Nearly two years after debuting at the Cincinnati Opera, “Fierce” is coming to Iowa City’s Hancher Auditorium.
The 21st-century opera follows the trials and triumphs of four teenage girls as they discover their identities and purposes in the world. “Fierce” is running from April 26-27 at Hancher Auditorium.
Commissioned composer William Menefield and librettist Sheila Williams originated the opera at the Cincinnati Opera in 2022. The piece was created to mimic young women’s experiences coming of age in contemporary society.
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The Daily Iowan - Tuesday, April 23, 2024
University of Iowa Department of Dance - Monday, April 22, 2024
Cami Rezabek is a fourth-year BFA student in the Department of Dance with minors in English and Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies, the undergrad research assistant for the UIDC, and the student-choreographer for Fierce, a new 21st-century opera that follows four teenage girls through a journey of discovery as they write their college admissions essays. Fierce makes its Iowa debut on the Hancher stage April 26-27, 2024.
Rezabek is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her mother, Carol, is a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, and an alum of the University of Iowa with BFA degrees in Dance and Theatre Arts—so naturally, Cami began dance lessons by the time she was 3 years old. And the UI was a natural fit, too, when it came time for college.
Vesta―named after the Roman goddess of the Earth―is one of the four principal characters in Fierce, a new opera that follows four young girls (also referred to as “muses”) as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives. The opera—making its Iowa premiere—reflects the collaborative spirit of Performing Arts At Iowa and will be co-produced by the School of Music, the Performing Arts Production Unit, and Hancher Auditorium. Vesta, played by Madeline Yankell, is the youngest of the muses. She is naive, bubbly, and sometimes she takes refuge from life in a fantasy world full of otters.
Yankell is a graduate student in music education who recently defended her MA thesis on movement and choral singing. She has previously performed in La Traviata and Dialogues des Carmelites.
University of Iowa Theatre Arts - Monday, April 22, 2024
If you’ve ever attended a theatre production, have you wondered who keeps track of the props or who communicates with the costume department? Who makes sure the performers are in the right place at the right time, and the technical aspects of the production are running smoothly? This is the job of a stage manager; they have the challenging job of keeping track of everything and everyone backstage.
Performing Arts at Iowa - Thursday, April 18, 2024
The Iowa premiere of Fierce marks a major moment in Hancher’s current season. Students from the School of Music, the Department of Dance and Department of Theatre Arts are coming together to produce this empowering new opera that celebrates young women.
Fierce is a 21st-century opera that follows four teenage girls—Vesta, Nyomi, Morgan, and Rumer—on their journey toward identity and purpose as they write their college essays in a high school writers’ workshop. The young women face an array of concerns including popularity, social media, parental expectations, self-determination, and personal loss. But these girls are fierce! They are determined, tenacious, and strong. Together they find community, self-empowerment, and the confidence to embrace the next chapter of their life.
“I love the story,” says Meenakshi Chinmai, a second-year Theatre Arts MFA candidate in stage management and international student from India who is the assistant stage manager for Fierce. “It’s great to work so closely with four young women who are close to my age, on a story that is so relatable and fun.”
University of Iowa - Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Growing up as a child of musicians, William Menefield was exposed to a wide range of music, from Beethoven and Mozart to John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, and Stevie Wonder. He started formal music training at 5, wrote his first song at 8, became a professional jazz pianist at 12, and released his first album just after high school graduation.
Hancher Auditorium - Monday, April 15, 2024
36 University of Iowa dancers trained to perform "Panorama" on the Hancher stage during the Martha Graham Dance Company's performance on March 29, 2024.
Little Village - Friday, April 5, 2024
In my mind, Iowa City’s Mission Creek Festival (which just kicked off its 19th year) has always fundamentally been about two things: creative place-making and wild moments of synchronicity. As such, it could have had no better opening than Thursday night’s reading by author and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib.
Press-Citizen - Friday, April 5, 2024
Basketball was seemingly on everyone's mind in Iowa City, even on the opening night of the 19th annual Mission Creek Festival Thursday, April 5, which started with Hanif Abdurraqib in a Caitlin Clark jersey, reading a poem from his latest book release and New York Times Best Seller, "There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension."
Abdurraqib's book is structured like a basketball game, with four sections capturing the passing of time likened to the four quarters of a game. Abdurraqib chronicles the sport, exploring the intersection of basketball and the human experience from themes of hope and growth.
The Daily Iowan - Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Musicians, authors, and artists will flood into Iowa City this weekend as Mission Creek Festival gears up.
Celebrating its 19th year, the Mission Creek Festival has been an Iowa City staple event since 2006. The festival is modeled after the original Mission Creek Festival based in San Francisco, California.
The festival prides itself on uniting literature and music enthusiasts alike. It started in 2005 when Andre Perry, the University of Iowa Hancher Auditorium’s executive director, moved to Iowa City. Perry worked on the original California Mission Creek as a producer and wanted to bring something similar to Iowa when he moved.