About the Englert
Built in 1912, we are Iowa City’s last historic theatre. Known for live performances and community-oriented events, The Englert is a cultural cornerstone of downtown Iowa City.
Our Mission
To inspire and activate positive community growth through the arts.
Using the transformative power of the arts, The Englert Theatre helps our community understand the past, deeply live the present, and create a vibrant and inclusive future. We believe the arts can change the world—by connecting with individuals at their core, by connecting people with one another, and by providing opportunities for people to experience and be challenged by new ideas and perspectives. These connections help our community collaborate and innovate to build a future that is inclusive and vibrant—creatively, culturally, and economically.
Our History
On September 26, 1912, husband and wife William & Etta Englert launched an institution when they opened The Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City, replacing what had once been a livery stable. Over the last century, The Englert has seen it all—vaudeville, opera, cinema, ballet, puppetry—you name it, it’s been done here! Learn more about how this historic building transformed and adapted over the years, and how it became the nonprofit it is today.
Our Vision & Values
Our Vision
To build and sustain a thriving arts-centered community.
To create transformational change, a sustained effort is needed. The Englert Theatre is committed to ensuring stability with respect to finances, facilities, and organization. We recognize that for the arts to flourish and create the transformational impact we envision, a safe and interconnected ecosystem is required—artists and arts workers, education and workforce development, partners and collaborators, diversity, and inclusion. We believe that, through building this ecosystem, the arts will come to be viewed as essential to the well-being of our community—its heart.
Our Values
Connection
We are at the nexus of an arts-centered community, fostering relationships, inspiration, and collaborations.
Diversity
We create spaces where all can feel welcome, seen, heard, valued, and at home.
Openness
We seek new ideas and perspectives, and we cultivate creativity.
Stewardship
We care responsibly for our resources, including our historic theater, to serve our community today and into the future.
Note: This iteration of our vision, values, and areas of work were developed in 2022 through a strategic planning process facilitated by Jennifer Horn at Bluebird Sky Solutions.
Our Commitment to Diversity
A core question drives our work at the Englert: how can we contribute to making the Iowa City area a place where people feel like they are seen, heard, and can thrive? Or put another way: how can the work we do help our community feel like a home for everybody who lives here?
We embrace our role as an arts organization in the systems of education, economics, justice, and culture. We understand that our work can play a role in how welcoming, fair, and positively interconnected the residents of our town are. Diversity exists here in many forms–across ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, ranges of ability, and in the representation of gender, race, and ethnicity–although we must routinely question whether this place is truly equitable and inclusive to people of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.
To support diversity at The Englert and in the community, we intentionally work toward equity and inclusion in all areas of our organization, including:
- Our guiding documents (mission, vision, values)
- Our administrative design and practices (for staff and board)
- Our programmatic vision and guidelines
