Matt King of CV Independent writes, “The Coachella Valley is blessed with both great theater companies and a lot of theater fans—and as a love for the arts grows in the community, the best local arts organizations must grow as well.
‘For 16 years, Dezart Performs has been one of the Coachella Valley’s most-respected theater companies. Producing everything from new works to classic productions, Dezart has made good on its mission statement to “enrich the life and culture of (the) community.” Dezart has expanded from humble beginnings at the Dezart One Gallery in the Backstreet Art District to sold-out runs at its current home, the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club—and Dezart needs to grow yet again.
“In December 2023, Dezart announced a $3.2 million fundraising campaign to open a new theater at Canyon Plaza South, at 67555 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City. The goal of “Next Stage Campaign” is to raise $2.2 million to develop the new space, dubbed the Dezart Playhouse, as well as $1 million for operating costs. A new, versatile performance space will allow Dezart to build upon its already impressive productions, while fostering a hub for community art and interaction.”
Michael Shaw, Founding Artistic Director, says, “My mission from the very beginning was to bring newer plays, more contemporary work, to the valley,” Shaw said. “Some people have coined us as the ‘off-Broadway of Palm Springs,’ but we do a number of Broadway-produced pieces as well. Our audience and our company have grown dramatically just in the last seven, eight years. … My goal has always been to bring stuff that might be played in larger markets—Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, San Francisco—here to the valley so people don’t have to travel to those other regions to see really good theater.”I want the audience to come early, and I want them to stay late. … In the new space, people won’t feel like they have to be pushed out of the theater.
“I want the audience to come early, and I want them to stay late. … In the new space, people won’t feel like they have to be pushed out of the theater. We want to make sure that the space is also flexible, to be used by other organizations. There is a lot of music here in the valley, and right now, they go to small, little spaces, and makeshift spaces with a microphone and a light and a couple of tables, and they sing. I want to be able to create a space that people can come and say, ‘We want to do Tuesday nights in your new playhouse’—and the seating of the new place will be very flexible. We can have 125 seats, or we can clear that out, and we’ll have two tops and chairs, cafe tables, and you can grab a drink at the bar and go into the theater and sit and watch comedy or watch cabaret.”