Harlan Community Theatre

10/23/2026

🎭🍂 FUN FALL EVENTS & HOLIDAY FUN IN SHELBY COUNTY! 🎄✨
Looking for some fun community events this season? Check out these upcoming opportunities!
😂 Clean Comedy Night — October 23
Join the Western Iowa Arts Association at Milk and Honey for a night of clean comedy! Doors open and the kitchen starts serving at 5 p.m., with the show beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online at WIAA.Ludus.com or at the door, if available.
👻 Haunted House Meets Escape Room — October 30
Get ready for a spooky, fun-filled evening at the Shelby County Historical Museum! This FREE event combines the thrills of a haunted house with the challenge of an escape room. Sign up HERE: https://forms.gle/yXA4deSoFKHQj9NA9
🎭 Special Character Actors Needed!
Want to be part of the Halloween fun? A few special character actors are still needed. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/Ari59R5MeRUwbxV47
🎄 Home for the Holidays — Join the Celebration!
Share your talent and holiday spirit by participating in this community favorite! Bring your family-friendly act or your festive voice and help make the season magical.
🎶 Choir Sign-Ups & Act Auditions
Adult choirs: Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m., beginning in October
Children’s choirs: Sunday evenings at 6 p.m., beginning November 8
Act auditions: November 1 from 4–6 p.m. or November 2 from 6–8 p.m.
Choirs and auditions: Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1700 19th St., Harlan
🎤 No audition is required for choir participation!
Sign up for Home for the Holidays here: https://forms.gle/gFLrRqvJ7Z31hpGT6
Let's celebrate the season together and support the arts in our community! ❤️

10/22/2026

STANDUP COMEDY TICKETS 20% OFF TODAY ONLY! Show tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 23rd at 7pm at Milk & Honey in Harlan.
Use the code LAUGHOUTLOUD during checkout at WIAA.ludus.com.
Proceeds benefit the Harlan Community Theatre and Western Iowa Arts Association. Please share!

10/16/2026

Meet the comedian!

You may have seen him interviewing Vivek Ramaswamy.

Or Marco Rubio.

Or roasting politicians and creating political satire that's racked up more than 100 MILLION views online.

Now, he's bringing his comedy to HARLAN!

Meet Donald Louis, the comedian headlining our upcoming comedy night at Milk & Honey!

Donald has built a massive online following with his hilarious political satire and interviews with some of the biggest names in American politics. His viral interviews have caught the attention of national audiences, and he's been invited to the Libertarian Party National Convention and the Republican National Convention.

But he's not just making waves online.

Donald has opened for some of comedy's biggest names, including Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost and Michael Longfellow, as well as Nimesh Patel. He's fresh off a show in Chicago and is set to star in the upcoming political satire film Rigged House, led by Emmy Award-winning director Alex Kavanaugh.

And now? He's coming to Southwest Iowa.

CLASSY. COUNTRY. CRAZY.
Featuring Donald Louis

📅 Friday, October 23
🕖 Comedy show begins at 7:00 PM
📍 Milk & Honey – Harlan, Iowa
🎟️Tickets (including fees): $20
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! https://wiaa.ludus.com/200548431

The kitchen and bar open at 5:00 PM, so come early, grab dinner and drinks, and make a whole night of it!

Last year's comedy show SOLD OUT, and we're bringing the laughs back for another round.

Don't wait until the last minute to get your tickets!
See you there!

09/29/2026

WIAA Video Newsletter for September 2026!

Some pretty exciting things on the horizon!

Check out our partnership with the Shelby County Historical Museum at our Haunted Night at the Museum on October 30th!

And don't forget our annual tradition, Home for the Holidays coming in December!

HCT thanks you all for a fantastic 2026 summer season, and we are excited for what's next!

09/27/2026

👻 It’s not too late to help us Scare people! 👻

We’re still looking for volunteers to help bring this event to life (or… death 👀) at the Shelby County Historical Museum!

Whether you want to be a *Haunted Historical Character* or a *Scare Actor*, there’s still time to join the fun!

Think you have what it takes to scare some people? Sign up below! 🦇🎃

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIYj8PiaP7YELNBFqdoDLFmhRQZLgXdYJvXuPToU1-g_4fqg/viewform

🎃 Western Iowa Arts Association & Harlan Community Theatre are Looking for Actors! 👻

The Western Iowa Arts Association and Harlan Community Theatre are partnering with the Shelby County Historical Museum for a special one-night Halloween event on *Friday, October 30th!*

More details about this exciting event and partnership will be announced as plans continue to develop.

