednesday and it includes well-known signers and big names from the world of Broadway too!
In honor of her 75th birthday, the legendary Diana Ross will be visiting Iowa City. The Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will also visit Hancher this season. And the most in-demand string quartet today, The Danish String Quartet will also perform. There are also numerous performances from dance groups scheduled for this season too.
Little Village - Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Hancher announced today the lineup for its 2019-20 season, and it’s a thrilling one. The voices of some amazing women anchor the offerings, including singers, ensembles, poets, comedians and plays by and about women. The season also includes the inaugural events of Hancher’s new Kids Club series for young audiences.
The season begins earlier than usual this year with a concert by legendary performer Diana Ross on July 19. Ross is touring in celebration of her 75th birthday, which was on March 26. The singer has a storied career, both solo and with her long-time group the Supremes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Iowa Now - Wednesday, May 8, 2019
The 2019–20 season for the University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium will get off to an early start with a rare summer concert featuring a Motown legend. The season also will extend beyond its usual date to end with an August 2020 festival along the Iowa River. In between, Hancher will present the diverse collection of world-class artists for which it is known.
The legendary Diana Ross, on tour in celebration of her 75th birthday, will open the Hancher season on Friday, July 19. An icon of American music, Ross will perform songs dating back to her breakthrough with the Supremes and from throughout her impressive solo career.
Iowa City Press-Citizen - Tuesday, April 23, 2019
As we left Hancher Auditorium after the thrilling dance performance of "Venezuela" on April 12, we wondered what was it all about? The Venezuelan culture, dance, or its current national crisis? Did we miss something? Was the show too mystifying to be comprehended? Or was it simply a pure dance performance of innovative technique and captivating athleticism?
The Gazette - Monday, April 8, 2019
IOWA CITY — American Ballet Theatre treated Hancher audiences to the most delectable pairing of artistry and excellence Saturday afternoon and evening with “Whipped Cream.”
This sight and sound dreamscape, penned by Richard Strauss in the early 1920s, folded 29 locals dressed as cupcakes, petit fours and more, along with Orchestra Iowa’s magnificent musicians, into the mix with professional dancers of the highest caliber. It’s the venerable troupe helmed by Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1980s and now home to principal dancer extraordinaire Misty Copeland.
And no, Copeland wasn’t in this touring production, but ABT soloist Cassandra Trenary danced the lead role of Princess Praline fluidly and flawlessly during Saturday’s matinee, as did principal dancer Devon Teuscher, appearing as Princess Tea Flower. (Soloist Luciana Paris made her debut as Princess Praline in the evening performance.)