Events & Shows

It’s a sparklejollytwinklejingley time of the year!

“Elf” has quickly become a modern Christmas classic! Based on the 2003 film, “Elf – The Musical” tells the story of Buddy, a human raised as an elf at the North Pole. Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making skills soon make him realize he’s not fit to live at the North Pole.

Once realizing he’s a human, Buddy travels to New York City to find his true father and understand his past, only to learn that his father is on the naughty list! Buddy must reconnect with his dad and half-brother who doesn’t believe in Santa to embrace the true meaning of Christmas. Themes of love, friendship, and Christmas cheer follow Buddy on his big-city adventure in the regional debut of this holiday show for the whole family!

Family Theatre Age Intention: Playhouse family theatre productions are intended for ages 5 and up.

Content Advisory: The Playhouse does not rate subject matter as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have questions about content, age appropriateness, or other aspects of the show (ie strobe lights and other theatrical affects), please contact the ticket office at 515-277-6261.

Click here for information on Breakfast with Buddy, Dec. 8 & 15, 2018

The performance at 1:00 PM on Sunday, Dec. 16, will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

Gilroy’s Signature Elf Dessert: Raspberry Maple Yule Log
Elves stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. Gilroy’s has the elves covered with this delightfully sweet, maple-y, syrup-cake swirled with whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and slivers of toasted almonds. Don’t be a cotton-headed ninny muggins; go ahead and treat yourself at Gilroy’s Kitchen + Pub + Patio!

Sherlock Holmes was never more fun!

Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson must confront the moors of Devonshire to solve the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville and protect the next heir to the fortune, Sir Henry.

The Devonshire legend preaches that the Baskerville family is cursed by a supernatural hound but Holmes and Watson meet suspicious locals in the case ranging from an escaped convict to friendly neighbors, leaving them to deduce if such a beast as the hound is culpable for this murder.

Based on the 1902 novella paired with a cast of 40 quirky characters played by just five actors, this thrilling show will keep you on the edge of your seat and laughing in the aisles.

Mainstage Content Advisory: The Playhouse does not rate subject matter as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have questions about content, age appropriateness, or other aspects of the show (ie strobe lights and other theatrical affects), please contact the ticket office at 515-277-6261.

The performance at 2:00 PM on Sunday, Feb. 3 will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

The goal of Curtain Crowd is to introduce young adults to the Playhouse, creating new audience members, volunteers, and donors. Membership is free and available online at https://www.dmplayhouse.com/curtain-crowd

You’ll receive an exclusive discount code prior to each show’s opening. Simply enter the code at the shopping cart, hit apply, and make sure your ticket price has been changed to $29 each.

Each Curtain Crowd ticket comes with a complimentary intermission drink (beer, wine, or non-alcoholic beverage). Simply stop by the table in the West Lobby (42nd Street entrance) and fill out the Curtain Crowd drink form.

Plus you’ll be invited to special events throughout the year!

The charm. The con. The chase.

With nothing more than his boyish charm, a big imagination, and millions of dollars in forged checks, precocious teenager Frank Abagnale, Jr. embarks on an exhilarating journey over the country.

The show begins with Frank trapped at the Miami International Airport by his longtime rival, FBI Agent Carl Hanratty. Frank uses this opportunity to tell his side of the story, starting with the escape from his childhood home to conning careers as a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer.

Nominated for four Tony Awards in 2011, Catch Me If You Can’s source material comes from the 1980 autobiography of Frank Abagnale Jr. that inspired the 2002 film of the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. The true-story told with upbeat music and an unforgettable adventure is sure to excite audiences.

Mainstage Content Advisory: The Playhouse does not rate subject matter as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have questions about content, age appropriateness, or other aspects of the show (ie strobe lights and other theatrical affects), please contact the ticket office at 515-277-6261.

The performance at 2:00 PM on Sunday, Mar. 31 will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

The goal of Curtain Crowd is to introduce young adults to the Playhouse, creating new audience members, volunteers, and donors. Membership is free and available online at https://www.dmplayhouse.com/curtain-crowd

You’ll receive an exclusive discount code prior to each show’s opening. Simply enter the code at the shopping cart, hit apply, and make sure your ticket price has been changed to $29 each.

