BWW Previews: 7TH ANNUAL PLAY READING FESTIVAL at Dezart Performs Will Take Place on April 3-4 and April 10-11 in Palm Springs.

Coachella Valley residents have the chance to help launch the career of the next Arthur Miller at Dezart Performs' 7th Annual Play Reading Festival on the weekends of April 3rd and April 10th in downtown Palm Springs.

The festival consists of actors reading works that have not yet been produced in the Coachella Valley. The audiences' numerical ratings, collected from attendees at the conclusion of each performance, determine the festival's winner, which Dezart, an award-winning theatre company, plans to produce during its 2015-16 season. Dezart recently concluded its run of last year's festival winner, DUCK AND COVER, written by Michael Kimball.

The play reading festival, open to both established and new playwrights, helps further the organization's mission "to explore new theatrical works." This year, Dezart received 105 entries.

Selecting the scripts for the festival is a complex process. First, a team of readers eliminates all but about twenty-five entries. Michael Shaw (Dezart's artistic director) and a colleague read each of the twenty-five and narrow the number further to approximately six. Professional and community theatre actors then read the selected scripts before audiences during the festival.

The first weekend of this year's festival will be devoted to comedic productions, while the second will showcase dramas. The scheduled works are:

Friday, April 3, 2015 - Two one-act comedies:

• John Lordan's MISS PRINDLE'S SUMMER SESSION. A mother sends her middle-aged son back to summer school to re-learn basics he has forgotten, where his instructor is his now-retired teacher from elementary school.
• James Rosenfield's THE GOLDEN BOOTS, based upon a true story. A few hours before a critically important reception for Austria's Joseph II, Catherine the Great learns that her lover, the Adjutant General, is also bedding her best friend. Empress Catherine refuses to let him attend the reception, but refuses to lose face herself through her Adjutant General's absence. She orders that a new Adjutant General be selected in time to appear at the reception.

Saturday, April 4th - Jess Honovich's comedy-drama, SUICIDE DOGS.

• Amelia and her family fly to Florida after her brother's death. She learns that she has been designated to care for his celebrity dog, who is seriously ill.

Friday, April 10th - Bob Clyman's drama, ABOVE WATER.

• A widower takes his much younger girlfriend with him on a vacation with longtime friends, during which they all come to learn surprising things about each other.

Saturday, April 11th - Michael E. Wolfson's drama, CAT AND MOUSE.

• Two grade school friends whose lives have diverged over the years get together again when one invites the other to dinner. An escalating, high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues, where money, obsession, and deal-making each play a pivotal role.

In addition to helping new playwrights, Dezart Performs also gives interested individuals the opportunity to learn production work. Dezart is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies heavily on volunteer help for almost all phases of its operation. The company's web site specifically invites volunteers who are "just starting out and would like to learn the ropes ... to consider being an assistant director."

This year's festival will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3rd; Saturday, April 4th; Friday, April 10th; and Saturday, April 11th, at Dezart's home, the Pearl McManus Theater, in the Woman's Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, in downtown Palm Springs. Tickets are $10 per evening or $34 for the four-night series and may be purchased by phone at (760) 322-0179 or online at www.dezartperforms.org.