Machine Dazzle doesn’t necessarily think of himself as a costume designer, though that is his title. The elaborate outfits he created for theater artist Taylor Mac to wear onstage during Mac’s show, “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music,” are more like wearable sculptures.
“I’m not a trained tailor or costume designer. I’m an artist in the role of costume designer,” Dazzle said Tuesday. “I believe a costume can have its own story and be its own character.”
He and his sartorial interpretations of American history on Tuesday were at Hancher Auditorium, preparing for a week of events in Iowa City culminating in a performance Saturday by Mac at Hancher.
Some sites may require subscription
The Gazette - Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Australia’s Circa troupe is springing onto the Hancher stage with two very different shows. First up is “Carnival of the Animals,” inspired by Camille Saint-Saens’s suite of the same name. Acrobats — with a little help from whimsical projections — will romp through the animal kingdom while showing off their circus skills in two family-friendly shows Saturday. On Wednesday, the Debussy String Quartet will join them for an evening of thought-provoking artistry to the music of Dmitri Shostakovich.
Hancher to display Dazzle’s costumes from Taylor Mac show, partner on community events featuring the costume designer
Little Village - Saturday, April 14, 2018
This weekend at Hancher Auditorium, the touring production of the 2013 Broadway play Kinky Boots struts its stuff into town.
Based on a BBC documentary series that featured the true story of a struggling heir of a failing shoe-manufacturing company that rebooted itself by designing footwear for drag performers and the fetish market, Kinky Boots was adapted into a middling 2005 British movie, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, and directed by Julian Jarrold. The Broadway musical adaptation, by contrast, was a trifecta of talent, with multi-Tony winning Harvey Fierstein writing the book, lyrics by Grammy-winner Cyndi Lauper and Tony-nominated Jerry Mitchell as choreographer and director.
Daily Iowan - Thursday, April 12, 2018
Individuals with diverse dispositions and stylish, shimmering stiletto boots dance and sing on stage embracing individuality and acceptance. Accurately dubbed “Hero Boots” by the Kinky Boots ensemble, the iconic red stiletto boots are the backbone of the musical, bringing each character together.
This weekend at Hancher, Kinky Boots will encourage audiences to be themselves without hesitation.
As a true story in which the owner of a struggling shoe-factory, Charlie Price, and drag-queen entertainer, Lola, embrace their differences and create the emblematic boots, Kinky Boots illustrates what happens when people follow their passions and open their minds.
Press Citizen - Friday, April 6, 2018
From Baghdad to Barcelona, Estonia to England, Italy to Iowa, a truly international group of literary leaders came to Iowa City this week to help achieve two big goals.
"We're really here to make each other better and make the world smaller," Justyna Jochym, chair of the United Nation's Educational, Scientific Cultural Organization's Cities of Literature program, said inside Hancher Auditorium Thursday evening.
Little Village - Thursday, April 5, 2018
This week, in and around a preeminent wrestling tournament and the excitement of the Mission Creek Festival, another group of worldwide visitors has descended on Iowa City: representatives from the UNESCO Cities of Literature. A branch of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, which covers seven different creative fields (Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Music and Media Arts), the Cities of Literature are a group of 28 literary communities across 23 countries. Iowa City was the third city to earn the designation, in 2008. This year, to honor the 10th anniversary of its designation, Iowa City was chosen to host the Cities of Literature Annual Meeting.
Daily Iowan - Thursday, April 5, 2018
Bassem Youssef is no stranger to the powers of a ruling government. When an arrest warrant from Egyptian police was put out for him, he complied and turned himself in, spending five hours under questioning. His crime? Comedy. What began as a five-minute YouTube political-satire show turned into an opening that landed him a spot in Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2013. Youssef’s show, “Al Bernameg,” was the first of its kind to go from online to television in the Middle East. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Youssef will be at Hancher as a part of this year’s Mission Creek Festival. The festival is organized by the Englert and features venues all over Iowa City.
The Daily Iowan - Wednesday, April 4, 2018
New York-based Iranian filmmaker and graphic artist Hamid Rahmanian spoke about his ongoing work, “The Shahnameh Project,” at the School of Art and Art History on Monday.
Each work in the project is based on 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi’s epic poem of the same name, a 50,000-line-long work that blends elements of myth and history of the Persian Empire. The project now includes a 600-page illustrated translation of the poem, a pop-up book, and a shadow play, Feathers of Fire, which will appear at Hancher on Wednesday.
Press Citizen - Monday, March 26, 2018
Renowned activist and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had words of praise for young people involved in activism throughout the U.S. at his lecture inside Hancher Auditorium on Sunday.
"My hat's off to this generation of young activists because they get it and they're doing it the right way," Abdul-Jabbar said to a packed crowd inside the University of Iowa's auditorium.