Riverside Theatre Blog - 2011-2012 Season

The reviews for A Steady Rain are in!

Click here to read Eastern Iowa Life's review of A Steady Rain.

Click here to read Iowa Theatre Blog's review of A Steady Rain.

(L to R) Jim Van Valen as Denny and Martin Andrews as Joey in A Steady Rain by Keith Huff.

Up next at Riverside Theatre is the area premiere of the gritty and complex Broadway thriller, A Steady Rain by Keith Huff, directed by Joseph Price.

A Steady Rain is about two Chicago cops, Joey and Denny, who are lifelong best friends and partners on the beat until a chain of events spirals out of control threatening their jobs, their friendship and their lives.

 “Joey and Denny grew up together and have always lived ‘back to back’ knowing that they could rely on one another no matter the circumstances,” Price said.  “We meet them in a sort of internal affairs purgatory...the men face a world where all seems lost and we witness their struggle to make sense of that world.”

This gripping duologue features area actors Martin Andrews as Joey and Jim Van Valen as Denny.

A Steady Rain was performed on Broadway in 2009 and Huff is currently working on adapting the play for EON Films. Huff is a graduate of the UI’s Playwright Workshop.

"The lives these characters live, what they see and are asked to do on a daily basis - it's slowly wearing them down - destroying them.  Both of them are looking for salvation.  Only one can find it. It's an exciting story to tell with complicated characters to explore," said Andrews.

Andrews is the Producing Director for Working Group Theatre and an MFA graduate of UI. He last appeared at Riverside Theatre in Working Group Theatre’s The Toymaker’s War and Riverside’s All My Sons.

Van Valen is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Head of Acting at Cornell College and an MFA graduate of UI. He was last seen in Riverside’s summer productions of Ah, Wilderness! and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

A Steady Rain also features lighting design by Bryon Winn, sound design by Katherine Horowitz, and costume design by Adriana Fernandez.

A Steady Rain contains strong language and adult content.

Tickets for A Steady Rain, March 30 – April 15, are $15-$28 with discounts available for those over 60, those under 30, and youth. $15 students rush tickets are available on a first come first served basis 20 minutes before curtain. Tickets are available by phone at (319) 338-7672, online at www.riversidetheatre.org or in person at the Riverside Theatre Box Office, located at 213 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City, IA.

Immediately following the opening night performance on Friday, March 30 there will be a reception and conversation with Huff.

Riverside Theatre Presents Annual Monologue Festival

Walking the Wire: This Will Never Work

March 2-11, 2012

Some ideas sound crazy, others really are…creating a homemade medical device, falling in love with a Barbie doll, channeling direct orders from God, moving to a far away city to chase a dream.

Walking the Wire, Riverside Theatre’s annual festival of original work from playwrights across North America, will bring to the stage a wide variety of potentially implausible scenarios as part of this year’s theme, This Will Never Work.

This year’s Walking the Wire is directed by Riverside Theatre Artistic Director Jody Hovland. The show is sponsored by Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT).

“Walking the Wire has all the theatricality of an aerial act - a single performer telling a story in a single spot of light. And this year’s theme insures plenty of daring twists and turns as well,” Hovland said.

With over 100 submissions from across the U.S. and beyond, the dozen monologues reflect a diverse range of original work from playwrights both near and far. 

The 12 playwrights whose work will be presented are: Brent Boyd (North Hollywood, CA); Dave Carley (Toronto, ON); Ron Clark (Iowa City); Mark Harvey Levine (Pasadena, CA); Deborah Magid (Cleveland Heights, OH); Gordon Mennenga (Iowa City); Mike Moran (Mount Vernon); Amanda Petefish-Schrag (Maryville, MO); Gwendolyn Rice (Madison, WI); Janet Schlapkohl (Iowa City); Jen Silverman (Astoria, NY); and Amy White (Mount Vernon).

Three area writers, Clark, Moran and Schlapkohl, will perform their own work, with an additional cast of actors including Tim Budd, David Busch, Fannie Hungerford, Katherine Smith and Jessica Wilson.

Walking the Wire runs March 2-11. Showtimes are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for 60 and over/30 and under, $15 for youth (18 and under). $15 student rush tickets are available 20 minutes before curtain on a first come, first served basis for any remaining seats. Tickets can be purchased online at www.riversidetheatre.org, by phone at (319) 338-7672 or at the Riverside Theatre Box Office. The Box Office is located at 213 N. Gilbert St, Iowa City. Box Office Hours are: 12 - 4 p.m. Monday – Friday, and one hour before performances.

(Left to right) Lloyd (John Watkins) and Marvin (Randal Sanderfeld) examine their minnows in Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical Comedy, which opens at Riverside on Jan. 20. Photo by Bob Goodfellow.

Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical Comedy, about two ice fishing buddies, opens at Riverside Theatre January 20 and runs through February 19.

In this manly musical, long-time pals Lloyd and Marvin spend their free time in a ramshackle ice fishing shanty outside of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. As the guys anxiously await their opportunity to appear on a popular cable TV fishing show, they scramble to protect their beer from fellow angler, Ernie the Moocher.

