FREE FOR ALL

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FREE FOR ALL

New outdoor programming eliminates barriers, increases access, and brings world-class artists into communities all around Des Moines.

Audiences were delighted by a free concert experience from the band Squonk on Cowles Commons.

While the summer of 2021 welcomed the return of live performances for Des Moines Performing Arts, it was far from business as usual. As safety concerns kept theater doors closed, DMPA turned to green spaces and to acts that had been waiting patiently in the wings.

In the wake of a global pandemic and a national reckoning on social justice, DMPA seized the opportunity to reimagine the role of performing arts in the community and to break down barriers to wider participation.

The barriers first to fall were cost and location. The summer programs were 100 percent donor funded. That meant no tickets were required for any of the performances (which came with the added excitement of never knowing how many people would show up). To reach the most diverse audience, DMPA worked with six local Parks and Recreation Departments (Des Moines, West Des Moines, Altoona, Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale) to identify outdoor spaces that could accommodate the shows.

“We did a lot of listening,” said Eric Olmscheid, DMPA’s Director of Programming. “We also relied on members of our community task force on diversity, equity and inclusion to help us connect with the community more thoughtfully as we fine-tuned our summer plans.”

The focus was on two types of outdoor shows: nomadic acts that didn’t require a stage, but could pop up just about anywhere, and performers who could shine on the stages or amphitheaters available in local parks. The result: 46 free performances in public spaces that engaged new audiences and expanded the role of performing arts in our community for the summer — and for the future.

NEW ARTISTS IN TOWN

Rather than trying to take indoor shows and drop them into park settings, Olmscheid turned to productions built for outdoor presentation that had already caught his eye. That included Waterbombs!, by Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone, and Ants, from the Polyglot Theatre. Both acts were well established and met DMPA’s high standards. “But they are not necessarily ones we would have had a home for if it hadn’t been for this pivot,” Olmscheid said. “I always told them, ‘When the time is right, we’ll get you to Des Moines.’”

That time had arrived.

The DMPA staff were excited to get back to what they do best. So were the artists. Bloom and Gelsone have performed Waterbombs! for 15 years in 28

Folks gathered in parks throughout the metro to enjoy Waterbombs!, featuring an interactive water balloon fight set to music.

A family prepares to participate in the Ants experience by making their own antennae.

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DMPA’s free outdoor engagements encourage neighbors to celebrate the arts as a community.

PERFORMANCE SPACES

• Ankeny Band Shell, Ankeny • Carver Elementary, Des Moines • Cowles Commons, Des Moines • Crestview School of Inquiry,

West Des Moines • Evelyn K. Davis Park, Des Moines • Haines Park, Altoona • Hillis Elementary, Des Moines • Hurd Amphitheater, West Des Moines • Jackson Elementary, Des Moines • Lauridsen Amphitheater at

Water Works Park, Des Moines • McKinley Elementary, Des Moines • Pappajohn Sculpture Park, Des Moines • Pete Crivaro Park, Des Moines • Raccoon River Park, West Des Moines • River Woods Elementary, Des Moines • Riverview Park, Des Moines • Terra Park, Johnston • Union Park, Des Moines • Wagner Park, Ankeny • Walker Johnston Park, Urbandale • Windsor Elementary, Des Moines

SUMMER 2021 EVENTS

• Waterbombs! • Ants • Somos Amigos • Squonk (Hand to Hand) • Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience • Weekly outdoor yoga

different countries. The show is a water-balloonbursting gladiator clash filled with physical comedy and belly laughs. They perform regularly in Europe, where there’s a culture of street theater and presenting circus and comedy work outdoors. They have not found the same opportunities in the United States.

“Our favorite part is that it’s free,” said Bloom, “so that means anybody can come to see the art. We’ve been trying to get it to happen in the U.S. over and over. When COVID hit, we thought now everybody is going to be looking for outdoor shows, but they didn’t. We were so thrilled to get that call from Des Moines.”

Waterbombs! is a 30-minute show that includes two audience volunteers who step into the role of gladiators, with half the crowd cheering each to victory. Shared knowledge of popular music (think Chariots of Fire) and emphatic whistles give the gladiators, and everyone watching, their cues. Audience engagement is not just encouraged, it’s essential.

“We have done this show all over the world,” said Gelsone. “In Germany, people will bring out huge picnic baskets and it’s a really big to-do. We weren’t sure how the crowd would react in Des Moines, but there they were with their chairs and blankets and food. It feels like Des Moines was made for this.”

