Professional actors. Professional productions.
How is Riverside Different?
We are Iowa City’s resident professional theatre company and just finished celebrating our 30th season. In an arts climate where the projected lifespan of a new professional theatre is less than five years, we’re proud of this achievement.
Riverside Theatre produces a broad range of work, from the classics…to contemporary pieces…to state and regional premieres of new work—over 20 premieres to date. September through April we perform at our 118-seat Gilbert Street Theatre. Our Gilbert Street season is comprised of diversity of genres and styles to fit the theatre’s intimate space and production style. In alternating years, we co-produce a play with the theatre department at Cornell College. This allows students to gain valuable experience performing with professional actors and allows the theatre to select plays with a larger cast. Every summer, we produce the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival—the only Shakespeare Festival in the state. The Festival takes place outdoors in scenic City Park, in a 472-seat outdoor amphitheater built by the city of Iowa City. Since the Festival’s launch in 2000, it has grown to offer two productions over four to five weeks of performances.
We employ professional actors, directors and designers in our productions—over 1,400 artists over the years—and we are affiliated with Actors’ Equity association. Our artists live and work here in the Iowa City area while under contract. We’re thrilled to have many artists return again and again to our stages, as part of our mission is to provide an artistic home for regional theatre professionals. Riverside Theatre is affiliated with Actors’ Equity association and holds memberships with Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and the Shakespeare Association of America and the Institute of Outdoor Drama.
Riverside Theatre is non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization. Our ticket sales cover less than 50% of our expenses. For the remainder, we rely on the support of our patrons.
Riverside Theatre is also proud to be a member of the National New Play Network.
The National New Play Network is an alliance of leading nonprofit theaters that champion the development, production, and continued life of new plays. NNPN strives to pioneer, implement and disseminate ideas and progreams that revolutionize the way theaters collaborate to support new plays and playwrights.
Leanr more about the NNPN at www.nnpn.org.
Our education and training programs for youth are among the best in the state, and have helped launch the careers of fine stage actors populating regional theatres and training programs across the country. “Alumni” can be found on our behind stages on Broadway, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Chicago Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Milwaukee Rep.
We have programming to get you involved: Watch our Calendar to find out when we’re hosting Theatre Talks, Talkbacks, and theatre training classes and workshops.
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