Here are 5 things to do this weekend in Iowa City, including Tig Notaro at the Englert Theatre
Paris Barraza
Laughs and local music acts take Iowa City stages starting Friday.
Comedian, writer and podcast host Tig Notaro brings her signature brand of deadpan comedy to the Englert Theatre, while Iowa City-based musician Blake Shake performs at the Vue Rooftop.
Here are five things to do this weekend in Iowa City.
Tig Notaro at the Englert Theatre
Tig Notaro, an Emmy- and Grammy-nominated standup comedian, will return to the Englert Theatre on Friday.
The Mississippi-born comic previously performed at the Englert in 2017.
Her career in comedy spans several decades, getting her start in Los Angeles. Her second live album recorded in 2012 delved into her personal life and diagnosis with breast cancer. “Live” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 2013.
Notaro has worked in film and television. She appeared in Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” as a helicopter pilot in last year’s zombie heist film and played Jett Reno, a recurring character, in the second season of “Star Trek: Discovery” on Paramount Plus.
Notaro wrote and starred in the show “One Mississippi,” a dark-comedy series inspired by the comedian’s return to her Mississippi hometown after her mother’s unexpected death. Notaro also served as producer for the 2015 Amazon Prime series.
She also hosted a talk show for a popular comedy and sketch production company Funny or Die. “Under a Rock with Tig Notaro” featured celebrity guests like “The Big Bang Theory’s” Kaley Cuoco and Lena Headey from “Game of Thrones.”
Notaro joined fellow comedian Sarah Silverman for Silverman’s talk show “I Love You, America” and worked with comedian Amy Schumer on the Comedy Central series “Inside Amy Schumer.”
Notaro has two podcasts, “Don’t Ask Tig” and “Tig and Cheryl: True Story," plus a memoir, "I'm Just A Person."
The comedian's tour wraps up in August with shows across America and Canada.
Doors open at 5 p.m. for Notaro’s performance at the Englert. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Englert's website. The theater is located 221 E. Washington St.
Public Space One’s free workshop about ethanol
Public Space One is inviting people to join its free workshop about ethanol.
Yes, ethanol.
People can bring objects that relate to ethanol and oil for a show and tell — like “flex-fuel car keys, chemistry sets and corn man action figures,” according to PS1’s website. One item will be selected to study. The workshop will explore its connections to ethanol through a historical, political and economic lens, among more.
Laura Napier is an interdisciplinary artist and visiting assistant professor in photography at the University of Iowa who is researching “the social cultures of oil and gas” amid global climate change, according to her website. She will map the findings connected to the chosen object during PS1’s workshop. The map will be available to view in late spring, in conjunction with Napier’s upcoming PS1 exhibit in May.
Writing the Ethanol Implosion workshop is on Saturday from 1-2 p.m.
It will be held at PS1’s 229 N. Gilbert St. location. Visit PS1’s website to register to attend the workshop.
Blake Shaw at the Vue Rooftop
Iowa City musician Blake Shaw will perform at the Vue Rooftop at the Hilton Garden Inn on Friday.
Shaw is a double bass player, vocalist, composer/arranger and music teacher.
Originally from Lisbon, Iowa, Shaw is a UI alumnus with a master of arts in jazz studies who has been working in music professionally for over a decade, according to Little Village.
Shaw was recently featured in Summer of the Arts’ Creative Conversations series. He said that he started out in music as a singer during his youth and attended the Iowa City Jazz Festival as a teenager. Shaw has performed at the festival since.
Shaw will perform at the Vue Rooftop at 10 p.m. The Hilton Garden Inn is located at 328 S. Clinton St.
Things That Go at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center
The Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department is bringing Things That Go to the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center in Iowa City on Friday and Saturday.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., community members are invited to see and interact with displays and activities centered around science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Activities and displays include:
- Tracks and trains built from Duplo and Brio building blocks
- A LEGO spaceship building center
- Hot Wheels tracks
- A display of the Hawkeye Model Railroad Club’s track and trains exhibit
- HobbyTown Cedar Rapids large remote control car track
The event is free. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
The Robert A. Lee Recreation Center is located at 220 S. Gilbert St.
Halfloves at Elray’s Live & Dive
Halfloves is a five-piece indie rock band from eastern Iowa who will perform at Elray’s Live & Dive on Saturday.
Their self-titled debut album in 2016 was followed up by their second album, “Dazer,” and their 2021 single, “Do U Follow Me?”
The group, who individually have tastes ranging from jazz to classical, will be performing at Elray’s Live & Dive for the first time Saturday, according to the band's Facebook post. It will also be the band’s first show in five months.
The Halfloves’ set includes covers the band has never performed live before.
The indie band takes the stage at 7 p.m. Elray’s offers free entry before 8 p.m. The performance venue is located at 211 Iowa Ave.
Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at PBarraza@press-citizen.com or (319) 519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.