Tomorrow: Aug. 28, 2026. Please join us for the monthly Iowa Writers’ Collaborative’s Office Lounge. It’s the last Friday of every month except for November and December. Noon CDT. It’s your chance to ask questions and converse with all of us. Here is the link.
Coop, a play about an Amish conscientious objector, is a year old. We’ve had at least 25 performances in the Midwest and in Ireland. We are now preparing for upcoming shows at the Groundswell Cafe in Cedar Rapids, IA, the Great Puppet Train in West Liberty, Iowa, and the Kylemore Abbey in Ireland. See Mary Swander’s website for details about our schedule. Find reviews and testimonials about the play.
3 September, 2026. Thursday at 7 pm. Groundswell Cafe, 201 3rd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. Donations requested.
10 September, 2026. Thursday at 8 pm. Great Plains Puppet Train Festival, West Liberty United Methodist Church, 113 E 5th St, West Liberty, IA. Sponsored by Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company and Owlglass Puppetry Center.
18 September, 2026. Friday at 2 pm. The Kylemore Abbey, Kylemore, Ireland.
September and October, 2026. Additional performances in Ireland, TBA.
Mary Swander's Coop Production
Mary Swander brings this hidden part of our history to searing light. The story is told with understated, devastating outrage and compassion. The music is almost unbearably beautiful. Beautifully performed by the talented versatile actor!
—Elizabeth Cunningham
I wrote and first produced this play in 2025. We weren’t in a major war, and we hadn’t watched ICE shoot protesters in Minneapolis on video. For several years, we hadn’t had to evaluate our own stand on war and peace, at such “point-blank range.” But throughout 2026, violent events played out on the world stage. And Rip Russell and I drove through snow and hail to bring a small theatrical production that asked big questions to grassroots audiences.
We performed in school auditoriums, backyards, and bookshops and pubs in Ireland. In the U.S, we had shows in public libraries, museums, community colleges, restored opera houses, churches, and large convention centers. Audience members came decked out for a night on the town. Audience members came in seed-caps and bib overalls.
Coop is based on the oral history of an Amish man joined by Mennonite, Quaker, Brethren and other conscientious objectors in World War II. A group of C.O.s, told they were bound to fight forest fires in Colorado, were interned instead in a chicken coop. There, they remained under guard for the rest of the war. The play is an example of object theatre, staged on a table with everyday items representing the characters. Traffic cones, dusters, balloons, and clothespins come to life, creating this gripping drama of the challenges German-speaking conscientious objectors endured.
After the shows, we opened the floor to questions from the audience. Many audience members tried to project their own narratives on the situation in the play. Would they have had the courage to stand up for their faith or ethics? Where would they find the strength to embrace the courage of their convictions?
We are about to embark on a second year of touring Coop. Generous donors have given us a small amount of seed money to help subsidize the show. We are looking for venues to fill in our season. We come self-contained. We just need a couple of banquet tables, and we will provide you with an imaginative and thought-provoking performance of object theatre.
One of our audience members said, “I never thought I would feel such emotion and have such empathy for a duster.”
If you are interested in scheduling a performance of Coop in your town, contact Janine Calsbeek at touringswp@gmail.com.
You may view a video of Coop here:
The video is behind a paywall. Paid subscribers to Mary Swander’s Buggy Land will receive a code to view the video for free.
I am pleased to be part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. We provide an alternative digital paper on Sundays and Wednesdays. Check us out! Lots of great writing coming your way.
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