The spotlight is shining brighter than ever over at Coachella Valley Repertory (CV Rep).
In addition to delivering its second world premiere show later this year, its vast array of classes and resources, and a season filled with passionate performers, Coachella Valley Repertory was recently on the receiving end of a generous grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through the FitzDell Gifting Fund. The grant supported the production of The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit that ran in December of 2024.
“Our goal is to produce the highest quality production possible,” said Adam Karsten, Executive Artistic Director for CV Rep. “We want to be able to bring Broadway to the Valley and theater that really challenges and inspires us. And we can’t do what we do without the support of the grants.”
Donors’ contributions will help buoy the current season, which includes upcoming productions of “The Light in the Piazza” (through Feb. 9), “Jesus Christ Superstar” (March 5-23), and “Other Desert Cities” (April 23 through May 4).
But it’s the world premiere of playwright Gregg Ostrin’s “Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks,” which runs May 21 through June 1, that is already generating buzz.
Based on a real-life incident, the play takes place in 1968 over a weekend in a Beverly Hills Hotel suite. It’s three months after the Six Day War when American Jewish actor Barbra Streisand is set to star in the film Funny Girl opposite Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. Both Israel and Egypt threatened to boycott the film at the time.
The play, which sprang from CV Rep’s ORIGINS New Works Development Program, tracks a movie executive and a publicity executive hosting an impromptu peace talk with an Israeli and Egyptian diplomat. As the upcoming film is debated, issues of the Middle East rise to the surface.
“We have a very knowledgeable theater audience in the Valley,” Karsten said, noting that local audiences may find the premise of the new play compelling.
“People have high expectations here to see some of the best theater, and that’s what we want to try and create,” he added. “We can’t do that without the support of all of our patrons, donors and through the grants that help us produce those works.”
It does come with a price tag.
Oftentimes, CV Rep brings actors into the area from New York who have Broadway credits and who are working professional actors. CV Rep also recruits performers from the Valley, depending on the roles needed.
“We bring in Broadway directors who have homes here or who are living in New York, and we rehouse here and/or in L.A.,” Karsten said. “We bring in artists from all around the country for that matter, depending on the show and the role, specific to their talents. And there are Broadway veterans here who contribute so much.”
Also on the calendar is CV Rep’s 2025 Gala, dubbed, “A Tony Affair,” on March 26. The lavish soiree is a kind of exclusive sneak peek of the company’s 2025-2026 season. The event begins with a cocktail reception with other theatre devotees, followed by dinner by Eight4Nine.
In the meantime, Karsten directs individuals to the organization’s website to peruse upcoming classes. As for planning an entire season, he said he and the creative team have no “set model” for how shows are chosen at Coachella Valley Repertory.
“The way I select shows is really about finding productions that touch on the qualities that remind us that we’re human,” he said. “It’s about the things that affect us most deeply, whether they’re challenging our emotions or our moral core values.”
He added that all of the shows in the current season revolve around the themes of passion, art, and love.
“I like to go to the theater and be moved and reminded that I’m alive and human,” Karsten said. “And to be able to have that experience with 190 other people in the audience at the same time is what makes it so special. In the end, for us, it’s all about producing art.”
Learn more at cvrep.org.
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