Riverside Theatre Blog

Did you know...

...that when you come to a show at Riverside Theatre on Gilbert Street you can purchase wine, beer, soda or water and take them into the show with you.  You can buy cookies too, but you have to eat them before you go into the theatre.  :)

...casual or formal dress is perfectly appropriate.  A pair of jeans and a t-shirt or an excellent dress or suit are equally loved and worn at our theatre.

...Riverside Theatre on Gilbert Street seats 118 people.  Every seat in the house is a good seat for watching live theatre.

...we are a professional theatre.  Actors and staff are paid for their performances and work in the regular season shows.  Sometimes we have volunteers for our one-night only special readings and our ushers are wonderful volunteers as well.

...actors, designers and stage managers can be local talent or out-of-state guest artists.

...some Sundays after a show we have a post-performance talk-back with the audience and actors.  Before some of our shows open we also have a Thursday Theatre Talk hosted by Miriam Gilbert, Department of English, and a special guest. 

...audience members range from people that have never seen a live show to patrons that have been coming to every show for years.  Live theatre is like the movies- there is something for everyone- except in live theatre the actors are on the stage performing personally for you!

...each show gets a great team of professional designers, crew and an excellent tech director who create sets, lighting, costumes and props specific for each play.

Call with questions about tickets, special seating or if you want to know more about a show: 319-338-7672.  Tickets also available online or at the theatre one hour before each show (if the performance is not sold out!).

Greetings!  As we prepare for our summer season, Riverside Theatre in the Park, we are making a donation wish list.  We currently need a vacuum cleaner, ideally an industrial vacuum. We can't dust the classics under the rug, you know. 

If you would like to donate one of these items, please call 319-338-7672 or email [email protected]   All in-kind donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.  Many thanks!

We love to post special updates, photos, videos and more so you'll be the first to know what's happening at Iowa City's professional theatre company!

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Let us know what you like to hear about.  Email [email protected]

Audience Education Volunteer Jorie Slodki's Between the Lines, a regular feature on this blog, gives theatre goers the inside scoop into productions at Riverside with short essays with important factual information such as playwright biographies, production histories, and explanations of historical context and references.

Click here to read Between the Lines for True West.

Riverside Theatre will be holding auditions on Saturday, September 15, 1-3 p.m.

The 2012-2013 season has one role available in The Exit Interview (male actor, 20s-35). This raucous comedy by William Missouri Downs is a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere.

It will begin rehearsals December 19, 2012 and open January 25, 2013.

Actors (either male or female) may also audition for Walking the Wire, which will be cast in November following final selection of monologues.

Those wishing to audition are required to prepare one contemporary monologue (2 minute maximum) and bring a headshot if not already on file.

To schedule an audition please call the Riverside Theatre Box Office at 319-338-7672. Box office hours are Noon to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday.

For more information on the 2012-2013 season, contact Artistic Director Jody Hovland at [email protected].

Iowa Theatre Blog says, "Riverside Theatre has done an excellent job of bringing this engaging script to life."

Click here to read Iowa Theatre Blog's full review of True West.

Hoopla says, "True West is a truly great play, and this production is excellent from its ominous opening to its startlingly closing moments."

Click here to read Hoopla's full review ofTrue West.

Riverside Theatre will host a Thursday Theatre Talk for its upcoming production of True West by Sam Shepard, on Thursday, August 30, from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. The talk will take place at Riverside Theatre, 213 N. Gilbert Street, Iowa City.

The event is free and open to the public.

In Shepard’s True West, dualities abound. There are two brothers, one a city guy, the other coming out of the desert; one is an upwardly mobile screenwriter in Hollywood, the other a drifter and thief. But gradually they switch roles, and indeed, in a number of well-known productions, the leading actors have alternated as Austin and Lee.

Is there a “truth” in True West,  or is that title part of the ironic fantasies that Shepard depicts with surrealist humor?

Join Miriam Gilbert and Harry Stecopoulos, University of Iowa Department of English, as they discuss Shepard’s play and its vision of America.

Join us for our Open House, Sunday, August 26, 2-4 p.m.!

See behind the scenes before the season starts!

