Auditions Set For MHS Fall Play “Leaving Iowa”

The MHS theater department announced its fall play will be “Leaving Iowa”, a critically acclaimed comedy. “This is a hilarious play,” said MHS theater director Holly Hillbrands. “The play is typically seen in colleges and community playhouses and rarely in high schools.  It has taken me a long time to get the rights to put on this show.”

Auditions for the 14 cast members will take place on Monday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, September 1 at 6 p.m. in the high school theater. The play will run Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7.

“Leaving Iowa first premiered at Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre, where it broke box office records. It also received a nomination for Best New Play from the Detroit Free Press and had a year-long sold-out run at Chicago’s Royal George Theatre. At its debut on the west coast, it earned the honor of one of SoCal Theatre’s 10 Most Memorable Moments.

The critically-acclaimed play, Leaving Iowa, by Tim Clue and Spike Manton is a hilarious, family-friendly comedy that is a toast to the idealism and character of parents from the “greatest generation,” and a little roast of their dedication to the family road trip. The story centers on Don Browning, a middle-aged writer who returns home and decides to finally take his father’s ashes to his childhood home. But when Don discovers Grandma’s house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa in search of a proper resting place. As he drives those familiar roads, the story shifts back and forth from the present to memories of the annual, torturous vacations of Don’s youth. Ultimately, Don’s journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at an unpredictable and perfect final destination. It’s guaranteed to have you laughing and remembering the childhood vacations you tried to forget. This is one you definitely are going to want to see!