Infinite Dream returns to Iowa City

Infinite Dream returns to Iowa City Sept. 17 through Sept. 20. Produced by the team at Hancher Auditorium, Infinite Dream is a multidisciplinary arts festival exploring the shape, depth and complexity of the American story.

The festival is an opportunity for community members to engage their curiosity, take a chance on arts experiences across disciplines, and consider the past and current creative culture at the University of Iowa and in the surrounding area.

“This year’s festival feels like a big, exciting, multilayered essay,” said Hancher executive director André Perry. “These artists are exploring personal narrative, thinking about our national culture, and offering philosophical questions all while delivering compelling performances. If we want to step into the unknown and see new, innovative art, this is our chance.”

Most events happen in Hancher’s performance spaces, including the full auditorium, Club Hancher and the Up Close setup with artists and audiences onstage together. Other venues include The Englert Theatre and The James Theater. The Old Capitol Senate Chamber on the UI’s Pentacrest will host discussions with festival artists.

The festival opens on Wednesday, Sept. 17, with an afternoon conversation from indie songwriter Sharon Van Etten at The Old Capitol Senate Chamber. She performs that evening with her band The Attachment Theory at The Englert Theatre in support of this year’s self-titled record “Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory.”

The rest of the weekend unfolds with a range of multidisciplinary events that blend sound, image and performance. Sam Green presents his live film documentary “32 Sounds” with a real-time soundtrack by JD Samson (from the band Le Tigre); visual artist Suzanne Bocanegra’s work blends essay with performances by actress Lili Taylor (“Mystic Pizza,” “Six Feet Under”); actor and director Roger Guenveur Smith (“Do The Right Thing,” “Summer of Sam”) tussles with wide swathes of American culture in two one-man shows about Jean-Michel Basquiat and Frederick Douglass; and seven UI faculty members, alongside UI students, offer a performance-in-motion called “Meandering River” that takes audience members on a walking tour of the Iowa River, surrounded by dancers, narration and recorded sounds of the river. There will also be concerts from José James, Alan Sparhawk (of Low), Helado Negro, and local rapper/producer Jim Swim.

The festival closes on Saturday, Sept. 20, with a headline set from comedian Josh Johnson. A correspondent on The Daily Show as well as a frequent touring artist, Johnson has redefined the comedy special in the past year. He releases a new 45- to 60-minute set of comedy every Tuesday night on his YouTube channel with most sets reaching 1 million views in a few days. His comedy ruminates on major topics from the current news cycle, dissecting public happenings alongside personal stories. The sets are humorous, deeply thoughtful reflections on where we are as people and where we’re going as a country. In addition to his show on the mainstage at Hancher Auditorium, Johnson will sit for a moderated conversation about his career in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber.