Performing Arts

Philippa Hughes' life spans war, international romance, divorce, an abduction, art and politics. As one of the few liberals in her family, she knows how divisions can break a family and a country.

Two new original musical comedies based on true historical events are the toast of Broadway this spring -- and both feature corpses as a major plot point.

The Lifespan of a Fact follows an intern, an editor and a celebrated writer in a struggle to fact-check an essay that blurs the lines between truth and falsehood. The play, which opens on the Riverside stage in Iowa City on April 18, is adapted from a real essay-turned-novel co-written by University of Iowa Nonfiction Program Director John D’Agata and fact-checker Jim Fingal.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with actor Hugh Bonneville about his starring role in the play Uncle Vanya, which is showing at D.C.'s Harman Hall.

When Jan Gross and Heather Lobban-Viravong first met at Grinnell College 25 years ago, they had little in common.

The Grand Ole Opry is turning 100. The stage show is celebrating the milestone all year long by welcoming new and seasoned performers.

For better or worse, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Iowans to adapt.

The Broadway hit Hadestown has made several stops in Iowa this year on its national tour. Production Stage Manager Molly Goodwin, who grew up in Davenport and attended Luther College, oversees every aspect of the show from backstage.

The Buena Vista Social Club were artists who'd been all but lost to the world after the Cuban Revolution -- until they united for a 1997 album. Now, their unlikely story takes a new stage: Broadway.

"Purpose" by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, now on Broadway under the direction of longtime actress Phylicia Rashad, explores the generational conflicts in the civil rights movement.