Public staged reading of "Rolf(e)" held May 21 

A staged reading of RJF's new musical "Rolf(e)" was held on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at the Iowa State Historical Museum's auditorium in Des Moines.  Two performances - 2:00pm and 7:00pm - were presented, and the event was also be live-streamed.  More than 300 people were in attendance for this first public presentation of the show.

For more information about "Rolf(e)," click HERE.   

(Added November 24, 2021; Updated January 18, 2022 and February 15, 2022)

House Party Tour returns with "RAGBRAI" musical 

POSTPONED UNTIL 2023 - Following the tremendous success of the 2021 Summer House Party Tour production of "Utopia - The Iowa Musical Revue!," the Summer House Party Tour returns in 2022 with a production of "RAGBRAI," a new musical by Robert John Ford.  This one-hour musical comedy tells the saga of an out-of-state couple who falsely believes a bike ride across Iowa will be a relaxing, challenge-free vacation.  "RAGBRAI" features veteran local actors Mary Bricker, Megan Schettler Schug, and Craig Petersen, actor/keyboardist Eric Layden. and stage manager Joe Smith.  Support for this project provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, through the federal CARES Act.  For more information and to host a performance, click HERE.

RJF receives 2 major grants from Iowa Arts Council

The Iowa Arts Council has awarded RJF two major project grants in its 2021-22 funding cycle - the first in support of a staged reading of his newest musical "Rolf(e)," and the second in support of a new RAGBRAI-themed musical to be presented throughout Iowa

in the summer of 2022.  Performance information will be posted on this website in spring 2022; to receive direct updates, please subscribe to the email list by clicking HERE.   (Updated November 24, 2021)

"Utopia" summer house party tour is big success

With the objective of bringing back theatre in a safe, casual, and convenient way for both performers and audiences, the 2021 summer house party tour of RJF's "Utopia" exceeded all expectations.  A total of 14 performances were presented to nearly 500 audience members in backyards throughout central Iowa.  Plans are currently in the works to hold another summer house party tour in 2022, with a new RAGBRAI-themed musical by RJF to be presented. Performance information will be posted on this website in early 2022; to receive direct updates including notices about when interested hosts may select performance dates, please subscribe to the email list by clicking HERE.

(Added November 24, 2021)

RAGBRAI
House Party Tour!