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Des Moines Playhouse

831 42nd St
Des Moines

Upcoming Shows

Come From Away

Sep 11 – Oct 4, 2026

A small town on the eastern Candian shore suddenly became an international refuge when 38 planes carrying 7,000 passengers were diverted on September 11, 2001. Unfazed, the people of Gander, Newfoundland, provided not only the essential comforts of food and shelter but a...

Junie B Jones in Boo… and I Mean It

Junie B Jones in Boo… and I Mean It

Nov 7 – Nov 29, 2026

Junie B. Jones is terrified of Halloween due to scary secrets told by a classmate. To combat her fear, she plans to create the scariest costume ever to "outscare" the monsters. She decides on a clown, but ultimately her efforts lead to a humorous, unexpected scare for her...

Annie

Annie

Dec 4 – Dec 27, 2026

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the...

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

Jan 8 – Jan 24, 2027

Morris likes lots of things: doing puzzles, painting pictures, pretending to be an astronaut, and wearing a tangerine dress from his school’s dress-up box because it “reminds him of tigers, the sun, and his mother’s hair.” But some of his classmates think boys can’t wear dresses...

The Lifespan of a Fact

The Lifespan of a Fact

Feb 5 – Feb 28, 2027

Jim Fingal is a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine. John D’Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay about the suicide of a teenage boy that could save the magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact check...

Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical

Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical

Mar 5 – Mar 14, 2027

Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent to live with a plainspoken farmer and his spinster sister, who thought they were adopting a boy! She wins over the Cuthberts and all of Prince Edward Island with her irrepressible spirit and imagination — and wins over audiences with this warm...

Les Misérables

Les Misérables

Apr 9 – May 2, 2027

In nineteenth century France, Jean Valjean is released from 19 years of unjust imprisonment, but finds nothing in store for him but mistrust and mistreatment. He breaks his parole in hopes of starting a new life, initiating a lifelong struggle for redemption as he is...

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

May 7 – May 23, 2027

You’ve played the game. Now see and hear the legend of the three great warriors who started it all… Long ago there lived three fierce warriors. From the Kingdom of Backyard came Rock; from the Empire of Mom’s Home Office came Paper, and from a messy village in the Junk Drawer...

Amadeus

Amadeus

Jun 20, 2027

In the court of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, Antonio Salieri is the established composer. Enter the greatest musical genius of all time: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri has given himself to God so that he might realize his sole ambition – to be a great composer. Mozart is a...

Mean Girls

Mean Girls

Jul 9 – Jul 25, 2027

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized...

Review: KING ROGER at Des Moines Metro Opera

Review: KING ROGER at Des Moines Metro Opera

by DC Felton · July 9, 2026

This season, Des Moines Metro Opera is taking my favorite type of risk and doing an Opera that audiences might not be familiar with in their final, and most ambitious opera of the season, Karol Szymanowski's 'King Roger.'…

Review: OF MICE AND MEN at Des Moines Metro Opera

Review: OF MICE AND MEN at Des Moines Metro Opera

by DC Felton · July 2, 2026

As America celebrates is 250th birthday, 'Of Mice and Men' celebrates it and the 100th birthday of Carlise Floyd by revisiting this timeless story through a new lense.…

Review: TOSCA at Des Moines Metro Opera

Review: TOSCA at Des Moines Metro Opera

by DC Felton · June 29, 2026

Summer has officially started with Des Moine Metro Opera's phenomenal production of 'Tosca.' Find out about the show and why you shouldn't miss it.…

Review: CINDERELLA at Ballet Des Moines

Review: CINDERELLA at Ballet Des Moines

by DC Felton · May 21, 2026

What did our There is a magic that only happens when seeing a show live. Sometimes it comes from a special effect, and other times from the beauty of telling a story. When that magic happens, it becomes a memory that will last not till midnight, but for a lifetime.…

Review: SUFFS at Des Moines Performing Arts

Review: SUFFS at Des Moines Performing Arts

by DC Felton · May 1, 2026

In a time on Broadway where so many shows are based on familiar IP, it's refreshing to have a new story come to the stage. In 2022, Suffs opened on Broadway at the Public Theatre, and then kept marching to Broadway, and now it is marching across the US.…

Preview: SEASON PREVIEW About Time Theatre

Preview: SEASON PREVIEW About Time Theatre

by DC Felton · March 8, 2026

This last season, a new theatre company emerged and made audiences 'squeamish' wih their first production. About Time Theatre Company is back for another season and has recently announced the three productions that will be part of its 2026 season. If the thought and time that went into their first p…

Review: NOTHING HOLDS STILL at Ballet Des Moines

Review: NOTHING HOLDS STILL at Ballet Des Moines

by DC Felton · March 3, 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…

Review: THE OUTSIDERS at Des Moines Performing Arts

Review: THE OUTSIDERS at Des Moines Performing Arts

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…

Past Shows

86 total · showing 81–86

Tinker Bell

Tinker Bell

Feb 21 – Mar 8, 2020

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 for Neverland.

The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank

Jan 24 – Feb 9, 2020

"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 girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty...

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach

Jan 3 – Jan 19, 2020

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 with some peculiar occupants, sailing halfway across the world, encountering danger and excitement every step of the way.

A Christmas Story, The Musical

A Christmas Story, The Musical

Dec 6 – Dec 23, 2019

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 Red Ryder Range Model Carbine-Action BB Gun! Beat the holiday blues with this hilarious, nostalgic romp.

100th Birthday Bash

100th Birthday Bash

Nov 8 – Nov 9, 2019

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 a part of the theatre since 1919.The Ultimate Cast PartyFriday, Nov. 8, 20195:30-10:00 PMCatch up with old friends and make new...

Disney's Freaky Friday

Disney's Freaky Friday

Oct 18 – Nov 3, 2019

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 the hit Disney films, is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic. By spending a day in each other's...

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Philip Glass’s ORPHÉE in Des Moines Philip Glass’s ORPHÉE
Blank Performing Arts Center (7/11-7/11)
Offenbach’s THE TALES OF HOFFMANN in Des Moines Offenbach’s THE TALES OF HOFFMANN
Blank Performing Arts Center (7/09-7/09)
Wicked - only children age 5 and over with tickets will be allowed into the theater in Des Moines Wicked - only children age 5 and over with tickets will be allowed into the theater
Des Moines Performing Arts Center - Civic Center (9/02-9/20)
Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical in Des Moines Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical
Des Moines Playhouse (3/05-3/14)
Philip Glass’s ORPHÉE in Des Moines Philip Glass’s ORPHÉE
Blank Performing Arts Center (7/21-7/21)
Britten’s BILLY BUDD in Des Moines Britten’s BILLY BUDD
Blank Performing Arts Center (7/20-7/20)
Offenbach’s THE TALES OF HOFFMANN in Des Moines Offenbach’s THE TALES OF HOFFMANN
Blank Performing Arts Center (7/02-7/02)
Offenbach’s THE TALES OF HOFFMANN in Des Moines Offenbach’s THE TALES OF HOFFMANN
Blank Performing Arts Center (7/17-7/17)
Junie B Jones in Boo… and I Mean It in Des Moines Junie B Jones in Boo… and I Mean It
Des Moines Playhouse (11/07-11/29)
Wicked in Des Moines Wicked
Civic Center Of Greater Des Moines (9/02-9/20)