Each Curtain Crowd ticket comes with a complimentary intermission drink (beer, wine, or non-alcoholic beverage). Simply stop by the table in the West Lobby (42nd Street entrance) and fill out the Curtain Crowd drink form.

Plus you’ll be invited to special events throughout the year!

They set their sights on the stars and changed science forever.

Lauren Gunderson’s 2015 play centers around the untold stories of female astronomers through the eyes of a real scientist Henrietta Leavitt, a female “computer” at Harvard College Observatory.

Leavitt is joined by her capable co-workers at the observatory, Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming, who were restricted from the equipment used by the males. The women were required to settle in a cramped workroom, computing and cataloging distant stars and galaxies founded by male astronomers.

This true story of the 19th-century astronomers, “Silent Sky” explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications.

Mainstage Content Advisory: The Playhouse does not rate subject matter as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have questions about content, age appropriateness, or other aspects of the show (ie strobe lights and other theatrical affects), please contact the ticket office at 515-277-6261.

The performance at 2:00 PM on Sunday, June 9 will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

Friendship is the true adventure.

Based on Kate DiCamillo’s book, this is a story of friendship and finding oneself. Edward Tulane is a very happy but a very self-centered toy china rabbit owned by 10-year-old Abilene Tulane. As Abilene and her family go on an ocean voyage, Edward is ripped from her hands and finds himself submerged on the ocean floor.

Edward’s journey introduces him to a fisherman’s family, a hobo and his dog, a farmer, a four-year-old girl with tuberculosis, Sarah Ruth, and a doll mender. With each of the individuals he encounters, Edward begins to miss Abilene and understand the care he could’ve given to Abilene if he hadn’t been so selfish, reflecting on how to love and care for others.

Note: As in the book, Edward’s journey takes him into experiences that include some violence and the death of a character. Some children may find these scenes to be sad or emotionally disturbing.

Children’s Theatre Age Intention: Playhouse children’s theatre productions are intended for ages 5 and up.

Join Judy and Stink for their swashbuckling adventures on Artichoke Island!

Based on the hit children’s book series by Megan McDonald, Judy and Stink take up a swashbuckling adventure on “Artichoke” Island. Finding concealed clues, unlocking secret codes and solving tricky puzzles, will Judy and Stink be able to find the hidden treasure?

It’s the beginning of third grade for Judy Moody’s and when everyone in her class went somewhere fun, Judy stayed at home. Her new teacher, Mr. Todd, assigns a project to make a collage about yourself. Judy Moody, known on “Artichoke” Island as Mad Molly O’Maggot and her brother Stink, Scurvy Stink, join Scurvy Sam to race against Tall Boy and Smart Girl to give Judy Moody a real adventure to put on her collage.

Children’s Theatre Age Intention: Playhouse children’s theatre productions are intended for ages 5 and up.

A fairy tale with girl-power!

As a baby, Ella was given the “gift” of obedience by a fairy named Lucinda. Growing into a teenager, she must keep this a secret as schoolmates play tricks on her to do whatever she is told. Trying to find a way to break the spell, Ella encounters an evil stepmother and her two unpleasant daughters and saves a handsome Prince Char and his knights from an ogre, leading to a friendship between the two.

Based on Gail Carson Levine’s 1997 novel of the same name, with themes including determination and independence, you don’t miss this girl-power spin on the Cinderella story that’s a fairy tale like no other.

Children’s Theatre Age Intention: Playhouse children’s theatre productions are intended for ages 5 and up.

Saturdays, 1:30-2:30 PM*

Upcoming Dates
Dec. 1, 2018
Jan. 26, 2019
Feb. 16, 2019
Mar. 30, 2019
Apr. 20, 2019

$5.00 per session (payable by check or cash at the door each session)

Join us for an exciting day of drama! Come to one session or come to all! Although open to any student, Spectrum Stories is specifically designed to provide drama experiences that best support the development of pretend play, social interaction, and non-verbal communication for students on the autism spectrum and others who may benefit from this experience. Each session is carefully designed to enhance creative expression of spectrum youth while supporting the profile marker needs of each participant. Developed with the guidance of Professor Gretta Berghammer of the University of Northern Iowa, and the Sturgis Youth Theatre, Spectrum Stories uses story, music, and art to bring imagination to life! Pre-registration online at dmplayhouse.com is encouraged but drop-ins are also welcome.