We are currently looking for actors and performers to participate in two different types of roles:

👻 Haunted Historical Character Actors:
Portray a historical figure with a haunted twist! These performers will have a few prepared talking points to learn and use while interacting with guests throughout the evening.

🧟 Scare Actors:
Bring the scares! We are looking for performers who enjoy creating a spooky, fun, and entertaining Halloween experience. Scare actors will also be responsible for helping prepare their own costumes.

📅 Date: Friday, October 30th
🕡 Event Time: 6:30 PM
🎭 Commitment: One Night
⏰ Call Time: Earlier call time will be determined and communicated as plans are finalized.

Whether you love history, character acting, Halloween, or simply enjoy giving people a good scare, we'd love to have you involved!

*Interested in participating? Please fill out our interest survey below!*

🔗 https://forms.gle/B7GtgLwF6Qj98XJo7

For questions regarding the event, please contact the Shelby County Historical Museum:

📞 712-755-2437
📧 [email protected]

More exciting event details will be shared soon! 🎃👻

09/18/2026

👻 Want to be part of the haunting but don’t want to be an actor?

There are still ways YOU can help us uncover the curse and survive the night! 🎃 Follow the Shelby County Historical Museum’s page for more information on how you can participate in this unique Halloween event!

The clock is ticking… and we only have one night to break the curse. 🌙👀

In 1928, the "most documented exorcism in history," and the last known to be performed in Iowa, occurred over 23 days right here in our little corner of Iowa. The affair took place in Earling, and inspired a lot of modern supernatural media, with the records taken during the ordeal serving as one of the basis for much of the modern supernatural lore in the United States.

During the exorcism, four spirits were expelled from the victim. Two of them were her father, Jacob, who had cursed her, and her aunt, Mina, who was a witch. These two spirits were greatly weakened by the ritual expulsion and the power of the priest and the church, but now, nearly 100 years later, they have gained back some strength. They do not yet have enough power to affect the living as they once did, but by joining their power together, they have succeeded in unleashing a powerful curse. The old and unmoving artifacts here in the Shelby County Historical Museum have taken the brunt of the curse.

The curse was discovered when the museum director came in one morning and found mannequins had spread around the museum, appearing out of the corner of her eye whenever she lowered her guard. The curse is luckily still weak, but as winter approaches and the veil between worlds weakens, as the most haunted night of the year draws nearer, the curse will grow drastically in power. Already, the director is beginning to hear movement around the building when she looks away. On October 30, the day before All Hallows' Eve, our exhibits will come alive, and evil spirits will prowl in the shadows. At dawn on Halloween, the curse becomes permanent, but it cannot be broken until it truly activates. We only have one night to figure out how to break the curse.

Will you be the one to find the answer and set us all free?

🎃👻🌙

09/15/2026

🎃 Western Iowa Arts Association & Harlan Community Theatre are Looking for Actors! 👻

The Western Iowa Arts Association and Harlan Community Theatre are partnering with the Shelby County Historical Museum for a special one-night Halloween event on *Friday, October 30th!*

More details about this exciting event and partnership will be announced as plans continue to develop.

We are currently looking for actors and performers to participate in two different types of roles:

👻 Haunted Historical Character Actors:
Portray a historical figure with a haunted twist! These performers will have a few prepared talking points to learn and use while interacting with guests throughout the evening.

🧟 Scare Actors:
Bring the scares! We are looking for performers who enjoy creating a spooky, fun, and entertaining Halloween experience. Scare actors will also be responsible for helping prepare their own costumes.

📅 Date: Friday, October 30th
🕡 Event Time: 6:30 PM
🎭 Commitment: One Night
⏰ Call Time: Earlier call time will be determined and communicated as plans are finalized.

Whether you love history, character acting, Halloween, or simply enjoy giving people a good scare, we'd love to have you involved!

*Interested in participating? Please fill out our interest survey below!*

🔗 https://forms.gle/B7GtgLwF6Qj98XJo7

For questions regarding the event, please contact the Shelby County Historical Museum:

📞 712-755-2437
📧 [email protected]

More exciting event details will be shared soon! 🎃👻