We’re opening the doors to areas of the theatre you don’t typically see when you come for a show.

Check out the Scene Shop

Take a tour of the dressing area

Watch a few minutes of a True West rehearsal

Enter the Scene Shop directly via the alley that runs behind the building/parking lot -- just look for the big garage doors OR, go to the lobby and we'll guide you to the shop!

Light refreshments will be provided.

For more info call the Box Office at 319-338-7672

From left: Sean Christopher Lewis as Lee and Tim Budd as Austin in True West at Riverside Theatre, September 7 - September 30. Photo by Bob Goodfellow.

Riverside Theatre, Iowa City’s resident professional theatre, opens its 2012-2013 Season on Friday, September 7^th with the explosive and acidly comical True West by Sam Shepard, directed by Ron Clark.

True West is about two brothers with a score to settle. Austin, an ambitious Hollywood screenwriter working on a potential million-dollar movie project and Lee, a desert drifter and a thief with a compulsion for six-packs and toasters, are reunited at their mother’s home while she is away and a struggle for dominance ensues.

“True West is sibling rivalry on steroids,” said Director Ron Clark. “The two brothers could not be more different. They both despise and envy each other, which I think is always the foundation of sibling rivalry.”

True West is considered to be a modern American classic and Shepard is revered as one of the greatest living playwrights of our time.

True West features Iowa City actors Tim Budd as Austin and Sean Christopher Lewis as Lee.  Scot West of Chicago returns to Riverside as Saul Kimmer and Riverside Theatre Artistic Director Jody Hovland rounds out the cast as Mom.

“They’re the A-Team that brings the play to life,” Clark said. “It demands virtroso acting that can plumb the mysteries of the relationships. The turnabouts come fast and furious; the action is explosive.”

True West also features scenic design by Shawn Ketchum Johnson, lighting design by Courtney Schmitz Watson, costume design by Osean Perez, and sound design by Drew Bielinski. Jason Tipsword choreographs the fight work.

Since the scenic design includes numerous toasters, Riverside Theatre is seeking donations of two-slot, old-school toasters (working and non-working) for the production. Donated toasters will not be returned. Toasters may be dropped off at the Box Office at 213 N. Gilbert St, Noon - 4 p.m., Monday – Friday.

Tickets for True West, September 7 – September 30, 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.

Riverside Theatre needs volunteers to assist with the move of its costume shop to a new warehouse location on S. Dubuque St.  All costume stock, storage racks and shop equipment will be moved by truck (and any available vehicles) - and your strong pair of hands will make a big difference!

The Big Move will be scheduled in two-hour shifts from 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.  All volunteers should meet at "ArtFarm", 3402 Rochester (white farmhouse at the intersection of Scott and Rochester).  Please wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes.

If you can help, please sign up with Nan in the Box Office, 338-7672.  Contacts on the day of the move are Technical Director Jessie Rohde (262- 271-1742) and Production Manager Ron Clark (331-2443).  THANK YOU!

Riverside Theatre Technical Assistant – Work-Study, 8-10 hours/week throughout the academic year

Help build a show from the ground up in a professional venue!

TA will assist the Technical Director with building scenery, painting, acquiring props, and working with lighting for various productions at Riverside Theatre. Basic skills include: the ability to read a tape measure and use a screw gun, a willingness to use other power tools including saws, and an eagerness to learn new skills.   Problem solving skills and creativity are valued.  Prior theatre experience is an asset, but is not required.

Weekly hours are flexible (weekdays between 9-5) and based on the student’s availability; a mutually convenient schedule will be arranged.  Periodic weekend hours will occur for load-ins and strikes.

To apply, please send cover letter/resume to Jessica Rohde, [email protected], or call (262) 271-1742. 

Riverside Theatre is seeking a part-time house manager. The house manager oversees all public areas of the theatre. Primary responsibilities include house managing all performances of season productions on Gilbert Street as well as Thursday Theatre Talks, Diamonds or Denim, receptions and other theatre events, as well as coordinating and maintaining volunteer usher group and concessions. This is an hourly position. Interested persons should send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Review of applications will be ongoing. Click here for more information.