An additional emergency contact form is available at the door specifically for those who tend to elope. Parents are asked to remain in the building during class time, and may accompany their child into class if they wish.

Click here for the Spectrum-Stories-Social-Story – A pictorial guide explaining what to expect when attending these classes.

For more information, contact Robin Spahr, education director, 515-974-5365.

*Notice: NEW TIMES! Spectrum Stories times have been changed for the 2018-19 season to 1:30-2:30 PM.

Run, run, run I’m free and wild! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Child! This cutout cookie leaps out of the oven and into a grand adventure. Will they be able to outwit the sly, hungry fox? Will the sly, hungry fox be able to resist such a tasty morsel?

Interactive Theatre Shows for Children Ages 4-6! Great for preschools, child care centers, kindergarten classes, and families. Join the Clubhouse at the Playhouse Gang each month as they dramatize a favorite story using their imaginations and the costume pieces and props they find in their Magic Trunk. A new story is presented each month, October through April. Children learn the Clubhouse pledge and secret handshake, and listen for the word of the day.

The performance at 10:45 AM will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

Once upon a time, there were three brothers. Only the youngest one is kind and unselfish enough to share his food with a poor, hungry old man. His gift is a beautiful golden goose with especially sticky feathers. Will it be enough to make a gloomy princess giggle?

Interactive Theatre Shows for Children Ages 4-6! Great for preschools, child care centers, kindergarten classes, and families. Join the Clubhouse at the Playhouse Gang each month as they dramatize a favorite story using their imaginations and the costume pieces and props they find in their Magic Trunk. A new story is presented each month, October through May. Children learn the Clubhouse pledge and secret handshake, and listen for the word of the day.

The performance at 10:45 AM will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

In this Clubhouse at the Playhouse favorite, a young child drops his mitten in the snow and does not realize it is missing.  As woodland creatures seek warmth inside the mitten, it magically grows and grows!

Interactive Theatre Shows for Children Ages 4-6! Great for preschools, child care centers, kindergarten classes, and families. Join the Clubhouse at the Playhouse Gang each month as they dramatize a favorite story using their imaginations and the costume pieces and props they find in their Magic Trunk. A new story is presented each month, October through May. Children learn the Clubhouse pledge and secret handshake, and listen for the word of the day.

The performance at 10:45 AM will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

Once upon a time, Ireland’s glens and woods were filled with fairies, leprechauns and giants, including the legendary Fin M’Coul. Will he and his wife Oona be able to outwit the giant bully, Cucullin? Find out in this classic Irish folk tale. Don’t forget to wear your green!

Interactive Theatre Shows for Children Ages 4-6! Great for preschools, child care centers, kindergarten classes, and families. Join the Clubhouse at the Playhouse Gang each month as they dramatize a favorite story using their imaginations and the costume pieces and props they find in their Magic Trunk. A new story is presented each month, October through May. Children learn the Clubhouse pledge and secret handshake, and listen for the word of the day.

The performance at 10:45 AM will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

Snow White is banished from the kingdom by a queen who is jealous of her beauty. Things look up for her when she happens upon a small cottage in the forest. Will she remember the most important rule? Whatever you do, don’t open the door!

Interactive Theatre Shows for Children Ages 4-6! Great for preschools, child care centers, kindergarten classes, and families. Join the Clubhouse at the Playhouse Gang each month as they dramatize a favorite story using their imaginations and the costume pieces and props they find in their Magic Trunk. A new story is presented each month, October through May. Children learn the Clubhouse pledge and secret handshake, and listen for the word of the day.

The performance at 10:45 AM will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.

Goldilocks has been very naughty. She has eaten the bears’ porridge, broken their chairs, and messed up their beds-and all of this without even knocking! Will the bears get home in time to catch her in the act?

Interactive Theatre Shows for Children Ages 4-6! Great for preschools, child care centers, kindergarten classes, and families. Join the Clubhouse at the Playhouse Gang each month as they dramatize a favorite story using their imaginations and the costume pieces and props they find in their Magic Trunk. A new story is presented each month, October through May. Children learn the Clubhouse pledge and secret handshake, and listen for the word of the day.

The performance at 10:45 AM will have live audio description, provided by IRIS. Please contact our ticket office at 515-277-6261 if you would like to use this free service.