Get to know a long-time friend of SCOPE's, The Englert Theatre! It's our favorite local venue and we've loved collaborating with them for countless shows. Read on to learn more about The Englert & their wonderful staff (which includes a few SCOPErs!)
Name: The Englert Theatre
Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
Year: 110 years old
Field(s) of Study: Events and Venue management, Live music
Relationship to SCOPE: Best friend of SCOPE <3
Spotify Playlist
Listen to SCOPE Selects: The Englert on Spotify
The Deep Cuts
I have been so busy these days! Just in this last month alone, I had the incredibly talented Nakatani Gong Orchestra for my ongoing Witching Hour Series, William Basinski, the 4th ever screening of Timothée Chalamet’s new movie, Bones and All, presented by Refocus Film Festival, Broken Social Scene and David Huckfelt perform. Even being so busy, I have still had time to OBSESS over the performers coming my way soon.
I have exciting news for you Iowa City peeps! My Witching Hour series, in partnership with Little Village Magazine, which explores the unknown, discusses creative processes and presents new work is in full swing. In my playlist, I included songs from some really cool people who will be making their way through my doors soon. I want my patrons to expand their mind when they hear the Chromic Duo who use electronic toy pianos to compose, Hrishikesh Hirway who hosted and created Netflix’s series Song Exploder, singer-songwriter and podcaster Jenny Owen Youngs, and protest music in longform instrumental chamber rock compositions from Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
I cannot get enough of the holidays and celebrations! I included "Time Warp" to commend my friends from Comics in Action who have been presenting Rocky Horror Picture Show on my stage for years. If you find yourself wanting to experience the musical comedy horror to get you in the Halloween mood, get your tickets for my October 29th show here.
Moving from one classic to another, I included Tchaikovsky’s "The Nutcracker, Op. 71 Miniature Overture" in anticipation of my annual showcase of The Nutcracker presented by Nolte Academy.
Another thing I am thrilled about is my upcoming 3 day literary and music festival, Mission Creek. Only 172 days, or 4128 hours, or 14,860,800 seconds (however you want to think of it) are left until the next one! But who's counting? Definitely not me… My lineup for next year is not out yet because I am mysterious and like to keep 'em guessing. But I was feeling SUPER nostalgic about last year’s fest so I added songs to the playlist from last year’s lineup. "Lately, Prom Queen" by Beach Bunny, "Circle the Drain" by Soccer Mommy, "Easy" by Son Lux, "Mohabbat" by Arooj Aftab (who performed on my stage RIGHT after winning a Grammy and made history as the first ever Pakistani artist to do so!), "The Bug Collector" by Haley Heynderickx, "Headgear" by Elizabeth Moen, and "You" by Tennyson have been on repeat!
Now that I am in a nostalgic mood, I just had to include some past performers who I adored. Can you believe I've had Lucy Dacus, Valerie June, The Cactus Blossoms, FUJIIIIIIIIIIITA, Todd Rundgren, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Spoon, Amos Lee, Bahamas, Trombone Shorty and Jake Shimabukuro all on my stage this year?! And looking back even further, Andrew Bird, Jenny Lewis, Halfloves, Father John Misty, Julien Baker, Built to Spill have all blown my mind. When I get really sentimental about past artists I have to remember all the cool shows I have coming up too. Like I'm already 110 years old and my walls have stories to tell, but they are also going to create so many new ones with cool new projects. I am thrilled about my new local showcase coming up on December 17th, January 21st, and February 25th. To prepare, I have been listening to Psyopus YXNG RASKAL, Aseethe, Younger, Sophie Mitchell (a scope member themselves!), Death Kill Overdrive, Sean Tyler, The Wilted and 24thankyou on repeat.
Speaking of local artists, what could be more local than my own staff members? I am so lucky to have such incredible and creative staff members taking care of me. They are all so creative and many of them make their own music. My Senior Programming Director, Brian Johannesen, not only books the artists that perform on my stage, but he also creates beautiful country rock of his own. His songs "Easier" and "Somewhere Down the Line" are featured in my playlist. Elly Hoffimyer is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Penny Peach. They have a huge presence in the local Iowa City music scene. Check out "CATACOMBS" on my playlist if you want to experience some intensely good garage rock. Sophie Mitchell, a stagehand who helps carry out production, creates beautiful indie rock like the song on my playlist "Your Other One." My previous Development Director Katie Roche featured it on my playlist with the song "In The Dust" from the band Awful Purdies. Roche could not get more talented between playing accordion, xylophone, penny whistle, recorder, AND the washboard!
