The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts stage will feature a variety of events in April 2013, giving members of the community many opportunities to participate in performances and enjoy cultural offerings.  Highlights include a production of Cabaret by Way Off Broadway, Iowa's only professional musical theater company; two performances by composer and Steinway artist Dan Knight; and a benefit showcase of Creative Corridor artists performing Broadway music.  In the month of April, the CCPA will host 25 public performances.

The schedule includes:

·        General music concerts by Coralville Central Elementary (Monday, April 1 at 7pm, grades 3-6); Van Allen Elementary (Thursday, April  4 at 6:30pm, grades 3-4); and Kirkwood Elementary (Thursday, April 11 at 6pm).  These events are part of the CCPA's program offering free use of the theater to Coralville schools.

·        The LUNAFEST Film Festival is a traveling film festival of award-winning short films by, for, and about women.  The benefit engagement on Wednesday, April 3 is presented by Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa.  The evening includes a silent auction at 6pm and the films at 7pm.  Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and are available at lunafest.org.

·        The 2013 American Girl Fashion Show is a fundraiser presented by the Iowa Children's Museum, with 100 local girls serving as models representing American Girl characters in historical fashions and contemporary styles.   Friday, April 5 at 7pm and Saturday, April 6 at 10am and 2pm. Tickets are $27 ($15 tax deductible).

·        Orchestra Iowa Chamber Players present works by Beethoven, Vanhal, Halvorsen, Ibert, and Prokofiev Sunday, April 7 at 2:30pm.  $20 tickets are available at 319.366.8203 or orchestraiowa.org.

·        Ballet Folklorico Los Angelitos brings audiences on a journey through the regions, eras, and customs of Mexico in a free performance at 7:30pm on Sunday, April 7.  Their Iowa tour is presented by a cooperative effort of foundation and individual sponsorship and the support of Rotary Clubs.

·        Hancher presents Compagnia TPO - the world's foremost pioneers in interactive performance media for all ages - in Kindur: The Adventurous Life of Icelandic Sheep, a charming nature adventure.  The public performance is Tuesday, April 9 at 7pm; there will be additional performances for school groups on April 9 and 10.  Tickets ($10-$25) are available through Hancher at 319.335.1160 or at hancher.uiowa.edu.

·        Way Off Broadway presents Kander and Ebb's award-winning musical Cabaret April 12 and 13 at 7:30pm, following a 2-week run in their home Sondheim Center theater in Fairfield.  Lyric Benson as Sally Bowles and Jonathon Christopher as the emcee lead the cast of 18 professional actors accompanied by a live band.  WOB Artistic Director Randal K. West directs. Tickets are $18-$38.

·        Composer and pianist Dan Knight leads children through a fun and educational introduction to jazz (with the help of his dogs Oscar and Ella) in Oscar and Ella Listen to Jazz: A Kid's Musical Introduction by Dan Knight on Saturday, April 13 at 2pm.  Knight demonstrates jazz techniques and works with children to create a new piece of music in this interactive performance.  Tickets are $7.

·        The award-winning dancers of AFFECT Dance Company present a showcase of pieces from the spring competition season on Sunday, April 14, with a solo and duet showcase at 1pm and group performances featuring more than 100 dancers at 6pm.  $5 tickets are available at Nolte Academy, 1619 2^nd Street in Coralville, or at the door.

·        Artists from across Iowa's Creative Corridor come together in The Corridor Sings Broadway on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 in a benefit performances for the CCPA and resident theater company City Circle Acting Company of Coralville.  The performance features Broadway favorites and hidden gems, as well as a silent auction and raffle.  Tickets are $10-$25.

·        Dan Knight performs again with two debut compositions: The Kandinsky Suite, inspired by the art of Vassily Kandinsky, and MURAL, inspired by Jackson Pollock's iconic painting, on Sunday, April 21 at 3pm.  Tickets are $12-$17.

