We are hosting a tent show!  Friday and Saturday, July 6 and 7 – curtain at 7:30 PM but come at 6PM to get in on all the fun! 

The Jenison Meacham Art Museum and Farm in rural Belmond (see driving directions below) will be the scene for some groundbreaking theatrical work with its roots in our rural past when the Iowa Tent Theatre Project cruises into town with its vintage vehicles, red and yellow big top tent that will seat 300 and a company of energetic young actors.  Patterned after the old-time tent shows that toured the American Midwest in a bygone era, the Iowa Tent Theatre Project promises a pleasant reminiscense for those who have known this style of entertainment, and a surprising and exciting new experience for those who weren’t here to catch it the first time around!

The play is “Standing Tall: an Iowa Tent Play” by native Iowan Ralph Hall who also founded the company and directs the play.  Entertainment with the whole family in mind, the play features sets, masks and puppets by professional designer Bruce Marrs, and even a tornado!  The Iowa Tent Theatre Project is committed to a celebration of the people and places of Iowa.  Don’t miss a moment of this magical evening shared with family and friends! 

This engagement of the ITTP is sponsored cooperatively by the Iowa River Players and its parent organization, the Belmond Area Arts Council, with primary funding from the Luick Memorial Trust of Belmond.  Additional funding from the Belmond United Way and the L K Boutin Grant ~ administered through IACT (Iowa Association of Community Theatres).

To get to the Jenison Meacham Art Museum and Farm - from Belmond, go North 1 mi. on Hwy 69, turn East on Hwy c-20 and go 1 mi., turn North on Taylor Avenue and go 1-1/4 mi.  

Tickets to the Tent Theatre are just $5 for adults and “a buck a kid” through high school ~ a bargain!  Get tickets at the door before the show or at the Belmond July 4th picnic lunch in Belmond City Park at noon.

For more information on the Iowa Tent Theatre Project visit www.iowatenttheatre.org

A lyrical but earthy love letter to the land, OKLAHOMA! reminds us of IOWA!  “We know we belong to the land!”  It’s a 60-ish year old classic of American musical theatre that could have been set in Iowa!  Indeed, IA and OK have a bit of a shared history; Iowa was the scene of the first great land rush in the western territories, like the ones that OK became famous for.  The play was unique in its time for being set in a rural area, among country people. 

 You’ll see bright new faces and seasoned favorites on stage this summer and we expect to sell every seat in our fully air-conditioned theatre, so order early!  Tickets will go on sale the week of July 9.  Show times and dates are 7:30 PM Thu-Sat July 26-28 and 2:00 PM Sun July 29;  7:30 PM Thu-Sat Aug 2-4 and 2:00 PM Sun Aug 5, 2007.

Advance tickets are $8 ~ use your MasterCard or Visa to order by phone: 641-853-2398.  (We cannot process any orders until July 9th.)