Washington Evening Journal
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Library display features traveling tent shows
Kalen McCain
Aug. 29, 2025 12:26 pm
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WASHINGTON — The Washington Public Library is the first stop for an informational display organizers hope to send across the state, much like the touring entertainers it features.
Monie Hayes is a board member of the National Society for the Preservation of Tent, Folk and Repertoire Theatre. She said the organization, which is headquartered in a museum of the Old Threshers grounds in Mt. Pleasant, wanted to highlight the history of traveling tent shows, which were once a mainstay source of entertainment in Iowa and Missouri.
“There was a time when more people saw live professional theater from traveling companies [in] small communities than saw theatrical productions in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco,” Hayes said. “It was a big deal, in the days before television and, with some overlap, before radio.”
The museum hopes to find other hosts for the display at area libraries, banks and colleges.
Featuring comedies, dramatic stories and musical numbers, the tent-topped acts were major community events with serious actors and talent, despite somewhat formulaic script-writing practices.
Hayes said the traveling shows were an important part of Midwestern history to preserve.
“It was a shared, cultural community experience,” she said. “People came together and either saw a formulaic story in which the good guy vanquished the bad guy, or they all got to sit next to their neighbors and laugh, or maybe they heard a musical performance.”
The Washington library display is expected to stay up for the remainder of this week, according to Hayes. She said she wasn’t sure where the setup would travel to next.
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com