Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical – Tent Theatre

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 her peers in the midst of daily bullying and segregated drinking fountains. Her quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polkadots blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Polkadots offers us a reminder that our differences make us awesome.

 

Polkadots is performed live, in-person, Saturdays, July 10-Aug. 7, 2021, in the event tent in The Playhouse parking lot. There are no virtual options. If ticket prices are keeping you away from this show, please call the ticket office at 515.277.6261, 11:30 AM-5:30 PM, Tuesday-Friday. We have some supporters who want to make sure everyone gets a chance to see this production.

Polkadots is performed in repertory. In the evenings, Godspell and Plaza Suite alternate weeks on the tent stage. Godspell performances are July 9-11, July 22-25, & Aug. 5-8, 2021. Click here for more information on Godspell. Plaza Suite performances are July 16-18 and July 28-Aug. 1, 2021. Click here for more information on Plaza Suite.

If you are using credit, a gift certificate, or a Guest Pass for your purchase, please click here or call the ticket office at 515.277.6261 to make your reservation. Ticket office hours are Noon-3:00 PM, Tuesdays-Fridays.

Seating is assigned, based on when you purchased your tickets and the size of your group. If you need wheelchair-accessible seating or have other mobility, visual, or audio needs, please let us know in the Comments box at checkout. If you purchase more than one seat, everyone in your ticket order will be seated in adjacent seats. Click here to read our safety guidelines for in-person performances. Policies change and our website will reflect those changes and your Welcome email will contain expectations of all audience members at the performance which may include wearing a face mask.

Parking is available in the Shops at Roosevelt immediately north of The Playhouse and in the streets around the theatre. Limited handicap parking is available in The Playhouse parking lot. VIP parking in The Playhouse parking lot is available for purchase by clicking here.

For complete information on Tent Theatre including FAQs, click here.

Tent Theatre

Presented by

Sponsored by

Kent Sovern & Phyllis Mumford-Sovern
Jan & Layton Stump
Edward & Nancy Truslow

Polkadots sponsored by
Harry Bookey & Pamela Bass-Bookey

Performance Times:
10:00 AM Saturdays, July 10, 17, 24, 31 & Aug. 7, 2021
Theatre:
Special Events
Run Time:
1 hour; performed without intermission
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 effects), please contact the ticket office at 515.277.6261.

Company

  • Penelope Square

    Kaelan Bohn

    Penelope Square
  • Sky Square

    Marquis Bundy

    Sky Square
  • Ms. Square / Mama Square

    Lexus Thiessen

    Ms. Square / Mama Square
  • Lily Polkadot

    Ashlyn Yu

    Lily Polkadot
  • Director

    Peter Dean

    Director
  • Music Director

    Tina Haase Findlay

    Music Director
  • Choreographer

    Antonesia Williams

    Choreographer
  • Scenic Designer

    Alex Snodgrass

    Scenic Designer
  • Costume Designer

    Angela Lampe

    Costume Designer
  • Lighting Designer

    David R. Kilpatrick

    Lighting Designer
  • Properties Designer

    Allyson Braun

    Properties Designer
  • Stage Manager

    Greg Millar

    Stage Manager
  • Assistant Stage Manager

    Aaliyah Trimble

    Assistant Stage Manager
  • Artistic Director

    Katy Merriman

    Artistic Director

Photos/Video

  • The cast of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical (clockwise from left) Marquis Bundy, Lexus Thiessen, Kaelan Bohn, and Ashlyn Yu. Polkadots is Saturdays, July 10-Aug. 8, 2021, at The Des Moines Playhouse’s Tent Theatre. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • The cast of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical (clockwise from left) Marquis Bundy, Lexus Thiessen, Kaelan Bohn, and Ashlyn Yu. Polkadots is Saturdays, July 10-Aug. 8, 2021, at The Des Moines Playhouse’s Tent Theatre. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Marquis Bundy is Sky Square and Ashlyn Yu is Lily Polkadots in Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, Saturdays, July 10-Aug. 8, 2021, at The Des Moines Playhouse’s Tent Theatre. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Kaelan Bohn is Penelope Square and Marquis Bundy is Sky Square in Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, Saturdays, July 10-Aug. 8, 2021, at The Des Moines Playhouse’s Tent Theatre. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Lexus Thiessen is Ms. Square and Ashlyn Yu is Lily Polkadots in Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, Saturdays, July 10-Aug. 8, 2021, at The Des Moines Playhouse’s Tent Theatre. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • The cast of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical (left to right) Lexus Thiessen, Marquis Bunday, Kalan Bohn, and Ashlyn Yu. Polkadots is Saturdays, July 10-Aug. 8, 2021, at The Des Moines Playhouse’s Tent Theatre. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • The event tent in The Playhouse’s east parking lot.

  • The view toward the stage from the back of the tent.

  • Seat cushions from Raygun on every seat in the tent.

