Author: Dreamwell Theatre

Dreamwell’s production of The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, directed by Rachel Korach Howell, will run March 6-9 at The James Theater. Tickets can be purchased from The James Theater. *Content Warning: This production not recommended for children under the age of 18* This is a stylized staging of the story of Penelope and the suitors. It includes recurring themes of violence against women. There will be discussion of and depiction of sexual assault and rape, murder including hanging, simulated consensual sex, physical and mental abuse and manipulation, enslavement, and childbirth. Not recommended for those under 18. Synopsis: As portrayed in Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope – wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy – has become a symbol of wifely duty and devotion, enduring twenty years of waiting when her husband goes to fight in the Trojan War. As she fends off the attentions of a hundred greedy suitors, travelling minstrels regale her with news of Odysseus’ epic adventures around the Mediterranean – slaying monsters and grappling with amorous goddesses. When Odysseus finally comes home, he kills her suitors and then, in an act that served as little more than a footnote in Homer’s original story, inexplicably hangs Penelope’s twelve maids. Now, Penelope and her chorus of wronged maids tell their side of the story in a new stage version by Margaret Atwood, adapted from her own...

Dreamwell Theatre is oh so excited to present Noël Coward’s, Design for Living, directed by Will Asmus!February 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7:30 pm at The Artifactory “The actual facts are so simple. I love you. You love me. You love Otto. I love Otto. Otto loves you. Otto loves me. There now! Start to unravel from there.” Design for Living is a wickedly witty dark romantic comedy by Noel Coward. Initially banned in the UK, this provocative play portrays three amoral, glib, and stylish characters and their hopelessly inescapable, if also unconventional, emotional entanglement. From 1930s bohemian Paris to the dizzying heights of Manhattan society, a tempestuous love triangle unravels between vivacious interior designer Gilda, playwright Leo, and artist Otto—three people unashamedly and passionately in love with each other. They are trapped in what Coward called “a three-sided erotic hodge-podge.” With Coward’s trademark piquant style, this lively, funny but also atypical play looks at dazzling, egotistical creatures and their self-destructive dependence on each other. Exploring themes of Polyamory, celebrity, success, and self-obsession, Design for Living is a stylish and scandalous comedy. CastNatalie V. Black – GildaStephen Polchert – Ernest FriedmanJasper Rood – OttoCody Howell – LeoNicole Flynn – Miss HodgeCassel Rose – Ms. BirbeckKalvin Goodlaxson – PhotographerTracy Schoenle – Grace TorrenceEve Minkler – Helen CarverBrian Tanner – Henry CarverAdoh Teyeng Sisourath –...

Director Will Asmus has cast Dreamwell’s production of Design for Living by Noel Coward: Natalie V. Black – Gilda Stephen Polchert – Ernest Friedman Jasper Rood – Otto Cody Howell – Leo Nicole Flynn – Miss Hodge Jacob Ruchotzke – Birbeck Kalvin Goodlaxson – Photographer Tracy Schoenle – Grace Torrence Eve Minkler – Helen Carver Brian Tanner – Henry Carver Adoh Teyeng Sisourath – Matthew Thanks to all who auditioned! Design for Living plays at The Artifactory in Iowa City: February 14-15, and 21-22,...

Take advantage of our Holiday Sale! Buy one ticket at regular Adult price ($15) and get one free! Sale ends December 2. Get your tickets now.

Join us for auditions for The Penelopiad, directed by Rachel Korach Howell. Auditions slots will be available on December 8 & 9. Auditions will be at the Iowa City Public Library. Groups will be called for one hour blocks. The audition sign up is closed, but walk in auditions will be open December 8 4:00-5:00 and Monday, December 9, 6:00-7:00 & 8:00-9:00. Actors do not need to prepare anything for auditions. A copy of the script is available for perusal at the Iowa City Public Library. Peformances will be held at The James Theater, March 6, 7, 8, & 9 Synopsis: Penelope, the wise and patient wife of the ancient Greek hero Odysseus, has passed beyond the veil of death and can see everything about her past and present, including her historical reputation as a perfectly faithful wife. However, she is haunted by the blood on her hands: the deaths of her twelve maids who were slaughtered by Odysseus under false pretenses. Penelope re-tells the story of The Odyssey from her point of view, through a series of visions spanning her life. About the Show: Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel by the same name, The Penelopiad is a poetic, feminist re-imagining of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. The play is beautifully rendered in both prose and verse in contemporary language, and is brimming with powerful symbolism that will leave audiences...