Upcoming Shows
The Des Moines Playhouse presents The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical March 6-22. Some heroes are made, and some are born of the gods....
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Crazy for You April 17-May 3. City-slicker Bobby Child travels to Nevada to foreclose on a rundown theatre. When he...
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical May 8-24. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost...
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Noises Off June 5-21. The comedy where everyone gets caught in the act! A struggling theatre troupe is producing the...
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Legally Blonde July 10-26. Staying true to yourself is always in style. UCLA sorority president Elle Woods has her life...
Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone...
by DC Felton - March 03, 2026
Des Moines has a thriving arts community. One of the amazing organizations that is making this community thrive is Ballet Des Moines. I had the opportunity to attend their performance of “Nothing Holds Still” this last weekend. The show featured world-premiere dances and collaborations with ot...
by DC Felton - February 25, 2026
Watching Tony's every year, I always look forward to the performances and seeing what each show decides to showcase. In 2024, I was captivated by the performance of 'The Outsiders' and looked forward to seeing it live. What was that moment? I'll share more on that later, but after seeing the show in...
by DC Felton - February 13, 2026
What did our critOne thing you know for sure going into a Temple Comedy Series show at Des Moines Performing Arts is that you are going to have a good time. It could be a one-person show, a small musical, or even a comedic magic show. So when they announced they were bringing back 'The Naked Magicia...
by DC Felton - February 05, 2026
February is going to be an exciting month for Des Moines Performing Arts, as not one, but two Tony Award winners for best musical make their debut on the Civic Center stage. They are opening the month with a week-long run of the 2023 winner for Best Musical, 'Kimberly Akimbo.' If the lead-up activit...
by DC Felton - January 16, 2026
Every once in a while, a show finds its own path. The US national tour of 'Six' is making its second stop in Des Moines this week at Des Moines Performing Arts, and almost 10 years later, the show still has the same level of excitement it did then....
by DC Felton - December 20, 2025
One of my favorite parts of the Holiday season is seeing classic stories brought to the stage. For many people, their first experience in theatre is a production of “The Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol.” This season, we get the opportunity to add a third story to that growing list. On Tues...
by DC Felton - December 05, 2025
Stories can be one of the most powerful things in the world. We all have different reasons we share a story. Sometimes it's to pass down a lesson we have learned. Other times it's to remind us or someone we know about our story. 'The Notebook: The Musical,' which opened on Tuesday at Des Moines ...
Past Shows
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap Feb. 6-Mar. 1. A snowstorm strands seven strangers at Monkswell Manor. It soon becomes clear there is...
The Final Act Ensemble presents a lighthearted look at love and all its comedic chaos! The show features two old-time radio favorites, “Blondie and Dagwood”...
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Red Riding Hood January 9-25. Wolfgang, the greatest actor in the world, is interrupted in his tale-telling when a delivery...
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Disney’s Frozen December 5-27. Princess Anna is overjoyed when the castle doors are opened to the people of Arendelle for the...
The Des Moines Playhouse presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever November 7-29. The Herdman children appear to be the worst kids ever. They lie, they steal,...
Start the evening with a thrilling, full-moon fright with “The Curious Coed.” A young lady out for an evening stroll with her boyfriend falls witness...
The Des Moines Playhouse presents Bright Star September 19-October 5. Inspired by a true story, Billy Cane, who recently returned to the North Carolina from the...
Established in 2004, The Penguin Project has evolved into a national program that partners with local community theatres. It creates opportunities for young artists with special needs...
A waitress at Joe’s Diner, Jenna learns about a pie-baking contest that could change her life and offer the chance she needs to escape her...
There’s only one way out of Wonderland. Alice, a curious girl who plunges down a rabbit hole, travels through an unpredictable world where animals dress...
Based on the popular book by Mo Willems, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, is a silly story about young Trixie, who loses her Knuffle Bunny on...
Jesus Christ Superstar tells the story of Jesus in the final days leading up to his crucifixion. Loosely based on the Gospels, Superstar focuses on the conflicts between...
The year: 1869. The crew: a maniacally talkative youth, an old Civil War vet who doesn’t like people, an overexcited Brit, and a hunter who...
Middle school, ugh. It’s the worst. But Greg is determined not to be at the bottom of the popularity chart. Jeff Kinney’s much loved character...
