Graduate students in the theatre department will bring a historical figure to life this summer with the production of an original full-length play. Last year, the Stanley Center’s Global Education Program and the Muscatine Art Center commissioned Iowa Playwrights Workshop student Cianon Jones to write a play about Alexander Clark, a longtime Muscatine resident and early leader in the fight for equal rights in Iowa.

Following a successful staged reading last spring and with the support of additional sponsors, the play—titled Barberman—will be performed in June. Featuring a full set, lighting, and costumes designed by University of Iowa theatre graduate students, the production will showcase eight actors telling Clark’s story. The play will be performed June 12^th – 14^th, 2026 at Muscatine Community College. It will also be filmed for future use in Iowa high schools as an educational resource in history classrooms.

The production of Barberman is being funded and sponsored by: Stanley Center’s Global Education Program, Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, UI Office of Community Engagement, UI Theatre Department, Iowa Arts Council, and Humanities Iowa