Ever wonder where Mary Shelley got the idea for Frankenstein? The Browning sisters are about to find out. Searching for peace and quiet in the English countryside, writers Charlotte and Emily Browning lease creepy Fielding Manor, a mysterious old house with a sketchy past. The experience is anything but peaceful or quiet. There are noises in the night, a snake in the maid’s quarters, and a monstrous visitor. Someone or something wants the sisters out of the house. With the aid of the manor’s wacky caretaker Mr. Willikers, Mrs. Haggis, an elderly neighbor, and Professor Fairing, the local historian, the sisters are determined to uncover the truth about Fielding Manor. In their search for answers, the Browning sisters discover a page from Mary Shelley’s diary that reveals her novel Frankenstein may not have been a work of fiction after all; it may have been based on events that actually happened in the manor. 

The Union Community School District is located south of Waterloo, Iowa, and comprises of the communities of Dysart, Geneseo, and La Porte City. Union Drama students have excelled in the performing arts since the formation of the district in 1988. The annual spring musical has received the accolade of "Overall Outstanding Production" every year since 2015 as a part of the Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards adjudication program, present by EMI Insurance Companies and Des Moines Performing Arts. The IHSMTA highlights outstanding performers onstage at the annual Awards Showcase, held onstage at the Civic Center in Des Moines, and Union students have been featured regularly at this event. The Union Speech team has regularly appeared at the annual All State Speech Festival, with entries in both large group and individual events. Union musical theater entries have notably appeared at the All State Festival over 30 times in the past 20 years, and have been awarded Outstanding Performance of the Day(All State Banners) in four instances.

In addition to their success onstage, Drama students at Union also participate in co-curricular vocal and instrumental music ensembles. Performers in the Union Concert Choir, Concert Band, and Jazz Bands are consistently awarded Division I ratings at the Iowa High School Music Association State Large Group, Solo & Ensemble, and Jazz Band Festivals. Students also participate in outreach ensembles, like the Union Carolers who perform for a large variety of audiences during the month of December, and the newly formed Union Station vocal jazz ensemble. Union performers also maintain rigorous coursework in the classroom, as evidenced in the distinguished academic achievement awards conferred by the IHSMA to the UHS Concert Band, Concert Choir, and Jazz Bands.

2023 - An Evening of One Acts

2022 - Wedding Bells and Brawls

2021 - Greater Tuna

2020 - An Evening of One Acts

2019 - Robin Hood

2018 - A Night of Fantasy - Alice in Wonderland & Wizard of Oz

2017 - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

2016 - Fairy Tale Follies

2015 - Peter Pan

2014 - Ashton Towers

2013 - Classic TV

2012 - M.A.S.H.

2011 - The Beverly Hill-Billies

2010 - Twain's Tales

2009 - One of Our Clowns is Missing

2008 - The Education of Angels

2007 - Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

2006 - Murders in the Heir

2005 - Charley's Aunt

2004 - Our Town

2003 -The Night of January 16th

2002 - You Can't Take It With You

2000 - A Doll's House