The University of Iowa Dance Department had to relocate operations from Halsey Hall to Hancher Auditorium, Hancher went months without hosting an event in-person, and the music department had to be innovative with virtual music recordings.

The University of Iowa Dance Department and Quixotic hosts Hancher Illuminated. This event, which highlighted UI performers, was held at Hancher Auditorium on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.

The statue was first designed back in summer 2018. According to Zahn, he had wanted to use both abstract and realistic elements in this piece in the hopes of creating something “dynamic, thought provoking, and interesting to look at from all angles.”

Kansas City’s Quixotic will light up landmark building with sight and sound explosion viewed outdoors.

Hancher Illuminated utilizes an outdoor performance space, innovative lighting, and the UI dance department to create a unique community event. This Friday, UI students can attend “student night” for a discounted price.

Survival is the key force driving this funding. “We were closed for over a year. We didn’t have any revenue coming, but the expenses continued to come,” Hancher’s Swanson said. “This is bringing us back to par.”

The 2021-2022 season at Hancher Auditorium reflects the auditorium's mission to build community and enrich lives in Iowa City through the performing arts, even as the venue enters a transition phase.

The Hancher Auditorium is a very impressive theater, and our stage was set up just outside of it. I spontaneously taught a short Intro to Ballet class onstage, filling in for one of my colleagues. Lots of children and several adults joined me as I led them through some basic movements.

Hancher is making an unrestricted return with a new lineup of performers after having its 2020-21 season cut short because of the pandemic. The new season kicked off with a Fourth of July performance from the American Ballet Theatre (ABT).

Big-ticket shows reap big benefits for Hancher Auditorium audiences, but they come with a price that’s not always covered by ticket sales alone --- challenging Hancher staff to raise the funds needed to stage world-class arts experiences inside and outside its Iowa City walls.