68 - The Daily Iowan - UNIVERSITY EDITION - Iowa City, Iowa - Tuesday, June 11, 2013
No flood can drown Hancher arts Hancher brings a wide variety of artists from dance, theater, and music to campus every year. Jacob Yarrow, Hancher’s programming director, said the Hancher people take great pride in presenting artists who demonstrate exceptional craft and virtuosity while also offering insight into the human condition. “You may not have heard of all the Hancher artists, but you can be sure that they’ll be great,” he said. One of the aspects Yarrow loves about being involved with Hancher is the moments of connection made at each performance. “It’s those ephemeral instances when artists and audience members truly connect during a performance or workshop,” he said. “You know that the experience will stay with everyone involved and offer them joy and inspiration.” This past spring semester, Hancher hosted everything from bluegrass to modern dance, theater events, and a show for
kids. Rob Cline, the Hancher director of marketing and communications, said that after every show, the staff members send out emails to those who attended to receive feedback on the events. “This semester, we received particularly wonderful comments about India Jazz Suites, a cross-cultural, cross-generational dance and music show that was a personal favorite of mine because it features one of the world’s great tap dancers, Jason Samuels Smith,” he said. “People really connected with that performance, and that’s always a pleasure to see.” This fall, the Hancher people look forward to starting the season with Buddy Guy, a blues legend who will perform at the Iowa Soul Festival on Sept. 13. “Buddy is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has influenced basically everyone who has picked up an electric guitar in the last 50 years,” Yarrow said. Showcasing these events has been a little bit of a challenge for Hancher since the
Hancher Auditorium is seen on May 4, 2009, almost a year after the 2008 flood heavily damaged it. Hancher will be replaced by a new facility being constructed up the hill from the present location. (Daily Iowan/File Photo) flood in 2008, which basically destroyed the auditorium. Since then, Hancher has been using such local venues as the Englert Theater, Space/Place, the Mill, and other facilities to put on events.
However, the new Hancher is under construction on the west side of the river near the Levitt Center. Yarrow said it will be one of the great performing-arts centers in the country when it is completed in 2016.