Belle longs for adventure and an escape from her provincial town. A cruel and arrogant prince is trapped in a beastly form in his castle....
Join the Final Act Ensemble (FAE) for old-time fun this holiday season.In “Easy Aces,” Ace tries to get his mother-in-law married off and out of...
Last Stop on Market Street is a collaboration with Pyramid Theatre Company and City Voices.Guided by his veritable force-of-nature Nana, CJ travels a little closer to his roots and...
Wannabe rock star Dewey Finn has been kicked out of his own band and makes a desperate attempt to be a substitute teacher at a...
After benefitting from a large and sudden inheritance, the inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society embarks on producing an ambitious 1920s murder mystery. Hilarious...
Join the Final Act Ensemble (FAE) for old-time fun.The Final Act Ensemble is a troupe of performers ages 55 and older that present classic and...
Before she was hit-maker Carole King, she was Carole Klein, a spunky, young songwriter from Brooklyn with a unique voice. From the chart-topping hits she...
You know what dragons really love? Tacos of course! A kid and their dog are watching a TV show about dragons when they unexpectedly get...
Grover’s Corners is a nice town, much like yours or mine. The milk and the paper are delivered on time and childhood friends like George...
The classic animated television special A Charlie Brown Christmas comes to life in this faithful stage adaptation in which Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the...
All is Calm recalls the remarkable World War I truce between Allied Forces and German soldiers in No Man's Land on Christmas, 1914. A lull...
Join the Final Act Ensemble (FAE) for old-time fun this holiday season.The Final Act Ensemble is a troupe of performers ages 55 and older that...
The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an earnest elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whos that he now must...
East High basketball star Troy and brainy Gabriella cause an uproar in the school when they audition for the spring musical. The thespians resent the...
On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over one fateful week,...
Meek floral shop assistant Seymour pines for the love of his co-worker, Audrey. Musical sci-fi hilarity ensues when a foul-mouthed, R&B-singing, carnivorous plant from outer...
Wannabe rock star Dewey Finn has been kicked out of his own band and makes a desperate attempt to be a substitute teacher at a...
Pablo and Tania, an expecting couple, purchase a house next door to longtime community residents, Virginia and Frank. A disagreement over a long-standing fenceline soon...
Join the Final Act Ensemble (FAE) for old-time fun this holiday season.The Final Act Ensemble is a troupe of performers ages 55 and older that...
Braid Beard and his mates enlist young Jeremy Jacob as they look for the perfect spot to bury their treasure. The whole family will love...
Flashy, inspiring, and downright fun, Kinky Boots is the heartwarming Broadway musical. Charlie Price reluctantly agrees to take over the familys failing shoe factory. Inspiration...
Maddie Reeves has a dilemma. New classmate Wanda Petronski is a Polish immigrant with one dress. Peggy is a popular rich girl with dozens. When...
In August Wilsons stunning story, brother and sister struggle with family history. Willie wants to sell the family piano so he can buy some land...
Big dogs and little dogs. Dogs on bikes and dogs wearing hats. Where are they going fast in those cars? PD Eastmans classic childrens book...
The magic has been updated in this version created for Broadway, but all the beloved songs, including "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible/It's Possible," and...
Mystery! Comedy! Nostalgia! Travel back in time to the Golden Age of Radio for a special 1943 holiday broadcast to the troops. Match wits with...
Harriet M. Welsch is a spy who writes down everything about her neighbors and classmates. After her friends read her secret notebook, they want nothing...
A spunky orphan finds her home with wealthy Daddy Warbucks in this family favorite. Annie Jr. is The Playhouses first Penguin Project production, featuring a...
A classic romantic comedy where opposites attract and the real gamble is love, this musical fable of Broadway has colorful gamblers, showgirls, and missionaries plus...
Magical. Mischievous. Miraculous. From the nonsensical mind of Roald Dahl comes this timeless tale of young Matilda Wormwood. Intellectually gifted, Matilda is unappreciated by her...
When Annies husband, John, dies of leukemia, she and her best friend, Chris, resolve to raise money for the local hospital. They manage to persuade...
On the outskirts of town stands a ramshackle house. It may not seem like much until you peek through the railings. Then theres a horse...
Silent movies are out. Talkies are in! Unfortunately for famed movie star Don Lockwood, his leading ladys comically harsh and squeaky voice is ill-suited for...
