Geriatrics, Jesus and Judy

3/5/2025

Their change was to align their season with their fiscal year, but it provided a showcase opportunity for Iowa Stage Theatre Company (ISTC). As a legacy theatre company, Iowa Stage embraces its histories with StageWest, Drama Workshop, Central Iowa Repertory Theatre, and Repertory Theatre of Iowa. It pays its actors and production people, plus has a modest staff. 

Two of the parttime staff are Co-Artistic Directors Alex Wendel and Davida Williams, both with solid theatrical backgrounds. Each brings experience and insights that complement each other to their shared roles. Williams has established herself as a premier performer, having won a Cloris Award as Best Actress, and has expanded her skillset to include artistic direction. Wendel moved back to Iowa in 2022 after 12 years away, knowing that ISTC was going to be where he wanted to call home. 

“The type of work that the company stands behind — cutting-edge contemporary and time-tested classics — is the variety I need,” Wendel continued. “We are the only central Iowa company with a Resident Artist Company.”

ISTC opens its 2025 season with “Grand Horizons,” which The New York Times called “a clever truth bomb of a play” and “a powerful argument for the full humanity of women in our culture.” Bringing a new play to central Iowa audiences that rings true to their mission of “presenting both contemporary and classic theatre that speaks to modern audiences,” as this show’s veteran director, Richard Maynard, shared. 

The vetting process is meticulous when forming each season, said Wendel, who explained “…selection was a collaborative effort with our Resident Artist Company…(through) a Play Advisory meeting process.”

A seasonal offering may additionally be screened through ISTC’s Scriptease reading program before being selected for production. This monthly staged reading is free and open to the public, providing an opportunity to assess audience reactions to a contender with a discussion following each reading. 

“This is how we selected ‘Grand Horizons,’ ” Wendel added. 

Maynard talks about this show’s appeal. 

“I thought ‘Grand Horizons’ was very funny, and by ‘funny,’ I don’t mean it was filled with one-liners. The humor came out of the characters’ reactions to a very unusual, but relatable, situation: A couple nearing 80 years old and married for 50 decide they are going to divorce. They seem OK with it, but their adult children certainly are anything but OK. They come — uninvited — to their parents’ home in a retirement community to, a) find out what the problem is, and b) how they can fix it. That’s a great scenario for comedy.”

 

From Jesus to Judy

“Jesus Christ Superstar” ushered in a new era of musical theatre on Broadway in 1971 when the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice rock opera opened. This impactful bold show was filled with songs from a memorable score. The Des Moines Playhouse production is filled with exceptional talent working in concert with a masterful production team. As seldom as this musical is now produced, this is an opportunity to savor the experience, especially when introducing new generations of musical theatre lovers to such an iconic show.

With her Presidential Award-winning career spanning decades and captivating audiences around the world, Judy Collins stops in Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre on March 16 as part of her current tour. 

“I have something that I can do that makes a living for me but also takes my creative time,” Collins said in an exclusive interview with this writer. “I have to make records, I have to create songs, I have to write poetry. I have this new poetry book called ‘Sometimes It’s Heaven.’ So, I’m a busy girl. I’ve been blessed with something that gives me a way to look at the world with the singing, which I love to do. I also mix up the shows every day so you never get the same show twice. So, I have a very blessed life.” 

In a signature candid sharing, Collins continued, “The only thing today that bothers me is that I lost my extraordinary husband of 46 years in December, and I understand that my work is going to save me and help me through this grief. All I can say to other people is that, if you have work, it helps.”

The incomparable Judy Collins will present an evening of song, storytelling and inspiration. This is a show that should be on everyone’s bucket list. ♦

John Busbee is a creative project developer, critic, playwright, author, producer and media professional. He has produced his weekly show, The Culture Buzz, on KFMG since 2007.