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Stars lining up for Hancher’s 2024-25 season
World-class artistry coming to various Iowa City venues
IOWA CITY — Hancher’s 52nd season brings a mix of Broadway and world-class stars shining on various stages, including soprano Renee Fleming on Oct. 24, pianist extraordinaire Emmanuel Ax on Feb. 8 and Riverdance from May 9 to 11, all on the Hancher Auditorium stage.
Other season highlights: a free outdoor Fall Welcome Concert featuring Cory Wong, Dawes and Reyna Tropical on Aug. 29 on the Hancher Green; Chaka Kahn in concert Sept. 13 at Hancher; a new collaboration by Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham on Sept. 27 at the Englert Theatre; Patti Smith as the keynote performer at the second Infinite Dream festival Sept. 28 at Hancher.
At a glance
What: Hancher 2024-25 season
Tickets: Hancher tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. July 29. Tickets for the UI’s Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts department events go on sale at 10 a.m. Aug. 19.
To purchase: Hancher Box Office provides ticketing services for all Performing Arts at Iowa events. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, in person or at (319) 335-1100 or 1-(800) HANCHER; or online at hancher.uiowa.edu and hbotix.hancher.uiowa.edu.
Details: Complete Hancher lineup at hancher.uiowa.edu/2024-25, with a link to Performing Arts Iowa at hancher.uiowa.edu/2024-25/performingartsatiowa
Also, a week of events Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 with internationally-acclaimed percussionist and University of Iowa School of Music alumnus Steven Schick at various indoor and outdoor venues; a cappella sensation Straight No Chaser on Nov. 7 at Hancher; Twyla Tharp Dance Company, returning with a Hancher commission on Jan. 29, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre on March 11 and 12, all at Hancher; The Acting Company performing plays by August Wilson and William Shakespeare on March 28 and 29 at the Englert; and large-ensemble classical programs by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 17 and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra on April 13, all at Hancher.
And the previously announced Broadway series includes “Dear Evan Hansen” from Dec. 6 to 8; “Hadestown” from Jan. 24 to 26; “Mean Girls” from March 7 to 9; “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” from May 30 to June 1. Riverdance also is part of this series, and season tickets are on sale now at hancher.uiowa.edu/broadway.
The Club Hancher series expands to 13 performances, with jazz, alternative music and stand-up comedy presented in Hancher’s 180-seat Strauss Hall. Chamber music and recital events will offer up a different kind of intimate setting for audiences and artists, with both seated on the Hancher Auditorium stage.
This is just a taste of the more than 80 events at Hancher Auditorium. The UI performing arts departments also feature a five-play main stage series in the UI theater department; students and visiting artists’ works in the dance department; and free performances in the Voxman Music Building downtown.
More star power comes to the Department of Theatre Arts, staging “Marie Antoinette,” written by former Iowa Playwrights Workshop student David Adjmi, winner of a 2024 Tony Award for his play “Stereophonic.” Performances run Oct. 11 to 19 in the David Thayer Theatre on the UI campus.
“These performances highlight myriad perspectives in the professional arts landscape, as well as the voices of tomorrow, through the incredible amount of student and faculty work featured on our collective stages,” Andre Perry, executive director of the UI’s Hancher Auditorium and the Office of Performing Arts and Engagement, said in announcing the new season.
“Through our upcoming 2024-2025 performances we continue our commitment to hosting world-class artists and nurturing the next generation of creative thinkers, makers, and performers. It all adds up to a campus and community with an electrifying culture — a place where it feels like something is happening wherever you go.”
Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com
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