The University of Iowa

Hancher Season 2025/2026

Imani Winds and Harlem Quartet
Music

Imani Winds and Harlem Quartet

with A.B. Spellman, Orator
Passion for Bach and Coltrane

Friday, October 10, 2025
Music

Imani Winds and Harlem Quartet

with A.B. Spellman, Orator
Passion for Bach and Coltrane

Friday, October 10, 2025
The current Imani Winds ensemble, the Harlem Quartet, and a jazz trio come together to perform the piece at The Englert. A.B. Spellman—a poet, music critic, arts administrator, and legend of the Black Arts Movement—will provide the stirring oration at the heart of the work. 

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four members of stereolab
Music

Stereolab

with special guest Dorothea Paas

Sunday, October 12, 2025
Music

Stereolab

with special guest Dorothea Paas

Sunday, October 12, 2025
Indie darlings of the 1990s—steeped in music of the 1960s—crank up their mesmerizing sound. Whether you are a longtime fan or new to the band’s sound, you’ll want to be in the musical lab with Stereolab. Stereolab plays The Englert Theatre on October 12.

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Kelsey Cook
Comedy | Club Hancher

Kelsey Cook

The Happy Hour Tour

Thursday, October 23, 2025
Comedy | Club Hancher

Kelsey Cook

The Happy Hour Tour

Thursday, October 23, 2025
Hustle to secure your seat for a comic whose territory is personal—and hilarious. Kelsey Cook's first special, The Hustler, racked up three million views on YouTube with even more viewers watching on Hulu. In her latest special, Mark Your Territory, she shares personal stories that are equal parts embarrassing, shocking, and hysterical.

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Jeremy Denk: Colored photo of Jeremy Denk sitting at a piano
Music

Jeremy Denk, piano

J.S. Bach: Partitas for Keyboard

Friday, October 24, 2025
Music

Jeremy Denk, piano

J.S. Bach: Partitas for Keyboard

Friday, October 24, 2025
A virtuoso of the first order, Jeremy Denk will perform a selection of Bach’s Partitas—works known for being as complex and challenging as they are gorgeous.

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Disney's Moana Live to Film Concert
Film | Music

Disney's Moana

Live-to-Film Concert

Sunday, October 26, 2025
Film | Music

Disney's Moana

Live-to-Film Concert

Sunday, October 26, 2025
Disney’s Moana Live-to-Film Concert features a full-length screening of the beloved animated movie accompanied by live music performed by an ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters, and vocalists.

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Yo-Yo Ma
Music

An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma

Reflections in Words and Music  

Thursday, October 30, 2025
Music

An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma

Reflections in Words and Music  

Thursday, October 30, 2025
In this special program, Yo-Yo Ma explores music at the center of his musical firmament, pairing it with his thoughts about how it has shaped his thinking about art, human nature, and our ongoing search for meaning.

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Free
Floor of the Forest
Dance

Trisha Brown's "Floor of the Forest"

set by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia 

Saturday–Friday, November 1–7, 2025
Dance

Trisha Brown's "Floor of the Forest"

set by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia 

Saturday–Friday, November 1–7, 2025
Floor of the Forest will be staged by Tony Orrico, University of Iowa assistant professor of dance and sculpture/intermedia. 

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Camille Thurman
Music | Club Hancher

Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet

Saturday, November 1, 2025
Music | Club Hancher

Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet

Saturday, November 1, 2025
Saxophonist, vocalist, and composer Camille Thurman was last at Hancher for a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Christmas concert in 2019. Now, Thurman and the quartet come to Club Hancher to share their captivating blend of innovation and tradition—pushing jazz forward while embracing its roots. 

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Trisha Brown Dance Company, In Plain Site
Dance

In Plain Site

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Dance

In Plain Site

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Tuesday, November 4, 2025
In dialogue with Hancher, the Trisha Brown Dance Company will develop two distinct programs that engage audiences with the range of Brown’s artistry reframed against an array of natural and built landscapes. 

