Megan Helmers is a Des Moines-based choreographer who is thrilled to collaborate with TCR’s theatre community! Megan’s recent choreography includes Chaplin for Revival Theatre Company; Disney’s Newsies, Elf the Musical and Billy Elliot at the Des Moines Playhouse; and A Christmas Carol, Fun Home, and Company at Iowa Stage Theatre Company.
Megan’s work as a Director/Choreographer includes Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre’s Bring it On (Cloris Leachman Excellence in Theatre Award – Best Choreography, Cloris Nominations: Best Direction, Best Musical); The Des Moines Playhouse’s A Chorus Line (Cloris Nominations: Best Choreography, Best Musical); Noce’s Tick, Tick . . . Boom! (Cloris Nomination: Best Musical); Ordinary Days at Tallgrass Theatre Company; Murder Ballad at Noce, and numerous productions with Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre, where she also serves on the Board of Directors. Additional Cloris Award nominations for Best Choreography include Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Des Moines Playhouse), The Wizard of Oz (Kata Klysmic Productions) and School of Rock (DMYAT). Megan directed Lungs at Open Door Rep, serves as musical theatre coach for Valley’s large group speech team, and is an adjudicator for the Iowa High School Musical Theatre Awards. Megan’s favorite role as a performer was Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde at the Des Moines Playhouse.
Megan is the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the Des Moines Symphony and teaches at the School of Classical Ballet and Dance in West Des Moines. When she is not working on a show, Megan enjoys cooking, traveling, and dancing around the house with husband Charlie and their pets, Elliott Patrick Swayze Helmers-Reese and Jane.
Approach/Style
To me, choreography is one of the most exciting components of musical theatre because of its endless creative possibilities. My goal is to create movement that suits the time and place of the story as well as the particular production; tailored specifically to highlight the individual skills of the performers and to further the audience’s understanding of the story and its characters. It’s an exciting, collaborative process, and I’m always eager to see what a new group of actors and dancers will bring to the rehearsal room!
MEGAn JOINS OUR 19/20 SEASON AS…
- Choreographer, HELLO, DOLLY