The perception is that Iowa City is a rural area. I’m here to prove to you that Iowa City has more going for it than you may think… I relocated to Iowa City almost eleven years ago and I can tell you, it is one surprising little town!

Today I’m going to concentrate on movie theaters and community theatres. Hopefully this will turn out to be a good resource for you if you’re thinking of moving to the Iowa City area. As great as the Internet is as a research tool, the information is pretty scattered. My plan is to pull some of it together into one handy place, making it easier to find.

Movie Theaters in the Iowa City Area

Coral Ridge Mall Movie Theatre is, as the name suggests, located at the Mall in Coralville. It’s a pretty big theater with 10 screens and stadium seating. Tel: 319-625-1010

Sycamore Cinema is located on the east side of Iowa City at Sycamore Mall. It has 12 state-of-the-art auditoriums and in addition to movies often shows unique events that include simulcast live concerts, sporting events and the New York Metropolitan Opera, (MET). Tel: 319-351-8383

Bijou Theater is a non-profit student run theater at the Iowa Memorial Union that focuses on independent, art house, foreign and classic movies. They have 1 screen and tickets are available at the box office only on the day of showing. Tel: 319-335-3041.

New Strand Theatre is in West Liberty – a rural area and a surprising one at that. It’s a 15 minute commute east of Iowa City. New Strand is not just a movie theater, it’s also home to wonderful puppet shows from the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theater. (I love puppet shows, they bring back lovely memories with my sons in Germany). 319-627-2014

Theaters & Auditoriums in the Iowa City Area

The Englert Theatre is a Community Arts Theatre in downtown Iowa City. It was built in 1912 by William Englert and his wife Emma who wanted to rival the finest stages and movie houses in the Midwest. The local newspaper at the time wrote that “Iowa had nothing finer.” It is still an impressive building. Well-preserved and adds to the atmosphere of the historic part of downtown Iowa City. In the spirit of Vaudeville, The Englert embraces all the Arts and hosts performances from all over the world. Case in point, The Peking Acrobats will be performing there in February.
319-688-2653

Riverside Theatre is located on Gilbert St and is Iowa City’s resident professional theatre. It was founded in 1981 and strives to offer an artistic home for theatre professionals while entertaining audiences with intimate, engaging productions from the classics to world premieres. 319-338-7672

Hancher Auditorium was damaged in the floods of 2008, so does not have a physical address at present. That doesn’t stop them organizing events though and these take place at a variety of locations, depending on the needs of the performers and ranges from West High School Auditorium to The Englert and The Mill in Iowa City. (Check out the website and you’ll see they have 11 different locations). Tel: 319-335-1160

Iowa City Community Theatre was established in 1956 and dedicated to promoting the dramatic arts in and around Iowa City. They perform at a variety of locations, including Johnson County Fairgrounds and The Englert.