The Comedia Musica Players

Comedia Musica Players was founded in 1968 by long-time Fort Dodge Senior High choral director Larry Mitchell and Scott Griffith. They were the first theatre troupe to perform dinner theatre shows outside of the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre in Minnesota. The troupe has produced and performed at least one full-length musical each year since. From 1975 to 1977, they made three tours to England, performing at the Northcutt Theatre in Exeter. During the 70’s and early 80’s, they toured throughout Iowa and in 1986 performed again at the Tabor Opera House. In 2006, Comedia Musica Players presented the World Premiere of Cardiff, written by local author Deann Haden-Luke and featuring the music of Karl King. They are known to give professional-quality productions of musicals of all types, from the dramatic “Man of La Mancha” and “Camelot” - to lighter fare such as “The Pajama Game”, “State Fair” and “Beauty and the Beast” - to the more operatic “Evita” and “Phantom”. The troupe’s most recent productions include "Catch Me If You Can",  "Elf The Musical",  "9 to 5 - The Musical" and "Seussical the Musical". New troupe members are always welcome – whether you prefer to be on stage or behind it!

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We are excited to bring to the stage a production of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Musical" in November 2024.

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Comedia Musica Players is a non-profit volunteer organization, bringing together and showcasing talented performers in the Fort Dodge area. Our annual budget to produce a show is over $35,000 – this includes a large fee for use of a local auditorium, royalties paid to the licensing company, set construction and scenery, costumes and publicity. Corporate sponsors and fine arts grants play an enormous part in helping our group thrive and remain a part of the Fort Dodge performing arts community.

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We love to welcome new troupe members and are always looking for talented people to help behind the scenes as well! Each year we seek to fill the following paid positions for our productions: Show Director, Music Director / Conductor, Choreographer, Stage Manager, and Orchestra Members. If you enjoy performing in musical theater or have a passion for costumes or set construction, we would love to meet you!

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The organization is managed by a dedicated board of directors. In addition to the officers listed below, current board members include: Terry Cook, Landra Carroll, Brittany Thomas-Arthur, Suzanne Sawyer, Holli Campbell, Brandon McAtee, Sean O'Connor, Parker Gaines and Rex Daisy.