The world, I think we can agree, is a complicated place. Unfortunately, it seems much of our current dialogue about important issues seeks to minimize those complications, seeking instead to divide us with overly simple dichotomies. We’re facing a moment where we are called to resist the dangerous notion of “us vs. them” — where “them” is some groups that get marginalized even while being undeniably part of “us.”
One such marginalized group at this fraught moment is the Muslim community. All of us at Hancher are delighted to have the opportunity to undermine the “us/them” dichotomy via our Embracing Complexity project. Thanks to a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ Building Bridges: Arts, Culture, and Identity program, we are presenting a series of programs and performances focusing on contemporary Islamic cultures and Muslim identities.
Some sites may require subscription
Iowa City Press Citizen - Tuesday, September 26, 2017
The Gazette - Sunday, September 24, 2017
Singer Azam Ali said she is “as American as you can be,” yet recently had racial insults hurled at her while shopping at a popular global foods store in Los Angeles.
Born in Iran and raised in India from ages 4 to 14, she and her family came to the United States 1985. She became a citizen in 1990, while still a teenager.
The Daily Iowan - Thursday, September 21, 2017
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis is going to give Iowa City an opportunity to see what some call the finest of jazz.
At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Hancher will present the group, which will transform the building from an auditorium into a house of jazz.
Iowa Now - Monday, September 18, 2017
A new semester is a new beginning.
It provides an opportunity to remind returning students—while also informing new students—that the University of Iowa prides itself on being inclusive.
“This is a welcoming place, a diverse and dynamic institution strengthened by our differences,” UI President Bruce Harreld said in a message to campus during the first week of classes.
One part of campus leading inclusion efforts this fall is Hancher Auditorium.
Iowa City Press Citizen - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
With the University of Iowa back in session, UI's Hancher Auditorium has kicked off its 45th year season.
With its mix of concerts, dance, Broadway shows, speakers and more, Hancher has been bringing some of the nation's most highly regarded artists to Iowa City for 45 years now. The 2017-2018 season is no different.
The Daily Iowan - Friday, September 1, 2017
For Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., his political revolution was never about whether the people of Iowa, or the United States, were prepared to accept ideas what he said some might call outside-of-the-box ideas, but about Americans realizing that if they stood together against what he called the greed of the billionaire class, great things could be accomplished.
Sanders spoke at Hancher Auditorium on Thursday night to discuss his book Bernie Sanders’ Guide to Political Revolution, in an event presented by Prairie Lights
Daily Iowan - Thursday, August 24, 2017
Think dance. Unthink.
Think buttery popcorn. Unthink.
Fall into slap-a-doodle dandy. Unfall.
You’re getting closer. Maybe.
Today and Friday, Monica Bill Barnes & Company will produce Happy Hour in Hancher’s Strauss Hall. The production puts office antics in a new light, with Barnes and Anna Bass playing two men, one in a well-worn gray suit, the other in blue.
The Gazette - Thursday, August 17, 2017
Audiences seldom sit passively at a Monica Bill Barnes & Company dance event.
True to form, observers will be part of the action when the New York dancers bring their “Happy Hour” to Hancher’s Strauss Hall on Aug. 24 and 25.
“That’s a bit unusual in dance, where we train for so many years and we oftentimes, as an art form, are representing a certain kind of grace and a skill level that people don’t feel like they have in common,” Barnes, 44, said by phone from New York after finishing rehearsal for a new 20th anniversary show opening off-Broadway on Sept. 9.
Iowa City Press Citizen - Monday, August 14, 2017
What was slated as the first concert of the 45th Hancher Auditorium season has been pushed back a few weeks.
A free outdoor concert on the Hancher lawn with Leslie Odom Jr., the Broadway performer who played Vice President Aaron Burr in the musical "Hamilton," has been pushed back from Sept. 14 to Oct. 1 according to a news release.
The rescheduling occurred in order to accommodate Odom Jr.'s schedule, according to the release. The concert will remain outdoors and free to the public.
The Daily Iowan - Monday, July 10, 2017
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will be making a return to Iowa City in August as part of a tour to discuss his new book.
Iowa City’s famed independent bookstore, Prairie Lights, 15 S. Dubuque St., has announced it will bring Sanders to Hancher Auditorium, 141 E. Park Rd., on Aug. 31. at 7 p.m. after the release of his book, Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution, according to a press release.