Mirrorbox Theatre in Cedar Rapids, a nonprofit theatre company founded by Cavan Hallman in 2018 as “Iowa’s home for contemporary theatre” and new plays, has announced it will officially close at the end of 2025.
“Unfortunately, we’ve recently uncovered financial issues that make it no longer possible to sustain our work in the way our community deserves,” the group announced in a Facebook post Monday, Nov. 10. “We are grateful to have been part of this community, and we want to offer our sincerest thanks to everyone who has demonstrated their support for us over the years. We know that many artists have found a community with us, and we are grateful to have been part of so many lives.”
Mirrorbox will be hosting one final show – the series finale of “The Rapids,” its long-running improvised soap opera – on Wednesday, Oct. 19, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Giving Tree Theatre in Marion.
The organization also said in its announcement that it would not be producing “Die Hard … Is A Christmas Movie,” a Cavan Hallman-produced spoof of the original “Die Hard” movie, this December. The show had been the top-selling production in Mirrorbox’s history, with productions in 2023 and 2024.
Mirrorbox has seen a number of changes in the past year. The company launched a fundraising drive in late 2024 to help meet outstanding and ongoing financial obligations, and announced that fundraiser’s success in November 2024.
Mirrorbox had also seen recent leadership changes, including the April departure of Mr. Hallman, its founder, from his roles as artistic director and president of the board of directors. Chelsea White was subsequently named to both positions.
More recently, the company vacated its permanent space on Ellis Boulevard at the end of May, citing continuing financial struggles. It had moved into the building, a former automotive service shop, in 2022 after extensive renovations. The venue became a gathering place for innovative productions, improv events, and the company’s annual holiday shows.
Mirrorbox produced one other show this year – the Iowa premiere in July of “The Shark is Broken,” a parody based on the original “Jaws” movie – in July at the outdoor Kingston Yard venue.
