‘Dangerous Women’ ushers in historical theater seasons

CEDAR RAPIDS - “Dangerous Women: Three Plays by Early American Women” will launch the mainstage series for Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation's newly expanded Ushers Ferry Theatre Company.

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8, 9, 15 and 16 at the Ambroz Recreation Center, 2000 Mount Vernon Rd. SE.

Included are “Overtones” by Alice Gurstenburg, “Aria da Capo” by Edna St. Vincent Millay and “Trifles” by Iowa writer Susan Glaspell. All three plays were groundbreaking works when they opened at the turn of the 20th century.

Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 14 and under.

Advance registration is advised; any remaining tickets will be sold at the door. Register in person at the Ambroz Center, call (319) 286-5731 or go to www.crrec.org

The Parlour Theatre Company at Ushers Ferry Historic Village, 5925 Seminole Valley Trl. NE, is celebrating its 10th anniversary of bringing historical theater to the Cedar Rapids area with a major expansion and name change.

Now known as the Ushers Ferry Theatre Company, the program's mission is to explore and build community by bringing to the stage family friendly theater both from and about the past.

“We made a new friend who really loves to do theater and wants to take the project on,” says Darrin Crow of Cedar Rapids, education coordinator at the historic village.

Jim Stewart of Cedar Rapids, who formerly worked with the Houston Shakespeare Festival, is the new artistic director for the series. “He's a terrific volunteer and a great person,” Crow says.

The company will specialize in presenting American works from the “pre-television” era, from 1850-1950; European plays popular in America during that time; and modern plays that comment on or are about that era. 

Mainstage

In addition to “Dangerous Women,” the Mainstage Series features an old-fashioned melodrama from March 18 to 20 and 25 to 27 at Ambroz; “Why Marry,” the first play to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, from May 13 to 15 and 20 to 22 at Ambroz; Shakespeare's “A Comedy of Errors” from Sept. 9 to 11 and 16 to 18 at the Ushers Ferry gazebo; and “A Change in the Wind” from Dec. 2 to 4 and 9 to 11, tentatively scheduled in the newly restored church at Ushers Ferry.

Parlour Theatre

This series, performed at Ushers Ferry, begins with a Valentine's piece, “Love Ballads: Tragic Songs, Poems, and Stories,” on Feb. 5 6, 12, and 13; “Jack Tales - Beyond the Beanstalk,” a children's theater original presentation June 3 to 5 and 10 to 12; old-fashioned radio theater Aug. 12 to 14 and 19 to 21; and “Morbid Curiosities: An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe” on Oct. 14 to 16 and 21 to 23.

Tickets

Mainstage admission is $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 14 and under. Parlour Theatre shows are $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 14 and under. Groups of 10 or more receive a 10 percent discount.

Season tickets are $54 for the Mainstage Series, $29 for the Parlour Theatre Series or $78 for both. 

To order season tickets or group tickets, call Ushers Ferry at (319) 286-5763.

For individual tickets, call the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department at (319) 286-5731.

For more information, go to

www.ufhv.com