| Dear Iowa Theatre Alumni and Friends: | As we move through this spring semester, we do so in a world marked by uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. In moments like these, it is natural to ask how we keep going, how we make sense of what surrounds us, and what role art can continue to play. In the Department of Theatre Arts, we return again and again to the belief that making art is not a luxury, but a necessity: a way to reflect, to question, to connect, and to imagine more just and compassionate futures.
This semester, our students and faculty are embracing that challenge through a wide range of theatrical work that speaks to vulnerability, resilience, identity, and human connection. Intimate, student-driven productions such as Stained Glass and Love Pentagram sit alongside bold explorations of power, agency, and self-advocacy in works like How to Defend Yourself, the Ten-Minute Play Festival and All That Glitters highlight emerging voices and experimental storytelling, while our mainstage productions, including Head Over Heels and Uncle Vanya, invite audiences into larger-scale narratives that reflect on love, community, and what it means to navigate change together.
As we look ahead, our stages will continue to be spaces where complexity is embraced rather than avoided. From bold new student work to mainstage productions, our students are learning not only how to make theatre, but how to engage thoughtfully with the world through it. Educating young artists means equipping them to ask difficult questions, to listen deeply, and to use their voices with intention.
You can find more details on all of the above in our Virtual Lobby—and more news and local reviews on our News page.
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: |
- A recent feature by The Daily Iowan explores how UI and local theatre groups create welcoming audition environments for both first-time and experienced performers. This story highlights auditioning as an invitation into collaboration, growth, and shared artistic practice that helps connect the theatre department with the rest of the Iowa City community. Read the full feature here.
- Another recent DI story explored how stage managers and technicians play a vital role in bringing University of Iowa productions to life, coordinating everything from rehearsals to final cues behind the scenes. The piece highlights the collaborative work, problem-solving, and precision required of these artists, whose efforts ensure each performance runs smoothly. Read more about it here.
- 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/.
.jpg) This month, Playwriting Assistant Professor Tony Meneses will take Playwriting students on a trip to the Colorado New Play Summit in Denver, where his play The Myth of the Two Marcos will be one of four new plays featured for a staged reading. - Award-winning, nonbinary Taiwanese-Japanese-American theater maker, screenwriter, educator Haruna Lee will be in residency with the Iowa Playwrights Workshop in February, followed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok later in the semester.
- The Ten-Minute Play Festival will take place during Free Week, February 16-22, as part of the Iowa City Downtown District’s community-wide winter arts and culture festival. Presented through X Marks the Arts, Free Week highlights our annual event where Theatre students, faculty, and collaborators to share new work and creativity, while inviting the community to engage with theatre in an accessible way. Learn more about Free Week here.
Find Department of Theatre Arts news and updates any time HERE. | | | Alumni News: |
- Michael Ashcraft (1979 BA) has a featured role in Dead Man's Wire, a 2025 film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Al Pacino, Bill Skarsgård, Coleman Domingo and Cary Elwes. The film opened nationally in January and is currently showing at Film Scene.
.jpg)
- Christopher Lysik (2024 MFA, Playwriting) is the 2026 Dee Silver MD Commission Fellow at Cygnet Theater, where his new play receives development support and a public reading. The fellowship has provided Lysik with time, resources, and mentorship to advance the work by committing to developing new voices in contemporary theatre. The recognition highlights his transition from graduate study into the professional theatre landscape and highlights UI Theatre Arts Department’s emphasis on sustained artistic development opportunities for students beyond the classroom. Read the full story here.
- John Nelles (1980 BA, 1985 MFA) continues to build a wide-ranging professional career as a dialect coach and educator. Over the past winter, Nelles worked as a dialect coach on the upcoming production Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, and is currently coaching on Boston Blue. Alongside this professional work, he is also coaching and teaching at Canada’s renowned George Brown Theatre School.
- Kurt Smith (2012 MFA) was featured in a recent profile in Iowa Magazine, which traces his path through theatre and reflects on the experiences that shaped his creative and professional life. The story highlights Smith’s long-standing connection to the University of Iowa and the ways his work continues to evolve beyond campus. Read the full story here to learn more about Smith’s journey.
| | | Faculty News & Accomplishments: |
- Assistant Professor Mark Bruckner was recently recognized as part of the second annual Teaching Excellence Showcase hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa. The showcase celebrates innovative and impactful teaching across disciplines, highlighting faculty whose approaches foster student engagement, creativity, and meaningful learning experiences. Read the full story here.
- Megan Gogerty, associate professor, debuted her new one-woman play Fair State at Riverside Theatre in January. A darkly comic examination of American politics, personal conviction, and civic responsibility, the play explores how public ideals collide with private lives. Learn more about the show here.
| | | Coming Soon to Hancher: | CLUE
February 6-8, 2026
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage
RENT IN CONCERT
March 1, 2026
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage
THE MUSIC MAN
March 27-29, 2026
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage
BEETLEJUICE
May 1-3, 2026
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage | | | |
