DEZART PERFORMS SEASON AND MORE at Dezart Performs

Dezart Performs has announced its new home: the Dezart Playhouse, formerly the First Church of Christ, Scientist, an architectural landmark designed in 1957 by Robson Chambers and Albert Frey. Two groundbreaking works, one in art, one in architecture, debuted in 1957 with bold, visionary clarity. On Broadway, WEST SIDE STORY premiered, redefining musical theatre with its fusion of classical form, jazz, Latin rhythms and raw social commentary. Meanwhile in Palm Springs, the Chambers & Frey-designed church, now the new Dezart Playhouse, was completed: a mid-century modern masterpiece that married minimalist elegance with spiritual purpose.

Dezart Performs honors the landmark year of 1957 with A GALA CELEBRATION: WEST SIDE STORY IN CONCERT featuring a live orchestra and vocal ensemble, opening November 13, 2025 with additional performances November 14 and 15, marking the official debut of the new Dezart Playhouse. 

“This moment is deeply personal and profoundly joyful. Opening the doors to our new home with WEST SIDE STORY—a piece so full of passion, longing, and hope—feels like a beautiful full-circle moment. It’s not just our celebration; it belongs to every audience member, artist, and supporter who’s believed in us. Your love, your loyalty, your laughter in the seats—this is what built the Dezart Playhouse.” – Michael Shaw, Artistic Director

Though strikingly different in form, both WEST SIDE STORY and the Chambers & Frey-designed church, now home to Dezart Performs, emerged from a postwar America wrestling with identity, division and hope. Each stands as a timeless reflection of its era’s cultural pulse: one expressed through music and movement, the other through glass, concrete and light. Both defied convention and both endured as icons of American creativity in 1957.

Directed by Dennis Courtney with musical direction by Stephen Hulsey, the team behind last season’s acclaimed FALSETTOS, A GALA CELEBRATION: WEST SIDE STORY IN CONCERT will spotlight the emotional depth and musical brilliance of Leonard Bernstein’s legendary score, celebrating both the production and the grand opening of the Dezart Playhouse. Ticket prices range from $187 to $535 (including fees). The Opening Night performance on November 13, 2025, includes a pre-show reception on the patio beginning at 5:30 PM, followed by the performance at 7:00 PM.

Additional performances will be held on November 14 and 15 at 7:00 PM, with a 6:00 PM reception preceding each show.

Tickets go on sale to the public August 15, 2025 and can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 760-322-0179.

Following the Gala celebration, Dezart Performs continues its bold 2025/26 Season with a dynamic lineup of plays that reflect the enduring commitment to powerful storytelling, diverse voices and thought-provoking theatre.

Winner of the 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, EUREKA DAY by Jonathan Spector is a razor-sharp social satire that dives into the fault lines of liberal America with biting wit and surprising heart. Set at a progressive private school in Berkeley, California, the play centers on a well intentioned school board trying to maintain unity and inclusivity, until a mumps outbreak triggers a fierce debate over vaccinations, personal freedom and public health. As tensions rise, EUREKA DAYcaptures the spirit of our times and leaves audiences laughing, cringing and reflecting on what it truly means to listen. Directed by Michael Shaw, EUREKA DAY runs January 14-25, 2026.

In the West Coast Premiere of DESTROYING DAVID by Jason Odell Williams, an unnamed art restorer/docent gives the audience a private after-hours tour of Michelangelo’s David at Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia. Interacting with the audience to describe the peculiar history of the David statue, as well as their own personal history, we slowly discover they are grieving the death of their son David and have gathered this private tour because they believe the only way to heal is to destroy the most beautiful thing in the world: Michelangelo’s David. Funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting, DESTROYING DAVIDis an ode to the beauty, resilience and power of art to help us through our darkest hours. The West Coast premiere will be directed by Craig Wells and runs February 25-March 8, 2026.

Ending the Dezart Playhouse inaugural season is the 1995 Tony Award winner for Best Play,LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! by Terrence McNally. Eight gay men gather at a lakeside house over three summer weekends to laugh, love, confront fears and bare their souls. Set in the 1990s against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, Terrence McNally’s profoundly moving and sharply funny play explores friendship, betrayal and the power of community in the face of loss. LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!will be directed by Phil McKinley and runs April 8-19, 2026.

