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Check out the new content on the Thursday's Children website:
- There are new tribute pages to major players who were instrumental in getting the TInker case to the U.S. Supreme Court - the ACLU of Iowa and Iowa philanthropist and activist Louise Noun.
- Teachers who are attending the production with their students can download a Student/Teacher Study Guide from the LINKS page of the site. The study guide contains some great links and suggested activities for any teacher who is covering the Tinker case and related issues (civil rights, Vietnam War, 1960's culture) with their students - these can be useful, even if you can't attend a performance.
- On the HOME page you can find a new list of the public educational events connected with the show, and a YouTube video of a 30 second promo, coming soon to a television screen near you (if you are a Mediacom subscriber in Central Iowa, that is!)
Also, we are pleased to announce that all eight of the school performances are completely SOLD OUT! Many thanks to the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa and our other sponsors whose contributions are helping so many students attend the program on scholarship.
Visit the show website at www.thursdays-children.com.
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Catch an open rehearsal of Thursday's Children as part of artstop 2010, on Saturday, September 25 from 2-4 pm in the Iowa Public Theatre at the State Historical Museum. If you've ever wondered what a working rehearsal for a new play in progress looks like, stop by for a few minutes and take a peek. Members of the company will be on hand to answer questions about the show, and you can buy tickets to a performance at the museum gift shop. Artist Bev Elllis will have a fun craft project for kids to make their own armband with an emblem of their choice. Artist Concetta Morales will have work on display under the portico.
Artstop is an annual event that connects greater Des Moines' Cultural and Entertainment Districts (including the East Village, Western Gateway, Roosevelt, Valley Junction, Court Avenue and Ingersoll Avenue) in a two day celebration of local arts and culture, Friday-Saturday, September 24-25. On Saturday, you can pick up a free bus service to shuttle you between neighborhoods. For more information, visit the artstop web site.
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 At Last! Tickets for Thursday's Children are available online through MidwesTix! Click the graphic to be directed to the website where you can place your order. You may also order tickets by phone at 515-244-2771 (although they add an extra service charge if you order by phone). Buy your tickets in person at the Gift Shop in the State Historical Museum. (For museum store hours click here.) Tickets will also be available at the door one hour before performance. Tickets are $18 for Adults and $15 for Students & Seniors. Your ticket not only supports the public performances of Thursday's Children - it also helps make it possible for 2,000 Iowa students to see a school performance and attend interactive arts and humanities workshops through the History Through The Arts program. Buy Your Tickets Today!
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The State Historical Society of Iowa is hosting it's fall Women of Interest Luncheon on Friday, September 24 from 11:30-1:00 pm at the State Historical Museum, 600 East Locust in Des Moines. Enjoy lunch from Baratta's, music by singer-songwriter Mary McAdams, and catch a sneak preview of a song from Thursday's Children.
Tickets are $15 - a portion of the proceeds will benefit the History Through The Arts program and the Thursday's Children project. To make a reservation (or for more information) call Maureen Korte at 515-281-4132 or e-mail Maureen.Korte@iowa.gov.
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Casting is completed for our upcoming production of Thursday's Children. To view the cast list, visit the Thursday's Children page on this site.
We are cuurently interviewing for musicians and production staff for the show. Jobs are currently available for 4 band members (piano, guitar, electric bass and percussion), and for a Properties Master, Sound Technician, and Wardrobe Tech. All posistions are paid. Please visit our Jobs page for more information.
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Thanks to proposals written by Unexpected Company's Lisa Norris-Lynner, Big Brothers BIg Sisters of Central Iowa has recently been awarded grants from the following:
- Aviva Charitable Foundation
- ING Foundation
- Variety - The Children's Charity
There are more than 200 children in Central Iowa in need of a mentor. For information on how you can help make a difference in the life of a child, visit the agency website at www.bbbsia.org.
