DMACC to Sponsor 'Telling: Des Moines'

Through a national theatrical effort called “The Telling Project,” Central Iowa veterans of all ages, eras, and branches of the U.S. armed forces will tell their own stories on stage. Performances of “Telling: Des Moines” are planned for November 2012 on the Ankeny, Iowa campus of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).

“More than 650 DMACC students are student-veterans and beneficiaries using G.I. Bill benefits,” says Laurie Wolf, DMACC executive dean of student services. “As a community of learning, ‘Telling: Des Moines’ is a way for us to creatively and constructively engage each other in conversations about military service and sacrifice.”

The “Telling: Des Moines” project builds on the success of an Iowa City-based performance in November 2011. Since 2008, Telling Project performances have been conducted in more than 30 cities and eight states nationwide. For more information on the national organization, visit: thetellingproject.org. For more information on “Telling: Des Moines,” visit: www.tellingdesmoines.org.

The Des Moines project is soliciting veterans to participate in interviews with the show’s scriptwriters in August. Veterans will later have the option to tell their stories on stage, after working with the show’s producers on basic performance techniques.

“The goal of the production is to create conversations,” says director Jennifer Fawcett, co-founder of Working Group Theatre, Iowa City. “I hope that audiences arrive at a greater understanding of what veterans and military families have gone through—and what veterans of all ages have faced upon returning to civilian life, work and school.”

Central Iowa veterans and military family members who are interested in participating in “Telling: Des Moines” should contact Randy "Sherpa" Brown at: sherpa@redbullrising.com

Tax-deductible donations to “Telling: Des Moines” may be directed to:

Des Moines Area Community College Foundation
2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Bldg. 22
Ankeny, Iowa 50023
Phone: (515) 964-6229

Des Moines Area Community College, a public institution serving the educational and career training needs of Iowans, is committed to the lifelong success of its students. As Iowa’s largest two-year college, DMACC offers 150 programs, certificates and transfer degrees, annually serving more than 75,000 credit and noncredit students on six campuses and in five learning centers. Thanks to college-wide innovation, new programs and affordable tuition, DMACC has experienced record growth and today is the 15th fastest growing two-year college in America. For more information, please visit: www.dmacc.edu.