4 things to do this weekend in Iowa City, including play that is part of a documentary on disabilities

A new play performed at the Iowa City Community Theatre and a Halloween carnival may not have much in common at first glance, but inclusion is part of both operations.

This weekend, Combined Efforts, in partnership with ICCT, presents a new show as part of its mission to create opportunities between artists with and without disabilities. Meanwhile, spooky activities at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center offer seasonal fun for all, with two Halloween carnivals, including one that is sensory-friendly.

Here are four things to do this weekend in Iowa City.

Combined Efforts and Iowa City Community Theatre present ‘The Beggar’s Musical’

Combined Efforts, in partnership with Iowa City Community Theatre, is presenting the premiere of the play “The Beggar’s Musical” on Friday to Iowa City audiences, a show years in the making.

The original script was written by Janet Schlapkohl and is an adaptation of John Gay’s “The Beggar’s Opera.”

The production is supported by an Iowa Humanities grant, one that Schlapkohl sought in 2019 as part of a larger project to film a documentary about inclusive theater, she told the Press-Citizen in an email.

Combined Efforts is an organization in Iowa City that facilitates collaborations between artists with and without disabilities, according to its website. It was founded by Schlapkohl in 2002 at Iowa City High School.

Over the years, Combined Efforts has produced plays, organized a men’s choir and a writing group, among other ventures.

This latest production, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, not only provides theater-going audiences in Iowa a new show to see, complete with original music by performer and singer Michael Penick, but serves as one of the final pieces to the documentary, which captures the audition process, rehearsals, the performance and performers’ final thoughts after the show’s run.

“With a video documentary, we have the potential to reach a far greater audience both within Iowa City and eastern Iowa and beyond. It's a great vehicle to really get out the message that inclusive theater is possible, that inclusive theater can work in any community, in any theater,” said Elizabeth Constantine, board president of Combined Efforts.

“The Beggar’s Opera” follows a diverse set of characters who are wicked, corrupt, foolish and more in a backdrop of crowded alleyways and tenements near a shipyard for an “uncompromising look at society from its underbelly,” according to the theater’s website.

Combined Efforts partnered with Iowa City Community Theatre and is using the nonprofit’s space at the Johnson County Fairgrounds for the show and receiving assistance in producing it, Constantine said in an email.

“This documentary film will include the final performance and offer an opportunity for audiences who have not seen and might never see a live performance the chance to see what is possible when the voices, bodies and imaginations of those with disabilities are included in the cast,” the Iowa Humanities grant proposal, shared with the Press-Citizen, stated.

“Our hope is that the documentary uncovers the fact that there is really no mystery to the process, that it does not include super-human patience, a large budget, inordinate creativity, amazing genius or anything that makes inclusion seem so ‘other’ that it is applauded and further marginalized,” the grant stated. “Instead it should prove that anyone could and should make these opportunities possible.”

The performances will run Oct. 21, 22, 28, and 29 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. Visit ICCT’s website to purchase tickets for the show.

A Halloween carnival in Iowa City

Families are invited to a ghoulish Halloween carnival at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center on Friday.

At 4 p.m., the recreation center will host a sensory-friendly Halloween carnival for a low-stimulation event without skimping on the fun. Sensory-friendly events are intended to be less jarring to the senses, including hearing or sight, for people who experience sensory overload, according to Sensory Friendly Solutions.

Halloween-themed carnival games, craft activities and giveaways will be available for attendees.

At 5:30 p.m., the Halloween carnival reopens with all the same activities, plus food and drinks available to purchase from local vendors.

The carnival continues until 7:30 p.m.

Visit Iowa City’s website for more information about this event, and other spooky, seasonal fun through the month.

Iowa City Flea Market

Iowa City Flea Market returns for another October weekend Sunday, located outside of Public Space One’s 538 S. Gilbert St. location.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., check out local vendors presenting clothes, handmade goods, home décor and furniture, and art. Food and coffee will be available for purchase, and there will be live music.

Last Sunday, vendors including MariAnn Scents, Gambit Goods and over a dozen more set up while musician Lily DeTaeye performed.

Check out Iowa City Flea Market’s Instagram page, iowacityflea, for updates and more about the market.

Wave Cage and Caleb Rainey at the James Theater

Wave Cage, a jazz and electronic fusion ensemble, will perform with spoken word artist and writer Caleb Rainey on Sunday at the James Theater.

The Iowa City area artists have performed together previously, according to Wave Cage’s Facebook page, including through "The Parking Spaces" audio installation project earlier this year.

The show will include music from Wave Cage’s upcoming album “Even You Can See in the Dark” and poems from Rainey accompanied by live music.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Visit the James Theater’s website to purchase tickets or learn more about the performance.

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.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Things to do this weekend in Iowa City include a Halloween carnival