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Trisha Brown VAB
Dance

In Plain Site

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Dance

In Plain Site

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Wednesday, November 5, 2025
In dialogue with Hancher, the Trisha Brown Dance Company will develop two distinct programs that engage audiences with the range of Brown’s artistry reframed against an array of natural and built landscapes. 

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Free
Trisha Brown at the Stanley
Discussion | Dance

Restaging Trisha Brown & Merce Cunningham in Collaboration with Robert Rauschenberg

Thursday, November 6, 2025
Discussion | Dance

Restaging Trisha Brown & Merce Cunningham in Collaboration with Robert Rauschenberg

Thursday, November 6, 2025
A free conversation with artists and scholars reflecting on the restaging of historic collaborations between visual artist Robert Rauschenberg and choreographers Trisha Brown and Merce Cunningham—exploring the creative process, archival challenges, and the enduring influence of these groundbreaking works.

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Trisha Brown Dancing with Bob
Dance

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage

Friday, November 7, 2025
Dance

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage

Friday, November 7, 2025
In celebration of the centennial of iconoclastic American artist Robert Rauschenberg, the Trisha Brown Dance Company performs Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage, featuring two masterpieces. Student dancers from the University of Iowa’s Department of Dance will perform Brown’s Foray Forêt. 

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Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye
Poetry | Club Hancher

Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye

Part of Mic Check Poetry Fest

Friday, November 14, 2025
Poetry | Club Hancher

Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye

Part of Mic Check Poetry Fest

Friday, November 14, 2025
Presented in collaboration with Mic Check Poetry Fest and Iowa City Poetry. Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye are two exceptional spoken word artists whose collaboration is greater than the sum of its parts.

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Minnesota Orchestra performing on stage
Music

Minnesota Orchestra

with Thomas Søndergård, Music Director, and Benjamin Beilman, Violin

Saturday, November 15, 2025
Music

Minnesota Orchestra

with Thomas Søndergård, Music Director, and Benjamin Beilman, Violin

Saturday, November 15, 2025
We are delighted to welcome the Minnesota Orchestra back under the baton of Thomas Søndergård for a concert featuring violinist Benjamin Beilman, an adventuresome and passionate performer with a rich and deep tone.

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Gabriel Kahane and Attacca Quartet: Gabriel Kahane is on left in colorful clothing. Attacca Quartet is in the image on the right
Music

Gabriel Kahane and Attacca Quartet

Final Privacy Song

Thursday, November 20, 2025
Music

Gabriel Kahane and Attacca Quartet

Final Privacy Song

Thursday, November 20, 2025
Pianist, vocalist, and Hancher’s composer-in-residence Gabriel Kahane joins the vibrant Attacca Quartet for a performance which employs Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major as a scaffolding. Ravel’s work will be interwoven with Gabriel Kahane’s Klee and Final Privacy Song.

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Nate Smith
Music | Club Hancher

Nate Smith

Friday, December 12, 2025
Music | Club Hancher

Nate Smith

Friday, December 12, 2025
Nate Smith fearlessly fuses his original modern jazz compositions with the sounds of R&B, pop, and hip-hop. A series of viral videos—viewed millions of times—has established Smith as one of the most influential and popular drummers of his generation. 

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Jane Lynch's A Swingin' Little Christmas: Jane Lynch, Kate Flannery and Tim Davis standing around a white Christmas tree
Music

Jane Lynch's A Swingin' Little Christmas

featuring Kate Flannery & Tim Davis with The Tony Guerrero Quintet

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Music

Jane Lynch's A Swingin' Little Christmas

featuring Kate Flannery & Tim Davis with The Tony Guerrero Quintet

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Classic holiday tunes come to life in this hilarious and heartwarming holiday extravaganza with Jane Lynch, Kate Flannery, Tim Davis and The Tony Guerrero Quintet

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Kinky Boots
Broadway | Music

Kinky Boots

Friday–Sunday, January 23–25, 2026
Broadway | Music

Kinky Boots

Friday–Sunday, January 23–25, 2026
Based on true events, Kinky Boots follows the journey of two people with nothing in common — or so they think. The unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they realized ... and discover that you change the world when you change your mind.

