Community Threatre spreads outside Des Moines

You don’t have to drive to Des Moines to see a play at the Community Theatre. The Iowa Touring Theatre Company’s ready to kick off its second season, and company manager Joe Tish will bring the show to stages all over Iowa.The idea’s to take live theatre to communities that don’t have regular direct access. Three shows have been rehearsed and will “go on the road” next year. Tish says sometimes it’s the first time live actors have “trod the boards” of a local playhouse. Last year, while doing a children’s play in Cushing, nobody in the school could remember ever having such a show before. And the touring company doesn’t go so far out all the time.They’ve done shows as close in as Adel, where busy parents say they like having a local show instead of driving to Des Moines. Tish says often the touring company’s performance will tie in with a local fundraiser. After a Des Moines premier December 9, a show about Iowa ag pioneer Henry Wallace will be ready to take on tour next spring along with performances titled “G-I Jokebox,” and “Mark Twain on the Mississippi.”