Community Events

2024 – New Era Dinner Theater

New Era Lutheran Church is proud to announce the production of Cinderella!

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella will be the 29th production of the New Era Dinner Theater.  The show will be presented on Friday, October 4; Saturday, October 5; and Sunday, October 6 in the New Era Community Building at 3455 New Era Road in Rural Muscatine, next to Wild Cat Den State Park.  A meal will be served at 6:00PM on Friday and Saturday with the show starting at 7:00PM. On Sunday the show will start at 2:00PM, there will be no meal on Sunday.  Reservations are required.

The timeless enchantment of this magical fairy tale was reborn in 1957 with the Rodgers and Hammerstein television special starring Julie Andrews.  It was remade in 1965 with Lesley Ann Warren and again in 1997 with Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as Fairy Godmother. 

All the enchanting Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II songs from the original score are included in this version including: “The Prince Is Giving A Ball”, “In My Own Little Corner”, “Impossible”, “Ten Minutes Ago”, and “Stepsisters’ Lament”.  This stage version is adapted by Tom Briggs from the 1997 teleplay by Robert L Freedman.  It has great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity. It will warm the hearts of children and adults alike.

The New Era production is directed by Teri Walsh with musical direction by Stevie Whitehead.  The cast includes Andrea LaPage as Cinderella, Courtney Cooper as Fairy Godmother, Hunter Haller as the Prince, Jenni Colbert as the Step Mother, Kari Thoren and Kim Feuerbach as the Step Sisters, Chelsea Geldenhuys as the Queen, Presley Reimers as the King, and Antonio Martinez as Lionel.  They are joined by a singing ensemble and combo of instrumentalists.

This year’s dinner will consist of princess fluff salad, sloppy joes, vegetable sticks, chips, pumpkin dessert, and beverage.  The dining room, theater, and restrooms at New Era are handicap accessible.   

Proceeds will benefit Lutheran World Relief, Muscatine Center for Social Action, and New Era Lutheran Church.

Tickets for the meal and show are $30 for adults and $20 for children through age 10.  They can be ordered by calling: Joan Dietrich, 563/299-4710 or Nancy Henke, 563/263-0881.  Tickets may also be ordered by mail at Cinderella Tickets c/o Joan Dietrich, 2854 Rolling Meadow Lane, Muscatine, IA 52761.

A Bit of History
The New Era church was built in the early 1890’s and hosted theatrical productions as well as worship services. In 1911, the first rural gymnasium in the state of Iowa was built at New Era. A stage was added to the gym in 1927. It was home to many productions as graffiti on the original scenery will attest. In 1994, Pastor Roy Rogers pulled together a dinner theater production of Godspell. It’s success started an annual tradition that continues today.


Past Productions

2024 – Cinderella
2023 – Godspell
2022 – Church Basement Ladies
2019 – Shrek the Musical
2018 – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
2017 – Pippin
2016 – Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2013 – Children of Eden
2012 – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2011 – Once Upon a Mattress
2010 – The Mystery of Edwin Drood
2009 – Guys & Dolls
2008 – Hot Mikado
2007 – Fiddler on the Roof
2006 – Little Shop of Horrors
2005 – Man of La Mancha
2004 – Annie Get Your Gun