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Clue cast standing center of image
Broadway | Theater

Clue

Live on Stage

Friday–Sunday, February 6–8, 2026
Broadway | Theater

Clue

Live on Stage

Friday–Sunday, February 6–8, 2026
Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.

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Gabriel Kahane resting his hands on his head against a red background
Music

Gabriel Kahane

Magnificent Bird & Book of Travelers 
An evening of stories, music, and food

Sunday, February 22, 2026
Music

Gabriel Kahane

Magnificent Bird & Book of Travelers 
An evening of stories, music, and food

Sunday, February 22, 2026
Hancher’s composer-in-residence revisits two of his exceptional song cycles in a single day—an opportunity to immerse yourself in Kahane’s lyrically beautiful work and affecting vocals and join a community dinner.

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Isidore String Quartet standing looking at the camera while holding their insturments
Music

Isidore String Quartet

Thursday, February 26, 2026
Music

Isidore String Quartet

Thursday, February 26, 2026
Winners of the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition and a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the members of the quartet forge an emotional connection with audiences—valuing the listener as a fifth member of the ensemble.

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VOCES8
Music

VOCES8

featuring the University of Iowa’s Kantorei 
Draw on Sweet Night 

Saturday, February 28, 2026
Music

VOCES8

featuring the University of Iowa’s Kantorei 
Draw on Sweet Night 

Saturday, February 28, 2026
The a cappella octet VOCES8 brings their inimitable sound to the Concert Hall of Voxman Music Building for a concert centered on the sounds of night.

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Vocal singers standing on stage with graphic RENT in Concert in lower right
Broadway | Music

RENT in Concert

Sunday, March 1, 2026
Broadway | Music

RENT in Concert

Sunday, March 1, 2026
An ensemble of stellar vocalists and instrumentalists come together to share the iconic music of RENT like never before.

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Joffrey Ballet dancers on stage in practice
Dance

The Joffrey Ballet

American Icons

Saturday, March 7, 2026
Dance

The Joffrey Ballet

American Icons

Saturday, March 7, 2026
Hancher’s favorite dance company returns to Iowa City for the first time in 10 years! American Icons celebrates dynamic works by four trailblazing artists of the 20th century: The Joffrey Ballet co-founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, Joffrey alum Glen Tetley, and prolific dance pioneer Martha Graham.

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Joshua Bell playing while standing in the middle of an ensemble sitting down and playing string instruments
Music

Joshua Bell and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Joshua Bell, Music Director & Violin

Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Music

Joshua Bell and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Joshua Bell, Music Director & Violin

Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Undeniably among the most celebrated violinists of his era, Joshua Bell is also music director of the chamber ensemble The Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Bell and the orchestra will perform music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Antonin Dvořák, and Charles Ives.

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Camila Fernández
Music | Club Hancher

Camila Fernández

Thursday, March 12, 2026
Music | Club Hancher

Camila Fernández

Thursday, March 12, 2026
Camila Fernández has deep roots and contemporary sensibilities. Building on the mariachi legacies of her famed father and grandfather, she brings the music of yesterday, today, and tomorrow together as she explores the endless possibilities of mariachi and ranchero music.

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The Music Man
Broadway | Music

The Music Man

Friday–Sunday, March 27–29, 2026
Broadway | Music

The Music Man

Friday–Sunday, March 27–29, 2026
The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize — this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef.

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Orchestra Baobab
Music | Club Hancher

Orchestra Baobab

Friday, April 10, 2026
Music | Club Hancher

Orchestra Baobab

Friday, April 10, 2026
Orchestra Baobab's Afro-Cuban sound is as fresh and captivating as ever. For one night only, Club Hancher becomes the Baobab Club, and the house band takes its rightful place on the stage. Don’t worry—we’ll leave plenty of space for dancing! 

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Beetlejuice
Broadway | Music

Beetlejuice

The Musical. The Musical. The Musical.

Friday–Sunday, May 1–3, 2026
Broadway | Music

Beetlejuice

The Musical. The Musical. The Musical.

