2025-26 Reading Series also launches
Palm Springs, CA
Desert Ensemble Theatre (DET) inaugurates its landmark 15th and final season with The Roommate by Jen Silverman, opening November 14 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Directed by Kudra Wagner, the two-hander stars Sonia Reavis and Tammy Taylor in a sharp, funny, and touching story about friendship, reinvention, and second chances.
This marks DET’s second outing with Silverman following the company’s acclaimed 2023 production of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties, also directed by Wagner.
Recently revived on Broadway starring Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone, The Roommate has been celebrated for its wit and emotional depth. The play follows an unlikely friendship that becomes a journey of transformation—and a cautionary tale about how far one might go to start over.
Sonia Reavis makes her DET debut after a series of acclaimed performances on Coachella Valley stages. Tammy Taylor, returning to DET after her memorable turn in Collective Rage, is known to television audiences for her work on Days of Our Lives and other screen appearances.
For DET, the production carries special meaning as the company closes its final chapter after 15 seasons of producing innovative and intimate theatre. “We wanted to open our final season with a piece that reflects who we are as a company,” says Jerome Elliott Moskowitz, DET Artistic Director. “The Roommate is smart, funny, and just a little dangerous—exactly the kind of play that reminds us why we fell in love with theatre in the first place.”
The Roommate runs at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs. Performances are November 14–16 and 21–23. Tickets are $40 and available at www.desertensembletheatre.org or by calling (760) 565-2476.
Between weekends of The Roommate, on November 18, DET will present a reading of Snake Baby, a new satirical sci-fi comedy by Moskowitz, who penned the company’s 2022 hit Do Not Remove Label. His latest work is a gleefully twisted send-up of 1950s sci-fi movies, complete with aliens, mad scientists, and one very unexpected newborn. Tickets are $20 and available at www.desertensembletheatre.org.