Just across campus in the Scoffice (SCOPE-office) all 58 SCOPE members are working hard with their collaborations with me. Last year Ric Wilson gave an incredible performance to conclude my Mission Creek Festival. SCOPE productions did a fantastic job co-producing this show. Their marketing people worked really hard to promote it. Throw on some headphones and blast Ric’s song "Wake Up, Get Down" if you want to get in a groovy mood. I hope you are all able to imagine the energy Ric brought to the crowd this past April while listening. SCOPE’s friendship with me extends far beyond this past year’s Mission Creek. I co-produce shows with them all the time. Some of my fav SCOPE collabs I have done are Kurt Vile and the Violators, The Head and the Heart, Real Estate, Keller Williams, Kate Nash, White Lung, James Blake and Grizzly Bear.
I don’t just do concerts, though – I added some of my podcasts at the end! "The Best Show Ever" podcast is my weekly show that discusses trends in the arts world, showcases Iowa-based musicians, and highlights members of the Iowa City-area community. Since I live in such a rich writing community, it only felt right to have a podcast about it. Seeking to create a dedicated space for Iowa-based Black, Indigenous, and other writers of color who were undergraduates, MFAs, or long-term residents, I am excited to transition the Writers of Color Reading Series to a podcast format.
To conclude the playlist, I added some songs of artists I am looking forward to having come through my doors in the upcoming months. If you want more information on upcoming shows, how to purchase tickets, student discounted pricing or anything else, click here!
Three Favorite Albums
- Kurt Vile and the Violators - b’lieve i’m goin down...
- Lucy Dacus - Historian
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
Favorite Concert Experience
Wow this is an extremely hard question to answer! I have had thousands and thousands of concerts on my stage so it’s hard to choose. I asked some of my staff to help me out by telling me some of their favorite memories.
My favorite memory was when Lucy Dacus requested a couch on stage after injuring her back. I brought my couch from my apartment to the Englert and she performed on it! She even signed it. - Grace Merritt
Watching Beach Bunny during Mission Creek Festival last year was so incredible. I loved seeing all of the hard work we put in to make the festival happen pay off in front of my eyes. - Olivia Allen
My favorite Englert experience: Mission creek: Dos Santos. Seeing Englert bring a Latinx artist from Chicago to Iowa City was amazing!! We don’t get many Latinx musicians & artists in Iowa City so I was grateful they provided an artist for the Latino community in Iowa City. - Whit Martinez
Hobbies / Interests / Fun Facts / Campus Involvement
I was born on September 26, 1912 when my parents, William & Etta Englert transformed what had once been a livery stable into the beautiful theatre I am today. My goal in life is to inspire and activate positive community growth through the arts. A fun fact about me is that I am listed on the National Register of Historic places! From my original carpet to my old school marquee which you might have seen on your downtown endeavors, I love to rock my vintage style. Here is a not so fun fact about me, on February 13, 1926, I had a near death experience. A fire nearly destroyed me in all my old school glory! Luckily firemen fought to save me as the blaze tore through my roof. It was terrifying!
I then became a full-time movie house in the 1980s. Today I primarily do concerts and other events. When I do a movie showing, like our Bones and All showing, it takes me right back to the 80’s. Funny story, a little after that happened, a bar owner purchased me and planned to turn me into a country western bar! However, a group of local citizens envisioned an opportunity to renovate and restore me to my original purpose: a performing arts and community gathering space for the people of Iowa City. I don’t know where I would be today without the help of my community.
My hobbies include making people laugh, cry, sing, and dance. I love to host and entertain. Sometimes I even have around 725 people over. Outside of putting on shows, I love hanging out with my best friends: volunteers, staff, Public Space One, Little Village Magazine, Riverside Theatre, the James Theatre, Gabe's, IC Speaks, Friends of the Englert, FilmScene, and SCOPE Productions.
Follow The Englert on social media for more info on upcoming shows: