Greater Des Moines leaders recognized a decade ago that if the area wanted to attract top talent to new and expanding knowledge-based industries, their recruitment efforts hinged on placing equal emphasis on the creation of a diverse palette of cultural events as on more conventional economic development tactics.

Because of their vision, Greater Des Moines has all the cultural staples that a place where people want to live should have: professional symphony and opera, first-run Broadway touring companies, one of the best arts festivals in the country, a free art museum with a nationally acclaimed contemporary art collection, and other well-known cultural venues and events.

With all that, it might be easy to miss the significance of Saturday’s appearance by Stacy Keach, one of the country’s most celebrated Shakespearean actors, to help raise money for the Iowa Shakespeare Experience and spread awareness of the cultural value of free theater festivals.

“What the Iowa Shakespeare Experience is doing is great,” Keach said in a telephone interview last week. “Shakespeare should be free. Shakespeare belongs to the masses – belongs to everyone – and everyone should have the benefit, regardless of their financial station or social station, regardless of their race or gender, regardless of their ability to buy a ticket.”

Keach’s appearance is significant because a city’s cultural competence isn’t measured just by highly visible edifices, but by how deeply the arts are woven into the fabric of a community.

“A small intimate event with an actor of that stature adds to the fabric of our cultural community,” said attorney Steve Zumbach, one of the key drivers of quality-of-life initiatives in Greater Des Moines. “It is just essential for us as a community to grow and prosper that we offer a rich and diverse offering of cultural activities, and this one certainly fits in that category.”

The actor is coming to Des Moines at the invitation of Suku Radia, who has parlayed his relationship-building skills in too many cultural and business successes to count, at no cost to Iowa Shakespeare Experience. It shows how leaders can use their social and business capital to contribute to the city’s cultural life.

The two became friends in 2008, after Radia stepped in as a fourth for golf when Keach was starring in “Frost/Nixon” at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, and have remained in contact since. Over a bottle of wine at a Greek restaurant in New York last year, Radia asked his friend if he would be willing to come to Des Moines to help raise money for Iowa Shakespeare Experience.

“An Evening With Stacy Keach” will be held Saturday at Des Moines Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 519 Park St., with a cocktail reception at 6:45 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m., followed by the program. For more information, email Karrie Weinhardt at kweinhardt@mchsi.com.

Beth Dalbey is a writer and editor. Email her at bethdalbey@gmail.com.