New Season subscription packages for EUREKA DAY, DESTROYING DAVID andLOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! go on sale July 29, 2025; Individual tickets for all plays go on sale September 12, 2025. 

All performances take place at the new Dezart Playhouse, 605 S. Riverside Drive, Palm Springs. Individual ticket prices are $57 - $78 (includes fees) and can be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org or by calling (760) 322-0179. Showtimes are Wednesdays at 7:00 PM (ADDED PREVIEW DATE, WEEK ONE), Thursdays at 7:00 PM (NEW OPENING NIGHT, WEEK ONE), Fridays at 7:00 PM, Saturdays at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. The Opening Night performance includes an after-show wine and dessert reception where audience members can meet the performers.

Dezart Performs, Palm Springs’ only Equity theatre and one of 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) non-profit 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. 

For additional information about Dezart Performs’ 2025/26 season, visit dezartperforms.org or call 760-322-0179.

Dezart Performs’ 18th Season

A GALA CELEBRATION: WEST SIDE STORY IN CONCERT 

A live musical concert with singers and orchestra.

November 13-15, 2025

Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins with Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Leonard Bernstein and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

“Mr. Bernstein and Mr. Robbins have given Mr. Laurents' story passion and depth and some glimpses of unattainable glory. They have pitched into it with personal conviction as well as the skill of accomplished craftsmen.”

- The New York Times

“The music of “West Side Story” is by Leonard Bernstein, and it is superb. In it there is the drive, the bounce, the restlessness and the sweetness of our town. It is fascinatingly tricky and melodically beguiling, and it marks the progression of admirable composer.”

- The Daily News

“Composer Leonard Bernstein has permitted himself a few moments of graceful, lingering melody: in a yearning ‘Maria,’ in the hushed falling line of ‘Tonight,’ and in the wistful declaration of ‘I Have a Love.”

- The New York Herald Tribune

EUREKA DAY

A political comedy by Jonathan Spector.

January 14-25, 2026

2025 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Play

“Critic’s Pick! Jonathan Spector’s lively portrait of a debate over mandatory vaccinations is the perfect play for our age of disagreement. It becomes possible to identify with each of these characters, no matter what your own feelings about vaccination are.” 

- The New York Times

“Spector extracts comic gold from the little tugs-of-war for control among the members of the committee. But, this comedy of manners yields to a serious probing of interpersonal responsibility and the limits of consideration.“

- Time Out New York

“I’m still trying to figure out how hard to laugh is appropriate for a critic at the theatre; this night, I made myself hoarse.” 

- The New Yorker

DESTROYING DAVID

The West Coast Premiere of an interactive drama by Jason Odell Williams.

February 25-March 8, 2026

“DESTROYING DAVID is a triumph. Mesmerizing from start to finish. Brilliant and beautifully layered. This is a work of art about a work of art. Destroying David needs to be seen. Don’t miss the brilliant world premiere production.” 

- Broadway World, Dallas

“Superb! Imaginative! Pure stage magic! Without straining, DESTROYING DAVID shifts from fascinating history to a statement about how everything we love eventually disappears."      

- The Dallas Morning News

“A Theatrical Triumph! A masterpiece! A once-in-a-lifetime theatrical experience. Masterfully written and utterly breathtaking. A must-see, unforgettable night of theatre. Don’t miss your chance to witness theatrical brilliance.” 

- Artsy Scoop

LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! 

A dramatic comedy by Terrence McNally.

April 8-19, 2026

1995 Tony Award Winner for Best Play

1995 Drama Desk Award for Best Play

“LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! Is a haunted comedy that is both very funny and filled with intimations of time’s passage, of loss and death. It’s Mr. McNally’s breadth of vision and his ambitious attempt to deal with characters, who are both privileged and threatened, in a way that ignores self-pity but doesn’t ignore the larger world outside.” 

- The New York Times

“This beautifully written work McNally presents humbling evidence of what human love is and can be.” 

- The New Yorker

“LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! is one of Terrence McNally’s very best. Unshowy and quiet, it rings louder with authenticity than his satiric farces do with laughter.” 

- Village Voice