Iowa City...in a folder

When rehearsals begin for Shakespeare Festival each summer, all guest artists receive a packet containing information on the Festival, Riverside Theatre, and the Iowa City area and all it has to offer. We try to provide them with everything they’ll need to get into the flow of Iowa City, whether they’re from Chicago, Kansas City, or New York. This summer, it was up to me to assemble everything we’d need to fill these packets. And I had to wonder, how do you distill what’s important about Iowa City into just one folder?

First things first: the food! I’ve seen how actors can eat on rehearsal breaks or after a demanding show, so I knew food was first on the agenda. I broke it down into a few different kinds of places. The first was “Quick and Dirty,” the places where you could run in, grab what you need, and hightail it back to rehearsal in fifteen minutes. Knowing also that fast food can really weigh you down in rehearsal, I pointed them to better-for-you options like Panchero’s, Jimmy John’s, or even Oasis. Next was “Sit Back & Relax,” where a bunch of company members might want to grab a more leisurely bite on their day off or on the long dinner break. These included Hamburg Inn (a favorite for last year’s company), The Mill, or Bread Garden. Then there was “Elegant Dining,” fancier fare to celebrate a show’s opening or to take family who come into town to see the shows. Linn St. Café, the Motley Cow, and Devotay all made that list. Add to that the local coffeehouses, grocery stores and of course some after-hours hotspots, and I figure the summer should be full of good eats and drinks for the RTSF company. Several places I contacted even threw in coupons or special deals for the RTSF artists. Gotta love Iowa City!

Next: the gyms. Actors love to work out, after all, so I knew I had to send them somewhere! I had to dig around a bit on this, because the out-of-towners are only going to be here a total of eight weeks, and short-term memberships are hard to come by. However, we got the non-local company a great deal at Iowa City Fitness, which has a great location (right on the ped mall) and great hours (24-hours everyday!).

Finally, I wanted to give them a sense of all that Iowa City has to offer. I made notes about summer events in the area, from the Farmer’s Market to the Jazz Festival. I gave them information on the rec center, area libraries, and the wonderful bike library for artists who didn’t want to drive all summer. We got offers from The Bodysmith Massage and Bella Vita Chiropractic for special RTSF service deals. Trying to put Iowa City on paper was tricky, but I’m hoping that the company has a good sense of it by the time they leave and that they find all the ways there are to enjoy their summer here.

-Danielle Karczewski, Administrative Assistant