Based on E.B. Whites endearing childrens novel, Charlottes Web is a beautiful and knowing story of friendship. Wilbur the pig, the runt of the litter,...
From the Queen of Mystery comes the classic story in which everyone is a suspect. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in...
Whatever you do, dont let the Pigeon star in his own musical production! With a script written by Mo Willems, the creator of the #1...
The hills are alive with the sound of music! Free-spirited postulant Maria has trouble fitting into Nonnberg Abbey. Sent to be a governess for the...
Its holiday time and Room 1 is doing a lot of things to celebrate, like making elf costumes and singing carols. Tattletale May keeps ruining...
The WORLD PREMIERE of a romantic comedy worthy of the gods the Greek gods, that is. American classics grad student Bud Schliemann is touring Greece...
In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget...
Prepare ye for Godspell, a modern-day retelling of the New Testament parables. With a Tony-nominated score of songs ranging in style from pop to vaudeville,...
Lily Polkadot has just moved to Rockaway, a Squares only town. As the first Polkadot in an all-Square school, Lily struggles to gain acceptance from...
A suburban couple takes a suite while their house is being painted and it turns out to be the one in which they honeymooned 23...
The Final Act Ensemble radio troupe is back with a comedy show featuring Burns and Allen in George Meets a Hit-Man and Fibber McGee and...
A cast of five singers pays tribute to the iconic Broadway musical team of Rodgers & Hammerstein with a celebration of their songs from Carousel,...
A child and a sawdust-filled rabbit embark on adventures and discover love is the greatest force in the universe. The Playhouse will offer video-on-demand of...
A cast of five singers pays tribute to the iconic Broadway musical team of Rodgers & Hammerstein with a celebration of their songs from Carousel,...
A child and a sawdust-filled rabbit embark on adventures and discover love is the greatest force in the universe. The Velveteen Rabbit and Some Enchanted...
A child and a sawdust-filled rabbit embark on adventures and discover love is the greatest force in the universe. The Playhouse will provide a Livestream...
A cast of five singers pays tribute to the iconic Broadway musical team of Rodgers & Hammerstein with a celebration of their songs from Carousel,...
Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever taken a family road trip.Leaving Iowa and Stuart Little will be in repertory, alternating weeks....
An outlandish take on the classic family road trip, Leaving Iowa is the story of writer Don who returns home to find a final resting...
Stuart Little is a mouse born into a family of humans. Shy and thoughtful, Stuart is also a lover of adventure. When his friend, the...
Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever taken a family road trip. The Playhouse will provide the opening night recording as video-on-demand,...
Stuart Little is a mouse born into a family of humans. Shy and thoughtful, Stuart is also a lover of adventure. When his friend, the...
Stuart Little is a mouse born into a family of humans. Shy and thoughtful, Stuart is also a lover of adventure. When his friend, the...
Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever taken a family road trip. The livestream is opening night, Feb. 19th, at 7:30 PM....
This December, audiences will enter a 1940s radio studio where a radio host, sound effects artists, and a star-studded acting company perform the holiday classic,...
Anthony (Clifton Antoine) arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's (Natalie Grote) door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass with an urgent assignment...
Weekend Comedy finds a middle-aged couple (Sean Kanuso, Gina Gedler) and a young couple (Tiffany Liechty, Jobe Fee) accidentally renting the same cottage for a...
Anthony (Clifton Antoine) arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's (Natalie Grote) door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass with an urgent assignment...
What a Glorious Feeling!Silent movies are out. Talkies are in! Unfortunately for famed movie star Don Lockwood, his leading ladys comically harsh and squeaky voice...
Do you believe in fairies? Because they believe in you! A multicolored tale of Tinker Bell meeting Peter Pan and their triumph at the Battle...
"Where there's hope, there's life." Anne FrankIn a powerful new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman, Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young...
Adventures this big dont grow on trees!Recently orphaned James Trotter finds himself free of his cruel and repulsive aunts. He escapes in a giant peach...
We triple dog dare you to see this show!Follow Ralphie Parker on his journey to procure the greatest Christmas gift of all time: an Official...
Join the Des Moines Community Playhouse as it celebrates the 100s of shows and 1000s of volunteers, audience members, donors, and staff who have been...
How freaky would it be if you turned into your mother?! Freaky Friday, a new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and...
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