Friday–Sunday, May 1–3, 2026
Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

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Brad Mehldau playing piano
Music | Club Hancher

Brad Mehldau Trio

Sunday, May 10, 2026
Music | Club Hancher

Brad Mehldau Trio

Sunday, May 10, 2026
Pianist Brad Mehldau brings his acclaimed trio, featuring drummer Jorge Rossy and bassist Felix Moseholm, to Club Hancher for an evening of spectacular creativity and musicianship.    

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Ray LaMontagne on stage playing a guitar. Upper left corner has text box that says postponed to September 2026
Music

POSTPONED: Ray LaMontagne

Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour

with special guest The Weather Station

Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Music

POSTPONED: Ray LaMontagne

Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour

with special guest The Weather Station

Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Ray LaMontagne is on the road—including this first-ever stop in Iowa City—celebrating his first full length album, "Trouble," playing the record in its entirety as well as songs from across his two-decade career.

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Past Season Events

Goose to play Fall Welcome Concert
Music

Goose

Fall Welcome Concert

Part of Engaged Hawkeyes Week

Thursday, August 28, 2025
Music

Goose

Fall Welcome Concert

Part of Engaged Hawkeyes Week

Thursday, August 28, 2025
Hancher welcomes everyone back with a free concert with Goose on our front lawn featuring the Hawkeye Drumline.

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Hancher is for Hawkeyes
Multidisciplinary

Hancher is for Hawkeyes

A ticket sale for UI Students

Thursday, August 28, 2025
Multidisciplinary

Hancher is for Hawkeyes

A ticket sale for UI Students

Thursday, August 28, 2025
Our annual Hancher is for Hawkeyes sale offers UI students deep discounts on many upcoming Hancher performances! Discounted tickets will be available from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. from the Hancher Box Office on Thursday, August 28. The sale continues online until Tuesday, September 2, at 11:59 p.m

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Dulce Sloan in a black and white image with white flowers around her face. The back of the poster is purple
Comedy | Club Hancher

Dulcé Sloan

Horizon Tour 2025

Friday, September 12, 2025
Comedy | Club Hancher

Dulcé Sloan

Horizon Tour 2025

Friday, September 12, 2025
One of the sharpest voices in comedy brings her incisive wit to Club Hancher. Dulcé Sloan spent seven years as a contributor to The Daily Show, and her Comedy Central Presents special was included in The New York Times’ “Best Comedy of 2019” roundup.

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Free
Sharon Van Etten in Conversation
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Sharon Van Etten in Conversation

moderated by Rachel Yoder

Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Sharon Van Etten in Conversation

moderated by Rachel Yoder

Wednesday, September 17, 2025
For over 15 years, Sharon Van Etten has been a creature of evolution, her music moving across modes and styles. Her latest, self-titled record was conceived with a new band, The Attachment Theory. Join Van Etten as she discusses her latest work and the arc of her career.

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Sharon Van Etten at the Englert is soldout
Music | Infinite Dream

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

with special guest Helado Negro

Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Music | Infinite Dream

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

with special guest Helado Negro

Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Sharon Van Etten has been a creature of evolution, her music moving across modes and styles. Helado Negro opens the show with a solo set of music mixing electronics, pop songcraft, and psychedelic textures.  

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Multidisciplinary | Infinite Dream

Farmhouse/Whorehouse

an Artist Lecture By Suzanne Bocanegra
starring Lili Taylor

Thursday, September 18, 2025
Multidisciplinary | Infinite Dream

Farmhouse/Whorehouse

an Artist Lecture By Suzanne Bocanegra
starring Lili Taylor

Thursday, September 18, 2025
Suzanne Bocanegra recounts threads of her family’s life on a Texas farm. Her tale unfolds as aural and visual memoir, weaving elements of art, design, and monologue into a startling, humorous performance.

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José James
Music | Infinite Dream

José James

with special guest Jim Swim

Thursday, September 18, 2025
Music | Infinite Dream

José James

with special guest Jim Swim

Thursday, September 18, 2025
José James and his band will share their gleaming, multifaceted sound—and likely have you dancing in no time. Local rapper and producer Jim Swim opens the show. 

