Our History
Dezart Performs was founded in 2008 by Michael Shaw and Daniela Ryan at the Dezart One Gallery in the Backstreet Art District. Play readings of new works were performed in the main gallery with the actors and audience surrounded by art.
Audience members were handed out ballots, so they could vote on their favorite play.
After several readings, one play was selected as the winner and was produced at the gallery. Set, props and lighting were minimal.
In 2011, the gallery closed, and Dezart Performs moved to the Pearl McManus Theater at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club, where two full productions were added in addition to the Play Reading Series.
The Play Readings continued until 2015, when Dezart Performs added a fourth show to the schedule.
The first full play at the Pearl McManus Theater was THE OLD BIRD, starring Louise Tonti and Louise Ross. Toni and Ross won Outstanding Female Performers and the play won Outstanding Comedy that year at the Desert Theatre League Awards.
One of the founding principles of Dezart Performs is to produce innovative, contemporary plays that audiences in the Coachella Valley would not see unless visiting a larger city like Los Angeles, San Francisco, or San Diego. Since 2008, Dezart Performs has seen a steady growth in attendance, demonstrating that the Valley welcomes the kind of bold, thought-provoking work that it presents.
As an Equity-sanctioned professional theatre, Dezart Performs draws on the rich talent pool both locally and from the surrounding southern California region, making it unique in its ability to cast gifted amateurs alongside experienced professionals. Now entering its 17th season, with an expanded schedule of four main productions, the company brings a consistent level of quality theatre to the desert, which its audiences have come to expect.
Our Mission
Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting‐edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.