Skyline High School Theatre presents ‘Leaving Iowa’ under its new artistic director

Tickets are available now for the Nov. 14-16 show

Photos by Carrie Bank

Skyline Theatre invites you on a journey full of laughs and nostalgia with Leaving Iowa.

The play will be performed Nov. 14-16 at Skyline High School, 2552 N. Maple Road. Shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.  

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. They are available in advance at http://a2skylinetheatre.ludus.com.

More than 60 students in grades 9-12 are involved in Skyline’s production as performers and technicians. 

“This production is the result of countless hours of effort. Whether creating original designs, constructing sets, running lights and sound, or exploring characters on stage, these students have shown incredible commitment and creativity,” said Kristine Stephens, Skyline Theatre’s new artistic director.

Stephens joined Skyline from West Bloomfield High School, where she also taught and directed theatre. She has a BFA in acting from Northern Illinois University and was a professional actress before deciding to go into education. She earned her MAT from Wayne State University.

Leaving Iowa, by Tim Clue and Spike Manton, debuted at the Purple Rose Theatre in 2004. It tells the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer who decides to take his father’s ashes back to his childhood home. When Don discovers Grandma’s house is now a grocery store, he travels across Iowa in search of a proper resting place for his father, all the while reminiscing about the hectic road trips of his youth.

Stephens describes Leaving Iowa as a comedy about family, memory, and the journeys that shape us. 

“At its core, it’s a story about connection—how we carry the people and places of our past into our present. That theme reflects the work happening at Skyline: a tradition of theatre built by past students and directors, carried forward now by this new generation,” Stephens said.

She said she hopes Skyline’s students also take away the message that family doesn’t look the same for everyone.

“It can be hard, especially as a teenager, to see things from a parent’s or guardian’s point of view,” said Stephens. “But at the heart of every choice they make is the same thing—an unshakable love for their children.”