Tallgrass Theatre Continues 20th Year Celebration

Tallgrass Theatre Company in West Des Moines continues their 20 year anniversary celebration by providing the Greater Des Moines (DSM) community with live, local theatre. At the heart of our organization is a passionate group of volunteers, driven by a shared commitment to making a difference and keeping the arts alive.

 

Operating out of our venue at 2019 Grand Ave, Suite 100 in West Des Moines, Tallgrass continues to be a community theatre and partner. When we moved into our new space in 2021, one of our guiding lights was that we would not continue to operate just our own programming but be an inviting and welcoming space for other arts organizations.

There are countless ways to get involved in Tallgrass Theatre! Whether you’re stepping into the spotlight, working behind the scenes, serving on the board or joining a Saturday build day — where all you need is a can-do attitude — there’s a place for everyone to contribute and be a part of the magic. We encourage you to look for opportunities and get involved.

As we continue to celebrate 20 years, Tallgrass Theatre has an exciting lineup of programming to keep the energy going until our next season kicks off in Summer 2025. This ranges from our own performances and events to those brought to you by other groups in our space. Check out some of the events below and make sure to follow us on Facebook and our email lists for details about productions, children’s programming, audition information and much more!

TTC production of EQUUS. Photo by Dylan Heuer Photography

Our Mainstage Programming

At six full productions a season, our calendar is packed with ample selections of theatrical performances for you to attend. Our final production of the 2024-2025 season is The Emerald Earring. This production is our 10th annual Sarah Frank & Jack Balcombe Dream Project for Tallgrass Theatre. In the 10 years the Dream Project program has been around, we’ve taken submissions throughout the year from local artists with dreams of producing a specific show, acting a particular role or being involved in other ways. These submissions are received and reviewed by our Artistic Trust,. Out of the selection, it is then narrowed down to one to be added to the main season’s programming. If you have ever wanted to see a specific show produced in DSM or wanted to fulfill a lifelong dream of acting as a certain role, check out tallgrasstheatre.org/dreamproject to submit your dream project!

 

The Emerald Earring, by Justin Nostrala and directed by Jennifer Nostrala: Presented at Tallgrass Theatre Company Friday, April 18 through Sunday, May 4, 2025.

A dark comedy, written by local playwright Justin Nostrala. The story is about a woman’s struggle between trying to support the institution of marriage and family, while reckoning with her beliefs about abortion.

Tickets can be purchased at tallgrasstheatre.org/tickets. Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list for when we announce our 21st Season in a few short months. Our 2025-2026 Season will kick off with a musical in June at the Jamie Hurd Amphitheater in West Des Moines. This has been a fantastic partnership with West Des Moines Parks & Rec at the beautiful facility, and we continue to add partners like the Des Moines Community Orchestra, adding full music composition and heightening our summer musical production.

Seedlings Children’s Programming

We often find that there are not ample opportunities for our children to participate and engage with the arts in schools or extracurricular activities. This has prompted Tallgrass to offer our Seedlings Children’s Programming over the last several years through a variety of weekend and summer camps.

Coming up, Tallgrass is offering our Spring Skinnies, where children will have the ability to engage in different theatre skills every day. These camps will provide a variety of skilled-based activities throughout the week, ranging from Musical Theatre Audition training to Long Form Improv. Camps include a variety of other skills for your children to learn.

Camp is from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. ages 8+ from Monday, March 17 through Friday, March 21, 2025. Head over to tallgrasstheatre.org/seedlings to register for the entire week. If only one camp interests you, there is the option to sign up for single day camps as well. We can't wait to grow in our skills this upcoming spring!

Tallgrass will also soon be announcing our 6-8 weeks of Summer Camps for 2025! These are full weeks of Camps for your children that offer options for preschool age and up! Some of the camps end with a full performance of what was worked on during the week. Make sure to subscribe to our email list to get the latest information about Summer 2025!

A Community Arts Venue

Besides growing our own internal programming, the move to our larger venue grants us the ability to open doors to other art organizations needing space. Throughout the last four years, we’ve hosted dance groups for recitals, the Des Moines Burlesque Holiday Show, Iowa Latino Film Festival, Adventures in Social Development, comedy groups and many others! This space sharing ability allows our doors to open to a range of artists and audience members within West Des Moines and other communities within the region.

Here are two upcoming events at Tallgrass to have on your calendar:

Broadway Karaoke

Presented by Tallgrass Theatre as additional programming, brought back to life by local artists and a desire for Broadway Karaoke to continue after being shuttered during COVID at its previous venue.

Join Tallgrass on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at 7 p.m. for a night of Broadway Karaoke. We have a vast library of musical selections to pick from or you can bring your own. Use this event if you are a Broadway fan wanting to sing, preparing for an audition or want to come listen to some of the amazing talent in our community.

No tickets are necessary for this event, and it is a free will donation that helps keep our facilities running.

Comedy XPeriment

Using our space, Comedy XPeriment is Des Moines’ longest-running comedy ensemble and returns to Tallgrass for two nights of improvised fun on Friday, Feb 28, 2025 and Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. Join them as they delight audiences through improvised scenes and games that are made up entirely on-the-spot, based on your suggestions from the audience!

Tickets can be purchased through our website at tallgrasstheatre.org.

Our Mission and Getting Involved

The Mission of Tallgrass Theatre Company is to enrich and contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of West Des Moines and surrounding communities. TTC will accomplish this mission by: producing engaging, creative and challenging theatrical productions and educational programs maintaining a shared arts venue to provide a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for artists, audiences and other members of the community.

TTC production of Charlotte’s Web. Photo by Dylan Heuer Photography

Tallgrass is a volunteer theatre, and we encourage everyone to get involved in any capacity that they can. Check out our website at tallgrasstheatre.org to stay current on future opportunities and to join our welcoming family.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership calendar of events is a one-stop resource for activities taking place throughout the region. Find networking information for Greater Des Moines (DSM) businesses, including Chamber luncheons, roundtables and ribbon cuttings. You can also find live music happening each week thanks to the “Live Music This Week in DSM” blog series.