Taking the Stage in Greater Des Moines
“Des Moines has given me the opportunity to take chances,” says Dan Tatulli, who moved his family to the area from San Diego nearly four years ago.
A talented musician and actor, Dan starred as Tommy DeVito in a recent production of “Jersey Boys” at the Des Moines Playhouse. It marked his triumphant return to the stage after several years of focusing on his family.
“As we started our family, priorities changed,” he says. “Living in bigger cities, it’s easy to become complacent in your comfort zone and make excuses as to why you shouldn’t audition or try something new.”
When he auditioned for “Jersey Boys,” Dan hadn’t built many connections within the local theatre community, and he didn’t have any expectations of landing a part, let alone a principal role.
“As much as I took a chance at auditioning, they took a chance on me,” he says. Dan credits the Des Moines Playhouse community welcoming him with open arms. “It doesn’t matter where you come from. If you have talent, they invite you to join their community,” he says.
For Dan, the role of Tommy was a fitting homage to his upbringing in New Jersey and his pursuit of becoming a rock star. After college, he moved to Southern California with big dreams of starting a band. While they didn’t sell out arenas on an international tour, the band found success playing throughout the region at venues that included regular gigs at the famous House of Blues.
“Many entertainers with stars in their eyes move to places like Los Angeles or New York to experience ‘big city life’,” he says. “But what comes with that are all the drawbacks of living in a big city—an overcrowded population, traffic jams, a high cost of living, and a lack of community.”
Dan met his wife Melissa, an Iowan, while living in California. “We never truly felt connected to big city living,” he says. As their family grew, the couple desired to provide a better quality of life for their two girls and one that provided opportunities for every family member to be more involved in the community they call home.
Dan admits that Greater Des Moines wasn’t on their original list of places that they were looking to relocate to. However, as they researched jobs and communities online, they continued to see Des Moines listed on many Top Ten rankings that were important to them—low cost of living, quality education, and best places to live in the U.S.
The family is happy that they made the move to DSM. Dan enjoys his role as a Senior Marketing Manager at Athene in West Des Moines, and the family has embraced everything that their new hometown has to offer, especially the local arts.
“The arts are thriving in Des Moines,” he says, noting that “Jersey Boys” kicked off this year’s Signature Series, which has been landing a number of Broadway hits including “Beauty and the Beast”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, and “Waitress”.
“Whether it’s local theatre productions, visual arts shows and festivals, or big-name recording artists stopping in town, the accessibility and variety is an incredible testament to the local support the arts receive,” he says.
Dan is proud to call DSM home, and he has found an unexpected additional home—within the local theatre community.
“I’ve built some great friendships and connections through the Des Moines Playhouse—something that I’m excited to have as someone newer to the area,” he says.
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