StageWest Theatre Co, Des Moines

Since 1996, the theatre artists of StageWest Theatre Company have brought the moving (and often visceral) realities of the world at large to stages across Des Moines. The company's social consciousness is often reflected in its play selection: in the last 20 years, StageWest has dramatized the realities of civil war (Out of Spite: Tales of Survival in Sarajevo), the violence of homophobia (the Iowa premiere of The Laramie Project), and HIV/AIDS (Angels in America, Parts 1 and 2). However, the company doesn't shy away from lighter fare; popular recent productions include musical adaptations of Carrie and The Evil Dead.