The blues. An evocative word used more than two centuries ago by John James Audubon when he wrote to his wife that he “had the blues.” Before that, the first written reference was in English playwright George Colman’s 1798 Blue Devils, most likely a term filtering down from the 1600s referring to “intense visual hallucinations […]
Central Iowa Arts & Entertainment
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As xBk expands, Tobi Parks is doubling down on her mission to uplift local talent
When Tobi Parks opened a 250-capacity music venue in Des Moines’ Drake neighborhood in 2019, she was enacting her plan B. “I think it always goes back to this idea: I was a musician [and] when I first started it was always like, yeah, you can be a musician but always have a plan B, […]
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Fully Booked at DMPL: Dystopian tales taking on new meaning in 2025
Recently, I’ve found myself falling back into my middle school routine of reading every dystopian book I can find. Whether it’s prompted by the dystopia-themed escape room I’ve been working on at Des Moines Public Library, or the fact Parable of the Sower was one of the most requested books at DMPL in January — […]
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Review: A family flails as a 50-year marriage fizzles in ‘Grand Horizons’ from Iowa Stage Theatre Company
The crowd’s perspective of the play shifts to the unfamiliar when the man coyly bends over to reveal his skimpy thong. Don’t get your hopes up; the near-nudity ends there.
The Iowa Stage Theatre Company recently presented Bess Whol’s Grand Horizons at the Stoner Theater in the Des Moines Civic Center from March 14 to March 23, 2025.
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DSM Book Festival returns with four headlining authors, each with an Iowa counterpart
In an increasingly digital world, connecting over a common interest in real life is even more meaningful. “It’s person to person. It’s getting recommendations. It’s finding out from your friends or people you admire what they’re reading,” said C.J. Box, the author behind the Western mystery series Joe Pickett. “You just got to get out […]
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80/35 officially canceled after nearly 20 years in Des Moines
In October, the future of 80/35, one of Iowa’s biggest annual musical festivals, was “not currently determined,” but even at that time it seemed unlikely the festival would return. That’s because the statement about 80/35’s future was part of the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition’s (DMMC) announcement that it was shutting down, and the coalition […]
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On the Big, Big Screen: Five movies you’ve gotta go see in local theaters this month
LV film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening this month at Iowa’s independent movie theaters.
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Ballet Des Moines has come into its own
Most days I have no desire to live in New York City or Chicago, but there was one thing that could make me pack up and pay $2,500 per month for a studio apartment: Iowa was seriously lacking in professional dance. Ballet Des Moines may have saved me a fortune in moving expenses. In the […]
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A debut album by 14? Singer-songwriter Bridget Bell is a star on the rise with a little help from Girls Rock! Des Moines
How did a junior high student in rural Iowa come to record one of the best releases I’ve heard this decade? For that matter, how does someone from that background acquire the tools to pull off such a thing? If you ask Bridget Bell — who just released her debut EP, forgive and forget — […]
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Review: There are no men in the Playhouse’s ‘Men on Boats,’ a charming sendup of manifest destiny
Before attending Men on Boats at the Des Moines Playhouse’s newly renovated black box Studio Theatre this past weekend, I recalled another production of the play I had seen six years ago. I didn’t remember much about the prior viewing, except that I had cried at the end.
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Poetry has a cathartic power for Kelsey Bigelow, and she’s determined to share it
“We deserve to be on the big stages the way stand-up comedians are,” said Des Moines poet Kelsey Bigelow. “We’re using our stories and our voices. It’s just in a different format.” Iowa, home of the celebrated Writers’ Workshop and the UNESCO City of Literature, is embracing a new generation of poetic voices, from Caleb […]
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Iowa’s indie theaters have a flurry of David Lynch screenings in store for February
“Believe it or not, the answer is yes, I do have a fondness for David Lynch,” begins Ben Godar, Executive Director of Varsity Cinema in Des Moines. Losing Lynch, who passed away on Jan. 15, 2025, has highlighted just how many people agree with this sentiment.