They pass the time by fishing, swapping jokes, playing cards, talking about their romantic problems – and occasionally breaking into song and dance about snowmobile suits, beer, and fish.

With songs like “Ode to a Snowmobile Suit” and “Fish is de Miracle Food” Guys on Ice is sure to be a roaring good time that will charm your wool socks off.

“This show has a cult following like you wouldn’t believe, and rightly so,” said John Watkins, who plays Lloyd. “It's a terrifically written show with fabulous music, a big heart, sidesplitting humor grounded in Ernie, Marvin and Lloyd's candid simplicity, and a halftime show where you can win prizes.”

Book and lyrics are by Fred Alley and music is by James Kaplan. The show is directed by Riverside Theatre Resident Artist and Production Manager Ron Clark, who previously appeared as Marvin in the 2007 and 2009 productions of Guys on Ice.

Watkins and Randal Sandersfeld play Lloyd and Marvin respectively. Watkins appeared as Lloyd in the 2009 production of Guys on Ice. This is Sandersfeld’s first appearance on the Riverside stage. Ryan Westwood rounds out the cast as the dreaded Ernie the Moocher. Westwood was last seen at Riverside Theatre in End Days.

Guys on Ice also features lighting design by Courtney Schmitz Watson, choreography by Patrick DuLaney and accompaniment by Ruth Baldwin. The show is sponsored by ACT. Ernie the Moocher’s popular “Half-Time Show,” an audience quiz game, features prizes provided by Fin and Feather.

“I think the reason a lot of people don't know about Guys on Ice is that those who do are trying to keep it all for themselves,” Watkins said.

Tickets for Guys on Ice, January 20 – February 19, are $15-$29 with discounts available for those over 60, those under 30, and youth. $15 students rush tickets are available on a first come first served basis 20 minutes before curtain. Tickets are available by phone at (319) 338-7672, online, or in person at the Riverside Theatre Box Office, located at 213 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City, IA.

Break our your snowmobile suit and your wool socks!

Join us on Saturday, Jan. 14 from Noon-3 p.m. for an outdoor fish fry to celebrate the opening of Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical Comedy.

The fish fry will be held outdoors in the parking lot off 319 E Bloomington, behind Murphy-Brookfield Books.

Tickets for the fish fry are $10 for a meal of fried fish served with sides, dessert and hot beverages.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 319-338-7672 or by stopping by the box office at 213 N. Gilbert St.

Proceeds from the event benefit Riverside Theatre.

Riverside Theatre is pleased to announce that it has recieved the honor of being voted Best Theatre Group in the Iowa City Press-Citizen's annual Best of the Area Contest!

A big thanks to everyone who voted for Riverside!

Click here to see what the Press-Citizen has to say about Riverside Theatre.

We are sold out for Friday, Nov. 4 & Saturday Nov. 5.

The are still seats available for the Sunday, Nov. 6 performance as well as all performances during the final weekend.

We now have a video for our current production, The Cripple of Inishmaan, featuring music by The Beggarmen.

Click here to see the video.

Playwright selections for Walking the Wire 2012 – congratulations!

Our deep thanks to all submitting writers for supporting this new works festival.

“Double Barrel” – Brent Boyd, North Hollywood, CA            

“Bert, One Year Later” – Dave Carley, Toronto, Ontario         

“Third” – Ron Clark, Iowa City, IA

“Nicole” – Mark Harvey Levine, Pasadena, CA

“The Cowboy” – Deborah Magid, Cleveland Heights, OH

“Shakytown” – Gordon Mennenga, Iowa City, IA

“In Hank’s Brain” – Mike Moran, Mt. Vernon, IA                     

“Lost in the Flood” – Amanda Petefish-Schrag, Maryville, MO 

“Toots” – Gwendolyn Rice, Madison, WI

“A Pigeon in a Dress” – Janet Schlapkohl, Iowa City, IA

“Mia” – Jen Silverman, Astoria, NY

“Inner Child” – Amy White, Mt. Vernon, IA              

Walking the Wire: This Will Never Work will be performed at Riverside Theatre March 2-11, 2012.

              

Find out what reviewers are saying about The Cripple of Inishmaan.

Click here to read Diana Nollen's review in The Gazette.

Click here to read Matt Falduto's review on The Iowa Theatre Blog.

Decorate your home with beautiful balsam items this holiday season!

Riverside Theatre is once again selling holiday wreaths.

This year's offerings include a teardrop swag, wreath, and a centerpiece.

Prices range from $20-$26.

All proceeds benefit Riverside Theatre.

All orders must be placed by Tuesday, November 1.

Orders will be available for pickup after Wednesday, November 16 (we'll notify you by email when they've arrived).

Click here for more information or to print out an order form.

Questions? Email Jennifer Holan [email protected]

Get familiar with our upcoming production The Cripple of Inishmaan and the ideas explored in it by attending this informal discussion on Thursday, October 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Riverside Theatre.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Cripple of Inishmaan playwright, Martin McDonagh, is generally revered as one of the great contemporary voices of the Irish theatre and is the first playwright since Shakespeare to have four professionally produced plays running simultaneously on London stages.

