Iowa Connections Taking the Stage This Season

From trailblazing leaders to Broadway legends and celebrated performers, Iowa’s influence runs deeper than you might expect. This season, several of our upcoming shows are tied directly to our state — through history, hometown pride and artists who got their start right here.

Suffs

Carrie Lane Chapman Catt: An Iowa Original

One of the central figures celebrated in Suffs is Carrie Chapman Catt, a towering leader of the American women’s suffrage movement — and an Iowa State University alumna.

Though born in Wisconsin, Catt grew up on a farm near Charles City, Iowa, after her family relocated following the Civil War. She enrolled at Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1877 and graduated in 1880 as the only woman in her class. While there, she became the first female student to deliver an oration before a debating society, organized military drills for women and worked multiple jobs to put herself through school.

Catt’s years in Iowa helped shape the leadership skills that would later guide the ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote in 1920. She went on to succeed Susan B. Anthony as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, to found the League of Women Voters, and to champion suffrage efforts worldwide.

Her legacy still lives on in Iowa today through the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics and Carrie Chapman Catt Hall at Iowa State — reminders that global change can start right here in the Midwest.
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Meredith Willson’s The Music Man

Iowa’s Music Man — In Every Sense

Few Broadway works are as unmistakably rooted in Iowa as The Music Man, written by Meredith Willson, a native son of Mason City, Iowa. Born there in 1902, Willson spent his formative years immersed in local bands, parades, and civic music-making — experiences that would later become the heartbeat of River City.

Willson got his musical start playing piccolo in Mason City bands before leaving Iowa to study in New York and perform professionally with John Philip Sousa’s band, the New York Philharmonic and later as a musical director at NBC Radio. Despite his national success, Iowa remained central to his identity and his work.

The idea for The Music Man originated in 1949 as Willson reminisced about growing up in Mason City. He later described the show as “an Iowan’s attempt to pay tribute to his home state.” That tribute became one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, premiering in 1957 and running for 1,375 performances. Its iconic score — featuring “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Trouble,” “Goodnight, My Someone,” and “Till There Was You” — celebrates small-town life with affection, humor and unmistakable Midwestern charm.

Willson’s ties to Iowa extended well beyond The Music Man. In 1950, he composed “The Iowa Fight Song” for the University of Iowa, which is still sung proudly today and is one of the most recognizable collegiate fight songs in the country. It’s yet another example of how Willson wove his home state directly into America’s musical fabric.

In 1959, Willson received the first-ever Grammy Award for a Broadway cast recording for The Music Man. Just three years later, in 1962, he returned to Mason City with Hollywood in tow for the world premiere of the film adaptation. The event transformed his hometown into a national spotlight moment and launched the North Iowa Band Festival, a tradition that continues today.

Meredith Willson died in 1984 and is buried in Mason City, where his legacy is still celebrated through festivals, museums and music programs. From Broadway stages to Iowa football stadiums, his work remains a living reminder that world-class artistry can — and does — begin right here in Iowa.
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Kimberly Akimbo

An Iowa-Born Broadway Star

Kimberly Akimbo also carries an Iowa connection through its original leading lady, Ann Morrison, who was born in Sioux City, Iowa.

Morrison grew up in an artistically rich household — her father a composer and music professor, her mother a painter, dancer and choreographer. She began performing as a teenager in her family’s summer stock company before training in Boston and New York. Her Broadway breakthrough came when legendary director Harold Prince cast her in Merrily We Roll Along, earning her a Theatre World Award.

That Iowa-born talent went on to shape a remarkable career across Broadway, film and television, bringing depth and authenticity to roles like Kimberly that resonate with audiences today.
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From Iowa to Center Stage

Whether it’s a suffrage leader who helped change the world, a composer who turned Iowa into Broadway legend, or performers who carry their Midwestern roots with them, these stories remind us that Iowa has always been part of the larger cultural conversation.

This season, you’re not just seeing great performances — you’re seeing Iowa history take center stage.