Press Release

The Des Moines Playhouse Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: July 2, 2021 Kill Date: Aug. 9, 2021 Subject: Summer Tent Theatre at The Playhouse Photos available Godspell https://www.dmplayhouse.com/events/godspell-tent-theatre/ Polkadots  https://www.dmplayhouse.com/events/plaza-suite-tent-theatre/ Plaza Suite https://www.dmplayhouse.com/events/polkadots-tent-theatre/ FAE Rides Again https://www.dmplayhouse.com/events/fae-rides-again-tent-theatre/ Contact: Lee Ann Bakros, Playhouse Marketing & Public Relations Director, 515.974.5358 The Des Moines Playhouse, now in its 102nd season, is keeping theatre live in Des Moines this summer in a unique setting: an event tent. The four shows under the pavilion this July and August are the Broadway musical Godspell, Neil Simon's Plaza Suite, the family show Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, and FAE Rides Again, an evening of classic radio plays and songs performed by the Final Act Ensemble. Tickets for in-person performances are available at dmplayhouse.com and by phone at 515.277.6261. Tent Theatre is presented by MidAmerican Energy Company and sponsored by Lincoln Savings Bank, Kent Sovern & Phyllis Mumford-Sovern, Jan & Layton Stump, and Edward & Nancy Truslow. Tent Theatre shows will be presented in repertory. To perform in repertory means to present a series of plays over a given span of time. Godspell and Plaza Suite will alternate weeks on the stage, July 9-Aug. 8, 2021, and Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical will take the stage Saturday mornings, July 10-Aug. 7, 2021. FAE Rides Again is a special one night only experience on July 27, 2021. A limited number of VIP parking spaces will be available for purchase for each show. David Kilpatrick, Playhouse executive director, said, "Following the success of last year’s live theatre drive-in season, we wanted to capture the joy and fun of outdoor theatre but with better sightlines and sound. Performing outdoors is a special experience for our actors and audience, perfect for a summer evening. Most importantly, we want to keep our audiences and volunteers as safe as possible during these turbulent times." The tent, located in The Playhouse’s east parking lot, can accommodate more than 300 guests but for social distancing the capacity will be kept at 150. The tent allows performances to continue even in the rain. The seats in the tent have special cushions, generously donated by Raygun. To promote safety, The Playhouse has drawn upon the guidelines suggested by local, state, and federal agencies, experts, and associations. Full safety guidelines are posted on the theatre's website, dmplayhouse.com. The Playhouse vision, as Iowa's largest producing theatre, is to be a vital part of a collaborative, energized, and engaged community that values art in its culture, particularly because of the contributions of high-quality avocational, educational, and entertaining theatre experiences. Located at the 42nd Street exit of I-235, the theatre has presented a full season of shows since 1919 and also offers a wide variety of educational experiences including classes for ages 4 to adult, theatre trips to New York, and volunteer opportunities onstage and backstage. For more information about The Playhouse and the summer shows, visit The Playhouse website at www.dmplayhouse.com or contact The Playhouse at 515.277.6261. Ticket office hours are Noon-3:00 PM, Tuesdays-Fridays. Des Moines Playhouse Summer 2021 Mini-Season Godspell Performances: 7:30 PM Thursdays-Sundays, July 9-11, July 22-25, & Aug. 5-8, 2021, presented in repertory, alternating weeks, with Plaza Suite Tickets: $29 Adults, $15 Students Purchase at dmplayhouse.com Description: 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, including the hit song "Day by Day," composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) brings to vibrant life the timeless messages of kindness, tolerance, and love. Plaza Suite Performances: 7:30 PM Thursdays-Sundays, July 16-18 & July 29-Aug. 1, 2021, presented in repertory, alternating weeks, with Godspell Tickets: $29 Adults, $15 Students Purchase at dmplayhouse.com Description: 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 (or was it 24?) years before. A Hollywood producer thrice-married calls a childhood sweetheart, now a suburban housewife, for a little sexual diversion. A mother and father fight about the best way to get their daughter out of the bathroom and down to the ballroom where wedding guests are gathered. Hilarity abounds in Neil Simon's portrait of three couples successively occupying a suite at NYC's Plaza Hotel. Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical Performances: 10:00 AM Saturdays, July 10, 17, 24, 31 & Aug. 7, 2021 Tickets: $15 per person, all ages Purchase at dmplayhouse.com Description: 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 her peers in the midst of daily bullying and segregated drinking fountains. Her quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polkadots blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Polkadots offers us a reminder that our differences make us awesome. FAE RIDES AGAIN Performance: 7:30 PM, Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Tickets: $10 per person all ages Purchase at dmplayhouse.com 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 Molly in “Fibber Gets a Hundred-Dollar Bill” plus previews of coming attractions, bantering announcers, commercials that couldn’t sell anything, and a couple of favorite songs. ###  

Show Credits

Book by Melvin Tunstall III

Music by Greg Borowsky and Douglas Lyons

Lyrics by Douglas Lyons

Based on an original concept by Douglas Lyons

Produced by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, www.broadwaylicensing.com