Join Director and Resident Artist, Ron Clark, and Ray Heffner, Scholar of Irish literature and Professor Emeritus University of Iowa Department of English, for this Theatre Talk on Thursday, October 20th as they discuss McDonagh, his body of works, and the quirky humor of The Cripple of Inishmaan.

An Irish orphan yearns to escape small-town life…by becoming a star.

(Left to right) Tim Budd as Johnnypateenmike, Kristy Harstgrove as Kate, and Osean Perez as Cripple Billy in The Cripple of Inishmaan. Photo by Bob Goodfellow.

Riverside Theatre, Iowa City’s resident professional theatre company will present The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh, October 28 through November 13. Ron Clark, Riverside’s Resident Artist and Production Manager, directs. The Cripple of Inishmaan is a co-production with Cornell College.

In this wickedly hilarious Irish comedy, set in 1934 on the remote island of Inishmaan, Crippled Billy dreams of a world away from his adopted aunts, their tiny village store, and their nosy fellow villagers. When he hears that a Hollywood film crew is working nearby, Billy hatches a plot to land a part. What follows is a tale of adventure, loss and redemption.

“Cripple explores the widely held stereotypes about the simple joys of small-town life, and fills the stage with the dark humor that is essential for its characters to survive,” Clark said.

In its thirty-one year history, Riverside Theatre has produced a number of Irish dramas including Stones in His Pockets and Dancing at Lughnasa.  Additionally, the company has produced two other McDonagh plays: The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Lonesome West. 

“Audiences have raved about the work and thoroughly enjoyed the fine storytelling of these Irish plays.  The colorful and exuberant language and the carefully drawn characters are immensely appealing,” Clark said.

The playwright, Martin McDonagh, is generally revered as one of the great contemporary voices of the Irish theatre. McDonagh is the first playwright since Shakespeare to have four professionally produced plays running simultaneously on London stages.

The Cripple of Inishmaan is the ninth collaboration between Riverside Theatre and Cornell College since 1996.

“The Cripple of Inishmaan is also a perfect fit for a co-production with Cornell College, where I have been an artist-in-residence for twenty-five years.  The roles break down very nicely to allow lots of great work for the student-actors while allowing Riverside to employ some of its best resident actors to play the more mature roles,” said Clark.

The Cripple of Inishmaan features Riverside Theatre favorites Tim Budd and Kristy Hartsgrove, who were last seen in All My Sons as Dr. Jim Bayliss and Sue Bayliss.

The role of Crippled Billy will be played by Osean Perez, a senior at Cornell. This is Perez’s first appearance at Riverside. Returning to Riverside will be Alec Hynes in the role of Babbybobby. Hynes is a junior at Cornell, who was last seen at Riverside as Eglamour in The Two Gentlemen of Verona at this summer’s Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival and has previously appeared on Gilbert Street in the last co-production as Peter Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank.

The Cripple of Inishmaan also features scenic design by Christopher Domanski, lighting design by John Wilson, costume design by Jenny Nutting Kelchen, and sound design by Clark.

All music in the production is courtesy of The Beggarmen, one of the region’s best Irish music ensembles. The Beggarmen will perform in concert at Riverside Theatre on Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $20 with all proceeds benefiting Riverside.

The Cripple of Inishmaan contains adult language.

This production is supported in part by a grant from the Iowa Arts Council.

The Beggarmen. Photo by Ritu Jain.

Get in the mood for The Cripple of Inishmaan at Riverside Theatre with one of the region’s best Irish musical ensembles, The Beggarmen, on Saturday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. at Riverside Theatre.

All music featured in Riverside Theatre’s upcoming production of The Cripple of Inishmaan will be provided by The Beggarmen.

Since their first performance at a small pub in Iowa, The Beggarmen has gone on to headline folk festivals and concert halls throughout the Midwest, greeting audiences with their unique style of Irish music.

Original founding member Brad Pouleson (vocals, low and high whistles, uilleann pipes, and mandolin) is joined by veteran Celtic/folk guitarist and singer Keith Reins, renowned fiddler and singer Tara Dutcher and Joe Dutcher on bodhran, Irish flute, and vocals.

Also appearing at the concert will be world class Irish step dancer Taylor J. Best, who is a student at the University of Iowa.

Tickets for the concert are $20 and can be ordered through the Riverside Theatre Box Office at 213 N. Gilbert St., (319) 338-7672 or purchased at the door the night of the concert.

All proceeds from the event to benefit Riverside Theatre.

For more information on The Beggarmen go to www.beggarmen.com for more information on The Cripple of Inishmaan and Riverside Theatre go to www.riversidetheatre.org.

Gilbert Street has a new stage floor! 

After 8 years and at least 50 coats of paint, the stage decking was in serious need of replacement. 

Big thanks to (left to right) Technical Director Zachary Begley and volunteers Steve Bender, Jim Brown, David Rust and Ron Clark (not pictured), who got it all done on a single Saturday.

The floor was replaced just in time for the kick off of the 2011-2012 Gilbert Street Season.