| Dear Iowa Theatre Alumni and Friends: | One of the core commitments of the Department of Theatre Arts is ensuring that our students’ education extends beyond the classroom and rehearsal hall by connecting them directly with the broader theatre community. We believe that meaningful engagement with working artists is an essential part of preparing the next generation of theatre makers. This semester, we have had the opportunity to welcome accomplished playwrights such as Obie Award–winning Haruna Lee, and Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Martyna Majok to campus to work directly with our students. These visits allow students to learn firsthand about the creative process, new play development, and the many pathways that exist within the professional theatre world.
At the same time, our stages continue to serve as vital spaces for exploration, collaboration, and performance. This spring, the department will experience a wide range of productions across our venues, from the musical Head Over Heels to All That Glitters, and a new staging of Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Annie Baker and directed by Kayla Adams. Together, each production offers students the chance to collaborate across disciplines while engaging with a wide range of theatrical styles and stories.
Speaking of news … We are always eager to hear your updates! If you have news to share about your accomplishments or the work of a fellow Iowa Theatre grad, please let us know.
Warmly,
Mary Beth Easley
Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts
Associate Professor, Head of Directing
SUBMIT YOUR NEWS HERE | | | Departmental News: |
- Each spring, the UI community comes together for One Day for Iowa, a 24-hour engagement effort dedicated to bringing in resources for the people and programs that shape life on campus. This year, it will take place on Wednesday, March 25. The Theatre department is teaming up with our fellow Performing Arts at Iowa departments—Music, Dance, and Hancher Auditorium—to share one giving page and one spot on the leaderboards. If you choose to join this collective effort, you’ll have the option to donate to the Department of Theatre Arts, or any/all of our performing arts areas, in one easy transaction. More info at https://1day.uiowa.edu/
- New Work City is under way again! Each spring at the University of Iowa, this initiative highlights new works being premiered all over campus as our graduate students in the performing arts present their creative projects to the public--often for the first time ever. Our beloved annual New Play Festival is now part of New Work City, too. Learn more at https://performingarts.uiowa.edu/new-work-city.
- The Daily Iowan recently published a photo feature highlighting the 2026 Ten-Minute Play Festival in the Department of Theatre Arts. The gallery captures moments from this year’s performances and offers a glimpse into the student-written, directed, and performed works presented as part of the festival. Take a look at the pictures here.
Tyler Andrew and Norah Logan play reunited exes Oscar and Vera during a rehearsal of "Found and Lost" for the 10 Minute Play Festival
- Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Martyna Majok will visit campus at the end of March to work with students in the Department of Theatre Arts. During her visit, she will engage with student playwrights and participate in a Q&A session with MFA students, offering insight into her writing process and career in new play development.
- In February, the Iowa Playwrights Workshop hosted Obie Award–winning playwright Haruna Lee for a visit with students. Lee met with playwrights in the program and shared insights into their creative process and career in new play development.
Haruna Lee working with the playwriting students
Find Department of Theatre Arts news and updates any time HERE. | | | Students News & Accomplishments: |
- Department of Theatre Arts student Karissa Burkhardt, who is majoring in vocal performance, dance, theatre, and elementary education, was recently featured in an article by The Gazette highlighting a production of Guys and Dolls at Theatre Cedar Rapids. With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, the classic musical follows gamblers, showgirls, and missionaries navigating love and luck in New York City’s underworld. The production runs through March 15 at Theatre Cedar Rapids. Read the full article here and more information about the play in here.
- We would like to congratulate our MFA playwriting candidate Cianon Jones on being selected as a 2026 recipient of the Cody Renard Richard Scholarship, a national program that supports emerging theatrical leaders of color working behind the scenes. As part of this cohort, Cianon will receive a $10,000 scholarship, participate in mentorship seminars focused on leadership, community building, and social justice, and travel to New York City for an all-expenses-paid experience connecting with industry mentors and the Broadway community. We are proud to see Cianon recognized among this year’s recipients and look forward to following their continued work in the field. Read more about the award here.
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Cianon Jones | | | Faculty and Staff & Accomplishments: |
- Faculty members Mary Beth Easley and Mark Bruckner, along with Kaelen Novak (Design MFA, 2023), have received the Herbert D. Greggs Publication Merit Award from United States Institute for Theatre Technology. The award recognizes innovative and in-depth writing about theatre design and technology. Their article, “Making the Unimaginable Real,” appears in the latest issue of Theatre Design & Technology (TD&T), the organization’s quarterly journal. Learn more about their work and the award here.
- Assistant Professor of Playwriting Tony Meneses’s play The Hombres will be produced at The Old Globe in San Diego as part of its 2025–26 season. The comedy follows a group of construction workers whose catcalling sparks complaints from a nearby yoga studio, leading the instructor to invite them to try a class themselves. What begins as a clash between two worlds evolves into a humorous and thoughtful exploration of masculinity, friendship, and vulnerability. Learn more about the production here.
- Meneses also recently took nine student playwrights to the Denver Center New Play Summit at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. They were joined by Assistant Professor of Theatre History and Performance Studies Ryan Adelsheim. During the trip, students attended four staged readings and two full productions and had the opportunity to meet with industry professionals participating in the summit. The group also took part in one-on-one meetings with artistic staff from the Denver Center and with the literary director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. While there, they attended a staged reading of Meneses’s new play, The Myth of the Two Marcos, directed and performed by professional artists. Meneses also spoke with the students about the process of new play development and how staged readings fit into the life of a new work.
- Jason Simms, Assistant Professor of Scenic Design, is currently designing several productions across the country. His upcoming work includes Jelly’s Last Jam at Bristol Riverside Theatre, which will open this month, John & Jen at Berkshire Theatre Group, will open in May, and both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and The Book Club Play at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, opening in July. He will also design Summer, 1776 at Berkshire Theatre Group this September.
- Jason Millsap, Associate Company Manager of the UI Performing Arts Production Unit, recently served as Production Coordinator for Merrily We Roll Along at the Revival Theatre Company. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, the musical follows the rise and fall of a decades-long friendship between three artists, told in reverse chronological order. The production also featured alumni Katie Gucik (MFA Acting, 2024) as Mary Flynn and Brandon Burkhardt (BA Theatre 2024) as Franklin Shepard. Learn more about the production here.
- Assistant Professor of Costume Design Cathy Parrott recently led a group of students to Bali for an international theatre arts experience supported by the University of Iowa’s International Programs. During the trip, students engaged with local artists and explored performance and design practices within Balinese theatre traditions. International Programs recently featured the story of the trip and the students’ experience. You can read more here.
| | | Coming Soon to Hancher: | THE MUSIC MAN
March 27-29, 2026
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage
BEETLEJUICE
May 1-3, 2026
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage | | | |
