| Riverside Theatre | |
| Location: | Iowa City, Iowa |
| Capacity: | 150 |
Riverside Theatre is a professional theatre company in Iowa City, Iowa.
Riverside is affiliated with Actors' Equity Association and is a member of the Theatre Communications Group,[1] the National New Play Network, the Shakespeare Association of America, and the Institute of Outdoor Drama.
As of 2018, the artistic director was Adam Knight.
Riverside produces classic to contemporary plays and hosts regional and state premieres. It also stages a summer program of Shakespeare plays at a local park.
Riverside Theatre was founded by Ron Clark, Jody Hovland, and Bruce Wheaton in 1981 when they staged their first play "The Exercise" at the Old Armory building on the University of Iowa campus.[2]
In 1983, Riverside moved to the Old Brick, an historic former church building in Iowa City. In 1990, Riverside moved into a space on Gilbert Street in Iowa City's Northside neighborhood. In 2020, Riverside announced a moved to the historic Crescent Building in downtown Iowa City. The new space would allow the theatre to accommodate more patrons, and provide more flexible space for productions and audiences.
During the summer, Riverside stages Shakespeare plays in a 427-seat outdoor theatre in Iowa City's Lower City Park.[3] The series debuted in 2000 with Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing. In 2008, 2013, and 2014, Riverside was forced to relocate its summer productions due to flooding from the Iowa River. relocate due to flooding.
Beginning in 2018, Riverside began offering these summer productions to audiences free of charge.