DC Felton - Page 4

While we've been stuck at home for the last year, Des Moines Playhouse has been working behind the scenes on something brand new. They have been chosen as part of the American Association of Community Theatre AACT New Play Festival. This opportunity has allowed them to produce the world premiere of 'Escaping the Labyrinth' by Thomas S. Hischak. While the journey around the world may be timeless, this production isn't and must close on October 24.

When the national tour of 'Anastasia' closed on March 1 at Des Moines Performing Arts, no one could have imagined it would be 19 months before another national tour of a Broadway show would hit the stage again at the Civic Center. 19 months. Who would have thought an intermission could last that long? On Tuesday, October 12, the stage was filled again with all the entrancing pieces that go into making a Broadway show when the national tour of 'The Band's Visit, which plays through October 17, 2021, opened.

If you've been sitting alone in your house this last year, it's time to head over to Des Moines Playhouse to hear the music play. On September 10, they opened up their first production since 2019, where they opened their full house for tickets. While you may think this would be a place to put a light and fun show to welcome back audiences, they've taken a risk and put up a colorful yet dark production of Kander and Ebb's 'Cabaret.' The risk pays off as it gives the audience a powerful show that reminds me of everything I love about theatre. A production that not only lets the audience feel but leaves them thinking as well.

It's been over a year since Carousel has been over a year since Carousel Theatre of Indianola has been able to welcome an audience. While Covid may have put live performances on hold, Carousel has adjusted and tried new things during the pandemic. Last fall, they held a Cabaret of musical theatre favorites and had a jazzy evening of love songs around Valentine's Day. This summer, they filmed all five shows that were part of the Writers Project they held during the pandemic. Now they are ready to open their doors again with '[Title of Show].' The show opened on August 13th and was the perfect show to welcome the musical theatre lovers in all of us back to the theatre.

In college while studying theatre, I was introduced to a new world, the world of children's theatre. While many shows in that world are based on well-known stories, once and a while you would see a play that tackled a topic that might be difficult to talk about, and present it on stage in a kid friendly way. When I heard 'Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical' was going to be performed at Des Moines Playhouse, I was very intrigued. From what I could see, this show wasn't based on a well-known book like many of the Kate Goldman Children's Theatre's shows. So I was intrigued as to what topic might be presented in this play.

One of the hardest parts of the last year with Covid was watching theatre after theatre canceling or postponing their summer shows and season. One of those theatres was Urbandale Community Theatre (UCT), who had announced a big summer production of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.' Thankfully, they were able to postpone the production to this summer. If you've been looking for a production to come back to the theatre with, then this fun and joyous production is just the right shoe for you.

Every once in a while, a show comes along that takes you completely by surprise. For me, this recently happened with Des Moines Metro Opera's one-night-only performance of FELLOW TRAVELERS at Hoyt Sherman Place.

If hotels rooms could tell stories, what stories might they tell? Would they be stories of love or heartbreak, or something completely different? If you've ever thought of those questions, or are looking for a fun, entertaining night of theatre, then Des Moines Playhouse's production of 'Plaza Suite' is the right show for you. On Friday, July 16, the show opened to a packed tent as part of the Playhouse's summer Tent series. And from the audience's reactions, this was just the comedy they needed this summer.

Des Moines Playhouse has found itself adapting to the current climate throughout the pandemic and is continuing to produce live theatre. Last summer, they offered a drive-in theatre. Throughout the year, they have provided live indoor productions to smaller houses and streams of their shows. This summer, they are adapting once again by taking a step back in time. Taking a cue from the traveling tent shows the during the first part of the 20th century, the Playhouse is presenting a summer tent series. The tent series opened up on July 9 with a production of John-Michael Tebelak and Stephen Schwartz Godspell.

Pink, voguing, drag, stiletto heels, opera, seeing that list, you may feel that opera seems out of place, but you couldn't be more wrong. On July 10, Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) took all those and melded them together as they opened the company's premiere production of 'Platée.' While many companies may have taken a more classical approach to this opera, DMMO took the risk of taking a modern approach to this opera. After seeing this production on the 10th, I can tell you with certainty the risk certainly reaped the rewards that go with it.

