Jody Hovland

Jody Hovland (Distinguished Artist in Residence) is a founder and co-artistic director of Riverside Theatre, Iowa City's resident professional company. She holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in English from the University of North Dakota.

She has appeared at the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institution, with Karamu House Performing Arts Theatre in Cleveland, and as a guest artist with Iowa Summer Repertory and the University of North Dakota. Jody has toured in many plays including the one-woman shows The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Shirley Valentine, The Median Strip, First Lady Lou, and Planting in the Dust.

Favorite roles include the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, Toinette in The Imaginary Invalid, all productions of the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival, Bella/Eleanor in Big Love, Sarah Daniels in Spinning Into Butter, Gertie in Fuddy Meers, and Vivian Bearing in Wit. Her directing work at Cornell includes productions of Don Juan in Chicago, The Sirens, and several co-productions with Riverside Theatre, including Tartuffe, Our Town, and The Laramie Project.