The University of Iowa

The Color Purple

The Color Purple is the 2016 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical Revival! This joyous American classic about a young woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South has conquered Broadway in an all-new “ravishingly reconceived production that is a glory to behold” (The New York Times).

CONTRA-TIEMPO & Las Cafeteras

A wellspring of joy is a weapon of resistance in the face of injustice. The urban Latin dancers of CONTRA-TIEMPO and the musicians of Las Cafeteras—all grounded in the communities of color in South Los Angeles—celebrate this fact in a work that flips the script on the usual narratives about minority communities.

Tomeka Reid Quartet

If you’re in the mood for adventuresome jazz, the Thirsty Ear label offers plenty of options to quench your cravings—and one of the tastiest is cellist Tomeka Reid’s hard grooving quartet. Featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson (one of the hottest players to emerge in recent years), the quartet offers up a menu of musical flavors.

SITI Company

In this new English translation, SITI Company invites us to Thebes where Dionysus—god of wine, ritual madness, fertility, and theater (and in this production imagined as a rock star)—is opposed by King Pentheus. SITI Company’s famed co-artistic director Anne Bogart will be on hand for a post-performance conversation.

Sankai Juku

For the first time in 20 years, Sankai Juku, Japan’s internationally renowned butoh dance troupe, returns to Hancher. Butoh, which has been called Japan’s most startling cultural export, is enthralling, surprising, and often deeply moving. Utsushi is the perfect introduction to the work of Sankai Juku.

Chick Corea

Chick Corea’s 2014 triple-disc set, Trilogy, added a live masterwork to the venerated pianist’s discography. Featuring bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, the recording was a triumph. Now, Corea, McBride, and Blade are bringing the music from Trilogy back to live audiences.