Between tribute bands, themed raves and touring acts, Des Moines venue Wooly’s hosts events produced by 3XWrestling, an independent wrestling promotion company based in Central Iowa, active since 2005. I attended 3XW’s bout on Friday, March 6 for a crash course in kayfabe.
Des Moines theater
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: An envelope opened and the About Time Theater Company discovered its latest show alongside the audience
On the night of Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m. CDT, myself and about 34 other people saw a production by About Time Theatre of White Rabbit Red Rabbit at the xBk Annex, as performed by Mary Bricker. It was, I imagine, a different show than what a largely different audience saw the […]
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Iowa theater companies aren’t afraid to unsettle as they hold a mirror up to our times
Let’s start this survey of Iowa’s local theater landscape with a bit of a dramatic flourish: The start of the COVID-19 pandemic was half a decade ago. Apologies if that messes with your tethering to time, but I bring it up for a reason. When looking at the last five years of local theater output, […]
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‘Waitress,’ ‘Witch’ and ‘The SpongeBob Musical’ rack up honors at the Cloris Awards in Des Moines
Creepy, bubbly, romantic, epic — the past year of Des Moines theater productions offered something for every mood. On Sunday, some of the actors, behind-the-scenes crew and theater companies that brought these shows to life were honored with glass plaques at the 2025 Cloris Awards ceremony. Hoyt Sherman Place hosted the 10th annual local theater […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
The 10th annual Cloris Awards will bring together Des Moines’ theater pros and fans on Sunday
The Cloris Leachman Excellence in Theatre Arts Awards, a celebration that brings together Des Moines’ theater professionals, reflects its namesake. Leachman was a dynamic, versatile performer whose work spanned nearly eight decades and every acting medium. From dramatic roles (including Ruth Popper in The Last Picture Show, which earned her an Academy Award) to her […]
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The new About Time Theatre Company hopes Des Moines isn’t too squeamish
If you have an adventurous palate when it comes to theatrical experiences, it’s about time this seven-player troupe came into your life. About Time Theatre Company is made up of stage and creative arts veterans from across the country who converged on Des Moines. “[We] moved here from the Chicago market where I’d done a […]
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Review: ‘The Laramie Project’ is a legitimately brave production from the Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre
By the time you read this, the Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre’s (DMYAT) production of The Laramie Project at Stoner Theater will have come and gone. While this remains a review of the company’s latest production, consider this, additionally, an assessment of this youth-centered central Iowa program. DMYAT is a Des Moines nonprofit dedicated to […]
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‘We have local acts that deserve to be on a stage of that size’: 100-year-old Hoyt Sherman Place theater to host GDP music festival on April 15
Gross Domestic Product sticks to the mission — but that’s about it. Since the all-local music festival first popped up in 2006, GDP has bounced between Des Moines neighborhoods to celebrate the various corners of both the city and the scene. That means no two years of the one-day festival look or sound the same. […]
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Two Des Moines theater companies, founded a century apart, join forces to stage August Wilson’s ‘The Piano Lesson’
When last year’s revival of August Wilson’s 1987 play The Piano Lesson closed on Broadway on Jan. 29, it was the highest grossing show that week. In fact, the production, which opened Oct. 13, became the highest grossing play revival and highest grossing Wilson play on Broadway. Wilson is regularly among the most-produced playwrights in […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Built in 1917, Varsity Cinema is getting a $5 million upgrade thanks to Des Moines film lovers
In the mid-1990s, Ben Godar started making the drive from Ames to Des Moines to go to the Varsity Cinema. “Back then, the Varsity was just one of those places that would get films that nobody else had,” he recalls. Now, as four years of renovations on the Varsity come to a close, Godar, who […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
DMPA announces their 2022-23 season Willis Broadway Series and #Ham4Ham
Des Moines Performing Arts (DMPA) announced their 2022-23 season Willis Broadway Series yesterday. This series will be bringing six productions from Broadway to Des Moines, including returning favorites Fiddler on the Roof and Disney’s The Lion King. DMPA also just announced today the #Ham4Ham digital lottery, for $10 tickets to upcoming performances of Hamilton. Patrons […]
