Despite having had to operate in the red over the past year, Hancher executive director Chuck Swanson is still dedicated to the venue's mission.


This weekend, Third Coast Percussion will bring online fun to Hancher Auditorium with their Saturday performance of “Think Outside the Drum,” and their Sunday family event, “The Hancher Youth and Family Talent Show.”

Hancher has two family-friendly events scheduled for this weekend with Grammy award-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion.

In between the East Coast and West Coast lies the Third Coast — the Great Lakes — where a band of percussionists marches to the beat of lots of different drums.

“Jazz music is the power of now. There is no script. It’s a conversation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on musicians and performers, as well as members of the community who seek out live music and theater.

Education is always at the intersection of collaborations between trumpet master Wynton Marsalis and Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City.

The lights remain dark inside Hancher Auditorium, but for a few hours Thursday night, a visual spectacular exploded around the perimeter, drenching performers and viewers in a psychedelic swirl of light, sound, fog and dance.

Performing arts students at the University of Iowa and a visual arts company gave onlookers a night of light Thursday; when the pandemic has forced so many theaters into darkness.

On a bright sunny morning, Santa Fe-based artist Colette Hosmer and Hancher Auditorium’s Executive Director, Chuck Swanson, unveiled a new art installation, titled “Wellspring,” on Sept. 25.