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People have asked us how they can support the Thursday's Children project with an online donation. Because Unexpected Company is not a non-profit, we cannot collect charitable contributions. Our sponsoring partner the State Histroical Society of Iowa is managing grants and charitable contributions for the project, but the organization does not currently have a mechanism for online donation.
Now you can download a Donation Form and make a tax-deductible contribution to the State Historical Society of Iowa. Your donation will not only help support production costs and compensation for cast members and musicians, it will also help the State Histroical Society provide scholarships for local-income students to attend a Thursday's Children History Through the Arts performance and workshops.
Help us teach histroy. Help us make History. Download the form and mail your contribution today!
For more information on how your donation will be used and how your contribution will be credited, please visit the Donate page on the Thursday's Children website.
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| Unexpected Company is now on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. We also have a Facebook page for our new musical Thursday's Children. Find us, Follow Us, Friend Us, Like Us, Share Us with your network!
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Open Auditions for Thursday's Children will be held on
- Sunday, August 29 from 1:30-4:30 pm in the Iowa Public Theatre at the State Historical Museum, 600 East Locust Street in Des Moines, and
- Monday, August 30 from 6:30-9:00 pm in Westminster Hall at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Avenue in Des Moines.
Roles are available for 2 men (35-45), one woman (25-35), 3 young men and 1 young female who can play high school students. Check our Thursday's Children website Casting page for more information on the roles available.
Come prepared to sing: you may bring a musical selection of your choice, but you may also be asked to sing from the score of the show.
All cast members will be paid a stipend. Rehearsals begin in September. Cast members must be available for weekday school matinees October 19-22; other performances will be on evenings and weekends, with some additional promotional performances for local media and special events in the month of October.
If you can't make these auditions but would like to be considered for a role, call Unexpected Company at 515-288-9163, or send an e-mail to Producer@thursdays-children.com.
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 Do you know this girl?
There is new content on the website for Thursday's Children, including this 1965 photo of a girl wearing a black armband at a Des Moines School Board meeting. If you know the identity of this girl, please send an e-mail to producer@thursdays-children.com.
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After 18 years of creative partnership, friendship, and (at long last) love, Unexpected Company's founding partners Brian R. Lynner and Lisa Norris were married at a small private ceremony at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines.
Many thanks to our friends and family for all their good wishes and support as we enter this next phase of our journey together.
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We are pleased to announce some new grants, written by Unexpected Company partner Lisa Norris:
- $5,000 from Humanities Iowa for the Thursday's Children Project
- $15,300 Iowa Community Cultural Grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs for ArtStop 2010
Also, for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa's School based Mentoring Program:
- $10,000 from Principal Financial Group
- $8,500 from Wells Fargo
- $5,000 from the Polk County Board of Supervisors
For more information on Unexpected Company's grantwriting and non-profit services, please visit our Services page.
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We are pleased to announce that we were awarded a grant for $9,500 from the Iowa Arts Council. The grant - awarded as an individual artist grant to Unexpected Company partner Brian R. Lynner - will support pre-production costs for our new musical Thursday's Children.
Many thanks to the Iowa Arts Council and the Department of Cultural Affairs for supporting this project!
Visit the show website for Thursday's Children at www.thursdays-children.com.
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 We are pleased to welcome back Preshia Paulding as a member of the cast of our fall production of Thursday's Children. Preshia last performed with us in our 2008 workshop of Hearts of Freedom. Since then, her prodigious talents have been featured in a number of local productions, including playing Judy Garland in Beyond The Rainbow at the Des Moines Playhouse. Look for Preshia this summer in Repertory Theater of Iowa's production of Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor at Salisbury House. Break a leg, Preshia!
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| It’s been a long time coming, but FINALLY we have updated this website! Not only that, we’ve just rolled out a brand new site for our original musical Thursday’s Children, which is scheduled to premiere in Des Moines this coming October. You can find more information about that show on our site if you click here, but be sure to visit the show site at www.thursdays-children.com.
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