'Shoedog' to open Nov. 6; Theatrical producers from Chicago and New York have been invited to the performance

Don't expect a lavish set and all the trimmings, when "Shoedog," a play by Stephen Bloom, of "Postville" fame, is performed at Five Flags Theater Nov. 6.

But do expect to be able to rub elbows after the free performance with the playwrights, the director and actors during a Q and A after the show.

"We're calling this a showcase," Bloom said in a phone interview. "It's a work in progress. You'll get good acting and, I think, good writing." Theatrical producers from Chicago and New York have been invited to the performance.

Bloom, a professor of journalism at the University of Iowa, is the author of "Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America." Postville is in …