I applaud and congratulate Phillip Marten and company for founding a new, professional theatre company in Iowa (“StormFront Theatre Workshop seeks to fill lack of theatre in Des Moines, Ames,” Iowa State Daily, July 30, 1998).

Certainly, there is room, and indeed, a need for full-time, professional theatre in the state. Such an ambitious venture is commendable, and the high ideals Marten expresses deserve praise.

However, I must take exception to Mr. Marten’s assertion (according to the Daily) that there is a “lack of theatre available” in Des Moines, outside of productions appearing at the Civic Center.

One needs only to peruse the local papers to see that the Des Moines theatre community is thriving. Besides the Des Moines Playhouse and Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre (I’ll admit a bias here), the Drama Workshop (which produces a type of theatrical literature similar to what StormFront plans to produce), the Ingersoll Dinner Theatre and StageWest (among others) are in continuous production. There is almost always more than one choice for theatre attendance in Des Moines and the surrounding area, and there is usually enough variety to suit any taste.

The Civic Center, while it is the “big player,” is certainly not the only game in town!

So welcome, StormFront Theatre Workshop, to the area theatre scene! You join a very active community, and one that indeed provides the people of Des Moines (to quote Mr. Marten) a ” … place for them to spend in terms of entertainment value.”

Ron Ziegler

Managing/Artistic Director

Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre

The Des Moines Playhouse