Des Moines Playhouse Script Reading Series Debuts November 22

The Des Moines Playhouse initiates its new program, Onyx Script Reading Series, at 6:30 PM, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020. The series' first script is Widows by Gillian Flyn and Steve McQueen. The evening is free and open to everyone. The reading will be presented on Zoom. A link to join the reading will be posted on The Playhouse's website, dmplayhouse.com, and Facebook page.

Onyx Script Reading Series focuses on scripts that illuminate black voices. Hosted by actor/director Miriam Randolph, it will be held the first Tuesday and third Sunday of the month. Actors will read from scripts; there are no costumes or scenery pieces.

Widows is the story of four women connected by their dead husbands' criminal activities. The widows band together to take control of their collective debt and futures.

Katy Merriman, Playhouse artistic director, says, "I am excited to start a script reading series at The Playhouse as it will give us a fun and relaxed environment in which to hear new stories from new perspectives. Miriam is a talented and welcoming artist, and she has already proven time and again that she can bring people together to learn from each other and also just enjoy their time together. This series will be something fun to look forward to when we're tucked away in our homes this winter. Grab a cup of tea or cocoa, get cozy, and listen to a script you probably haven't heard before, read by both new and familiar voices. We need fun and enlightenment, and this will be both!"

Randolph is an actor, writer, director, and producer originally from Chicago. She currently resides in Los Angeles, where she is pursuing her career as a filmmaker. A graduate of the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts, Randolph is a member of the award-winning film/theatre production company Two Steps to the Left Productions. She directed and starred in George, a play that was part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019 and winner of the Encore Producer's Award. She co-produced and assistant directed the feature film Treason, which is available to rent or buy on all VOD platforms. She loves to cook and doodle and is proud to be the beautiful black woman that she is!

Upcoming script reading presentations include Stranger Things (pilot) by Matt & Ross Duffer, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020; Insecure (pilot) by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020; Fences by August Wilson, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021; By the Way Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage, Sunday, Jan. 17, 20201; and If Beale Street Could Talk by Barry Jenkins, based on the book by James Baldwin, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. For more information or to act in the reading, contact onyxreadingsdmph@gmail.com.

The Playhouse is Iowa's oldest and largest producing theatre. Located at the 42nd Street exit of I-235, the theatre has presented a full season of shows every year since 1919 and also offers a wide variety of educational experiences including classes for ages 4 to adult, theatre trips to New York, and volunteer opportunities onstage and backstage.

For more information about The Playhouse and Onyx Readings, contact The Playhouse ticket office at 515.277.6261. Ticket office hours are Noon-3:00 PM, Tuesdays-Fridays.

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