·        Borlaug Elementary students perform in My School's Got Talent on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 PM  My School's Got Talent is a fundraising program for PTO's sponsored by Nolte Academy.  Tickets are $8 and are available at Nolte Academy and at Borlaug Elementary, and at the door.  Weber Elementary also has a MSGT date scheduled for May 1.

·        Dr. Zubo & The Bird Purples, an Iowa-based musical ensemble with members hailing from around the globe, performs music composed for, and dedicated to, the CCPA on Friday, April 26 at 7:30pm.  Music will fill the theater, lobby, and hallways, morphing from classical to pop, and incorporating traditional and nontraditional instruments.  Tickets are $8.

·        Iowa Dance 2013: Dancing Our Visions on Saturday, April 27 at 8pm celebrates National Dance Week and International Dance Day in Iowa with a special evening featuring dancers and choreographers from across the state. Tickets are $3 for children 12 and under, and $8 for adults.

·        The Iowa City Girl's Choir performs on Monday, April 29 at 7pm.  Suggested donation of $5 per family benefits the CCPA Access Fund, which offers rental subsidies for small nonprofit organizations.

Further information on these events and details on other upcoming events are available at CoralvilleArts.org.

Tickets for most CCPA events are available by phone at 319.248.9370, online at CoralvilleArts.org, and in person at the CCPA box office at 1301 5^th Street and Coralville Recreation Center at 1506 8^th Street.

Owned and operated by the City of Coralville, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to enriching the community and contributing to the vitality of Coralville by offering an accessible, affordable venue for a variety of performances, presentations, and public and private events.  The 472 seat theater opened August 26, 2011 and has hosted performances from City Circle Acting Company, Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Dan Knight, Lola Astanova, Lorie Line, Judy Carmichael, Jim McDonough, Nolte Academy of Dance, and many others.  Coralville schools are also able to use the Center free of charge up to three times per year; 13 school events took place at the Center in 2012. The Center was named 2012 Member of the Year by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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(DES MOINES) - Governor Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds today highlighted the work progress of the seven-foot statue of Dr. Norman Borlaug being created by artist, Benjamin Victor, and announced the funding for the statue which will eventually be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

"Today, March 25th, would have been Dr. Borlaug's 99th birthday and his development of miracle wheat saved an estimated billion people around the world from hunger and starvation," Gov. Branstad said. "With the generous support of DuPont Pioneer and an anonymous individual, his statue will stand in honor representing Iowa in the U.S. Capitol building."

"With the creation of the Dr. Borlaug statue, we are seeing history in the making," Lt. Gov. Reynolds said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I would like to thank the artist, Benjamin Victor, for sharing his tremendous talent with us to be enjoyed by the future visitors to the U.S. Capitol."

"Dr. Borlaug was not only one of Iowa's great innovators, but also one of the state's greatest humanitarians," said Paul E. Schickler, president of DuPont Pioneer. "It is my hope that the statue's placement in the U.S. Capitol will inspire future generations to be a part of solving this extraordinary challenge of feeding the world."

The Borlaug Statue Committee Chairman, Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, praised members of the Iowa legislature and Iowa's Congressional Delegation, of which Congressman Steve King and Congressman Tom Latham were in attendance, for their bi-partisan support of the Dr. Borlaug statue, noting they have been instrumental in facilitating communications with the Architect of the Capitol's office, which oversees the statues on display in the U.S. Capitol.

The Borlaug Statue Committee, who selected the artist and organized fundraising efforts for this project, has the goal of installing the statue of Dr. Borlaug in the U.S. Capitol building on March 25, 2014, the centennial observance of Dr. Borlaug's birth. It will be one of two statues depicting notable citizens from Iowa. The Dr. Borlaug statue will replace the statue of U.S. Senator James Harlan, which will be returned to Iowa. The second statue representing Iowa is of Governor Samuel Kirkwood.

Benjamin Victor is currently conducting an artist-in-residency at the State Historical Museum of Iowa, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. The public is invited to visit with Victor as he works on the sculpture 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. through Thursday.