Getting folks to throw water balloons at one another is not easy in all countries. No problem here. “We have a good throwing culture in the U.S.,” Bloom said with a laugh. “Everyone grows up throwing balls and being competitive. People like cheering for teams. It was a natural fit. Plus, the Des Moines audiences were the most fun. They got all the physical jokes and they liked to play along.”

The non-verbal nature of Waterbombs! and Ants, where three human-sized insects encourage children to help them gather up giant “breadcrumbs,” eliminates language barriers to increase access to the arts. “With the universal themes of both those shows, we were able to connect with audiences of all ages, backgrounds, cultures,” Olmscheid said. “Not often do we experience the performing arts in a way that is that accessible.”

NEW PROCESSES, PARTNERSHIPS

Both shows were also very mobile, performing multiple times in a single day, and in new spaces. That came with special challenges for DMPA Production Supervisor Cole Giudicessi.

“We had to put together a mobile theater production kit since we were always on the move,” Giudicessi said. “That usually looked like a rental van and sometimes a pop-up tent. The performers for Ants needed a mobile green room so they could get into their costumes.”

He and his team also conducted site visits at the various parks to find the perfect space for the performers and for the audience. They would examine the position of the sun at various times of day, consider whether the grass would be too wet to sit on and make sure there was ample space for lawn chairs and social distancing.

Once the plan was in place, they were still ready for changes, based on the size of the crowd and the weather that day. That’s the nature of outdoor performances.

“At one park, the performance would take place in the round,” Giudicessi said. “At the next, people would line up on one side. It was a neat experience. We had to go with the flow and create our own stage space, to get everyone close and involved.”

That’s one thing you could always count on: high energy and interaction from the audience members.

“People were so ready to get out and enjoy a live performance,” Giudicessi said. “We had quite a few people who came to multiple shows. People were

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willing to put themselves out there and try something new. It was that audience engagement that made the magic.”

Mollie Wilhite, recreation superintendent for Urbandale Parks and Recreation Department, saw that happening, too. Walker Johnston Park hosted performances of both Waterbombs! and Ants. Partnering with DMPA was a new experience, but a spectacular way to return to live programming.

“We always thought those performances had to be done inside,” Wilhite said. “What the pandemic taught us is, not only can it be done outside, sometimes it’s really appropriate to have these fun events outside. That it was a Des Moines Performing Arts event that was free to the public: How exciting is that?

“It really opened our eyes to opportunities that utilize our outdoor spaces in a way that’s safe and in a way the community really wants to engage.”

The events brought Wilhite a bit of nervousness, too. With brand-new programming in the park and without ticket sales to give an idea of attendance, she admitted to a bit of clock-watching.

“I always get a little nervous with these free events because you never know who is going to show up,” she said. “Then 10 minutes before, people started to trickle in. At 5 minutes, a lot more. And when it’s showtime, I don’t even know where they are coming from. Then after the show, they wanted to know when we were going to do it again.”

A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT

The response to the outdoor programming of summer 2021 has been overwhelmingly positive from all the stakeholders — audiences, city leaders, performers, donors, and DMPA staff. In addition to Waterbombs! and Ants, the lineup included musical groups Somos Amigos, Squonk: Hand to Hand, and Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience.

The focus on increasing accessibility and reaching new audiences is already having positive impacts. The actors of Waterbomb! witnessed it.

“We had between 100 and 400 people at each show,” said Bloom. “All the parks were in different neighborhoods, which drew different people to the show. To look out and see all those diverse faces together, laughing and having a great time, was very special.”

The audience experience is different indoors, where you often sit in the dark and don’t see the faces of the people around you. Outdoor theater provides an opportunity for a more communal experience.

“Indoors, you’re autonomous,” said Gelsone. “In an outdoor space, you realize you are part of a big group and that you all matter together.”

The change from performances held at a huge theater in downtown Des Moines to smaller shows in public spaces all around town created a new dynamic that Urbandale’s Wilhite appreciated.

“There is a need for this art and these performances in our communities,” she said. “It’s so nice not to have to pack up your young children, drive all the way downtown, find parking. Instead, the arts are meeting us where we are. We can walk to the show and see world-class artists in our own backyard. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to be part of it.”

More opportunities are on the way. Discussions began immediately about options for 2022. What started as an experiment, quickly turned into an experience that has re-energized a city’s passion for the performing arts.

“To be together, rediscovering the joy of being back in front of a live audience, reminded us why we do what we do,” Olmscheid said. “It was a real connection of art and community that was lost to us for so long.” n

Families came together to share a performance from the band Squonk while enjoying all that Cowles Commons has to offer.