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Humor, heart and a wood-paneled station wagon: Spring play is a tribute to family vacations

An edited photo of M State fine arts performers sitting together in a car and pretending to scream in terror at an oncoming semi; in the background is a cartoon-style road scene.
The Browning family screams in terror after waking up to an oncoming semi in a scene from this year's M State spring play, "Leaving Iowa." Pictured, front row, left to right, are Maezyn Haugen and Jacob Berg. In back, left to right, are Sam Lehne, Brodie Sandford and Cherise Wales.

A “sweet tribute to the Midwest and the summer family road trip,” is how Stefanie Gerhardson describes “Leaving Iowa,” this year’s spring play at M State. Gerhardson is an M State Theatre faculty member and the play’s director.

“It’s a comedy about family vacations,” she adds. “The wood-paneled station wagon, Mom and Dad in the front, kids in the back, no air conditioning and Dad running the radio.”

The story centers on Don Browning, a middle-aged writer who attempts to take his father’s ashes back to his childhood home, as requested, only to discover that the old house is now a grocery store. As he travels across Iowa in search of a proper resting place, driving all those old familiar roads, Don recalls the annual, torturous vacations of his youth. The story shifts back and forth between the present and the past, and ultimately, Don’s existential journey leads him to an unpredictable and perfect destination.  

Guaranteed to have audiences laughing and remembering the childhood vacations they tried to forget, “Leaving Iowa” has played to packed audiences and great reviews in theaters across the U.S. since premiering in the spring of 2012. Critics often comment on the show’s satisfying mix of hilarity and heart.

“I love humorous plays about the Midwest,” Gerhardson says. “They are fun to direct, perform, and audiences love them. I also love shows that have flexible casting, and in ‘Leaving Iowa,’ seven actors play over 25 quirky characters.”

The cast and crew for the M State Fine Arts Department production include M State students, alumni and area community members. Austin Hess plays the middle-aged Don Browning while Brodie Sandford plays young Don, and Jacob Berg and Maezyn Haugen play his parents. A variety of additional characters are played by Sam Lehne, Cherise Wales, Angel Grenvik, Katie Heikes, Sunny Sparrow, Alyse Fiedler, Mia Holmes, Andrew Rasmusson and Kyle Tierney. Scenic design is by James Stenger, and sound is by Dex Trosvig. 

Performances will be held at the Waage Theatre, on M State’s Fergus Falls campus, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, and again on April 4 and 5. A 2 p.m. matinee will be held on Sunday, April 6.

Tickets are available for $15 at the door or $12 in advance at the Fergus Falls Campus Store or online at mstate.universitytickets.com. The campus store is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and may be reached at 218.736.1556.

Visit minnesota.edu/fine-arts for more information about M State Fine Arts programs and events.