In March of 2020, when other theatres were having to make decisions to shutter their productions due to the pandemic, Carousel Theatre was hoping to finish the second weekend of their run of 'Eurydice.' Fortunately, they were able to complete the run before rules about gatherings started to change. As it became clear that theatres wouldn't be opening up soon, they began brainstorming ideas of how they could still produce projects, even if they didn't have a live in-person audience. So far, the public has seen two virtual cabarets, but Carousel was also running a unique program for them throughout the pandemic. That program was Carousel Theatre's Play-write project.

While fireworks may have been going off outside on July 3, Des the Des Moines Metro Opera continued their grand opening weekend after a year with no live opera. The celebration inside was for the opening of their second production of the summer, Tchaikovsky's THE QUEEN OF SPADES, with a libretto by his brother Modest. While this opera may have premiered in 1890, Des Moines Metro Opera celebrates its premiere with their company.

On June 27th, 2019, Des Moines Metro Opera announced its 2020 season to the public but what captured my attention was a barber's chair dimly lit by a window above it. There is only one show that this could have been, Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD. I had seen the recording of the original production, two filmed concerts, and the movie, but I was going to be able to see it live for the first time. I was extremely excited but then came COVID, which forced the opera to postpone its season. I was heartbroken—but then it was postponed to 2021 and used it as their season opener.

On March 14, when I was sitting at Des Moines Playhouse watching their production of 'Singin' in the Rain,' I had no idea what was about to come. Iowa had just had its first case of Covid19 just a few short weeks prior. That evening an email came out that the production was being postponed. What came next was a nightmare, fifteen months without seeing a live show in a theatre. The Playhouse has been able to find a way to make live performances work this last year, but I needed to be comfortable going to the theatre.

What is an agitator? The New Oxford American Dictionary describes an agitator as a person who urges others to protest or rebel. In today's heated political climate, we see agitators on both sides of the aisle, some agitating for good and others not. Iowa Stage's production of 'The Agitators' by Mat Smart takes a look at two agitators from our history and the struggles they both ensued. While this production was only available for a limited time, it left its audiences with a powerful and thought-provoking play. It left them thinking not only about the differences of the times these two agitators lived in but the similarities to the world we live in now.

Children can tell some of the most creative stories. They aren't afraid to let whatever is in their imagination come to life. As we get older, we tend to let go of the imaginative stories we tell and focus more on the reality of what is currently going on in our lives. Des Moines playhouse opened their production of 'The Velveteen Rabbit, by Patrick Flynn, based on the book by Margery Williams, on April 16. Their imaginative telling taps into the power of a child's imagination and leaves audiences with a story that is both timely and heartwarming.

When Des Moines Playhouse closed their production of 'Singin' in the Rain' last year, no one could have imagined what would follow. A year without a musical performance on the stage. This meant that the big productions they had planned for Summer, Fall, and Winter had to be canceled. That changed on Friday, April 9, when they opened their spring production of 'Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein.'

Throughout the history of theatre, the art form has adapted to its current times. In 2020 it was forced to adapt again due to Covid 19. Each theatre company has found its own unique way to adapt. This last summer, Iowa Stage did a one-night reading of a play called 'The Cake,' performed at Des Moines Playhouse's parking lot. Since then, they have adapted by doing a play via zoom and now are adapting again. On March 5, Iowa Stage opened their most recent production for the 2020-2021 virtual season, 'Bright Half Life' by Tanya Barfield.

Over the last year, there have been things we've all missed. I especially miss taking my friend's now seven-year-old daughter to see a children's show. Through the Playhouse's Friday Funday program, she was introduced to theatre, so I was excited to take her to a production at Kate Goldman's Children's Theatre. The first one we attended was 'Ella Enchanted,' which was a magical evening. So I was excited to see that the Playhouse was bringing back the Kate Goldman Children's series this winter, with their first show 'Stuart Little, by Joseph Robinette, based on the book by E.B. White, opening this last Friday.

You have a voice. You have a story. The life experiences you have, continue to add to your story. As your story continues, how often do you take the time to hear another person's story? How often do you take the time to listen to a person's story who is a different race than you? On Thursday, February 25, I had that opportunity when Two Steps from the Left Productions, with production assistance from Des Moines Playhouse, presented 'nature of the dream,' a devised theatre piece that uplifts voices and stories regarding Black identity in Iowa.