Built on the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion grounds, the museum was founded by the National Society for the Preservation of Tent, Folk and Repertoire Theatre.
Over the last half-century, the museum has collected artifacts and memorabilia from opera houses across Iowa and traveling theatre troupes and has hosted seminars and summer plays using the scripts from their own research library.
On this episode of Talk of Iowa, we take a quick tour of the Theatre Museum and talk with one of its stakeholders, Grace Davis.
Scenic artist and consultant Wendy Waszut-Barrett also shares the significance of their scene curtain collection, believed to be the largest in the United States.
Later in the episode - artist and event organizer Siriaco Garcia, professionally known as Siricasso, completed 11 murals and organized 18 events in central Iowa in 2023. That's just a snapshot of the work he does in uplifting artists, from teaching at Hoover High School and Woodward Academy to his Sip and Paint and Save the Art events he hosts in Ames and Des Moines. He's also left his artistic footprint upon his current home of Huxley.
Guests:
- Grace Davis, vice president, National Society for the Preservation of Tent, Folk and Repertoire Theatre
- Wendy Waszut-Barrett, scenic artist and owner, Historic Stage Services, LLC.
- Siriaco "Siricasso" Garcia, artist and event organizer
