The latest production at Dezart Performs brings audiences a compelling drama with the debut of GRAND CONCOURSE at the Pearl McManus Theater in downtown Palm Springs. Running from February 28 through March 9, the play stars actress Tia Laulusa, who joined Desert Entertainment to discuss her role and the show’s powerful themes.
Written by Heidi Schreck (WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME), GRAND CONCOURSE centers on Shelley, a nun managing a soup kitchen in the Bronx, grappling with her faith and sense of purpose. Laulusa plays Emma, a 19-year-old college dropout whose chaotic behavior challenges Shelby’s capacity for forgiveness.
“Emma is like an undertow of chaos,” Laulusa explained. “She tests Shelby’s patience and pushes everyone around her to confront their beliefs.”Balancing acting with plans to attend law school, Laulusa finds parallels between her character’s search for direction and her own journey.
The play also features diverse characters, including the first openly transgender actor to play Frog, an unhoused individual who has become part of the soup kitchen’s makeshift family.