“American Dreamer” — a play about Iowa legend Henry Wallace — will be featured for one night at the Des Moines Playhouse before it starts a statewide tour. Wallace founded Pioneer Hybred and Wallace’s Farmer Magazine before becoming America’s Vice President during the Great Depression. Cynthia Mercati wrote the one-man play.Mercati hopes the play gives audience-goers a sense of Wallace’s immense accomplishments.It’s based in large part of the book recently published about Wallace’s life. But Mercati listened to Wallace’s speeches and did other research.Mercati says her play zeroes in on key moments of Wallace’s life, like the confrontation with Roosevelt after being ditched as V-P and his discovery of hybrid seed corn when he was just 15.The play will be performed on December 9th at the Des Moines Playhouse, but it’s had a previous showing.Mercati has written about 40 plays. “American Dreamer” will tour the state this spring as part of the Iowa Touring Theatre Company.
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