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Cancelled
Alan Sparhawk conversation
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Alan Sparhawk in Conversation

'Creating from Loss'

Friday, September 19, 2025
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Alan Sparhawk in Conversation

'Creating from Loss'

Friday, September 19, 2025
Join us for public conversation with musician Alan Sparhawk, co-founder of the legendary band Low, as he reflects on the role of creativity in navigating grief.

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Free
Roger Guenveur Smith Conversation
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Roger Guenveur Smith in Conversation

Friday, September 19, 2025
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Roger Guenveur Smith in Conversation

Friday, September 19, 2025
An internationally acclaimed actor, writer, and director, Smith visits Iowa City to perform two solo shows: In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Frederick Douglass NOW. Join Smith as he discusses his career across stages, screens, and styles.

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Kaveh Akbar 2
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Kaveh Akbar in conversation

University of Iowa Literary Legends

Friday, September 19, 2025
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Kaveh Akbar in conversation

University of Iowa Literary Legends

Friday, September 19, 2025
Kaveh Akbar will reflect upon the transformative power of language, the tensions between optimism and reckoning, and the role of art in envisioning a more just and imaginative future in a conversation moderated by Daniel Khalastchi, executive director of the UI Office of Writing and Communication.

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32 sounds
Film | Infinite Dream

32 Sounds

a film by Sam Green 
with music by JD Samson & sound design by Mark Mangini 

Friday, September 19, 2025
Film | Infinite Dream

32 Sounds

a film by Sam Green 
with music by JD Samson & sound design by Mark Mangini 

Friday, September 19, 2025
32 Sounds is a documentary film—delivered in real-time—that explores the ways in which sound can shape our perception of the world, seemingly bend time itself, and make boundaries permeable.

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Roger Guenveur Smith
Theater | Infinite Dream

Roger Guenveur Smith

In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat: A Personal Tribute to a Revolutionary Artist

Friday, September 19, 2025
Theater | Infinite Dream

Roger Guenveur Smith

In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat: A Personal Tribute to a Revolutionary Artist

Friday, September 19, 2025
Roger Guenveur Smith calls forth two essential figures of the American narrative. This performance is inspired by Smith’s friendship with the young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose meteoric rise was halted by his tragic death at the age of 27.

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Free
Josh Johnson
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Josh Johnson in Conversation

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Discussion | Infinite Dream

Josh Johnson in Conversation

Saturday, September 20, 2025
A soft-spoken, sharp-thinking comic, Josh Johnson is convincingly reinventing standup comedy with fully-formed sets dropping on YouTube on a weekly basis. Join Johnson as he discusses his process and philosophy with writing and performing comedy.

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Meandering River
Dance | Infinite Dream

Meandering River

A place-based, meandering journey with the Iowa River

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Dance | Infinite Dream

Meandering River

A place-based, meandering journey with the Iowa River

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Explore the intertwined ecologies of people, nonhumans, water, and infrastructure. A multidisciplinary experience in honor and in awe of the Iowa River. 

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Frederick Douglas Now
Theater | Infinite Dream

Roger Guenveur Smith

Frederick Douglass NOW

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Theater | Infinite Dream

Roger Guenveur Smith

Frederick Douglass NOW

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Roger Guenvuer Smith's Frederick Douglass NOW examines the life and work of the self-liberated abolitionist and pioneering orator Frederick Douglass. Smith has edited Douglass's 19th century texts into a jazz-infused narrative bookended by original writing.

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Josh Johnson standing against the Infinite Dream flag treatment. Johnson is holding a bouquet of flowers
Comedy | Infinite Dream

Josh Johnson 

The Flowers Tour

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Comedy | Infinite Dream

Josh Johnson 

The Flowers Tour

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Josh Johnson is quietly, convincingly reinventing standup comedy and his fans delight in the steady stream of new thoughtful, laugh-inducing stories. Wired says he is “the funniest man on the internet.” We say he might be even funnier live on stage. 

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