Desert Ensemble Theatre Company, known for presenting innovative and often challenging theater works for Coachella Valley audiences, has announced its 2025-2026 season.
It is the company’s 15th anniversary season—and it will also be its last.
DET was founded in 2011 by playwright, director and producer Tony Padilla with a vision to create “a small repertory company that allows artists to participate in the realization of their creative vision both onstage and off,” according to the company’s website.
“We are looking at this 15th anniversary season as a celebration of everything we have done well over the years,” said Jerome Elliott Moskowitz, DET’s artistic director. “This is going to be a joyful season with plenty of wonderful theater for our audiences.”
The ’25-’26 season will start on Oct. 10 with the fourth annual Singing With the Desert Stars, a musical fundraising gala which supports DET’s education initiatives.
The mainstage productions will run from November 2025 through April 2026. Starting the season is The Roommate, a recent Broadway hit written by Jen Silverman. Described as a “dark comedy about unlikely friendship and fresh starts,” the play will be directed by Kudra Wagner, who helmed DET’s production of Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties, also by Silverman, in November 2023.
Next, DET will present the world premiere of Dispersion of Light by Rich Rubin, directed by Moskowitz. In March 2023, DET presented a world premiere of another work by Rubin, Kafka’s Joke.
“He is a marvelous historical writer, and in this play, he portrays the poetic and tempestuous relationship between artist Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz,” Moskowitz said.
Next up is Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower, a surreal comedy where dinner and stargazing spiral into cosmic absurdity. The show will be directed by first-time DET director Keith Hoffman. Interesting note: A 2017 production marked the Broadway debut of comic actress Amy Schumer.
Rounding out the season will be A Knife to the Heart by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin, whose writing credits include The Golden Girls and Married … With Children. The play will be directed by Zimmerman.
“It’s a comedy about circumcision,” said Moskowitz. “The playwrights delve into a dispute between a mother and a son who are wrestling with traditional values.”
If critics’ reviews and Desert Theatre League awards are to be believed, Desert Ensemble’s productions are as strong as ever—so why is the company coming to an end?
“Just like all good books, there is a final chapter, and we decided to end on Chapter 15,” said Shawn Abramowitz, DET’s executive director and board president. “We are leaving a great legacy, and I think that’s something to celebrate.”
“We’ve seen that because of the way the economy is going, people are cutting back on their entertainment spending. Government funding for the arts is also in jeopardy—and a large portion of our audience is Canadian, and we know that many of them are not coming back next season.”
DET artistic director Jerome Elliott Moskowitz
Both Moskowitz and Abramowitz have given considerable thought to DET’s legacy, they said.
“I believe, just like our two-part mission, we are leaving a two-part legacy,” said Abramowitz. “We have brought some really wonderful productions to the Coachella Valley—some new, some never performed here before. At the end of the day, we have been great storytellers.
“The other legacy we are leaving is our internship program. Thanks to the support of generous community partners and donors, we have trained a lot of students not only to be great workers and designers in technical fields, but also to be great citizens.”
To date, DET has awarded nearly $40,000 in scholarships, and there will be a final round of internships and scholarships next season. DET interns have gone on to successful theater careers in places from California to New York, and have provided local companies with backstage support, from stage managers to light and sound designers. (Full disclosure: The Independent has funded a DET scholarship during the last two seasons.)
Moskowitz sees DET’s legacy as finding “an intellectually curious audience in the desert.”
“Producing plays that are thoughtful, innovative and experimental excites our audiences,” he said. “We have been fortunate that our audience encouraged us to do that for fifteen years.”
While various factors led to the decision to conclude DET’s efforts, Moskowitz and Abramowitz said economic uncertainty played a large role.
“We’ve seen that because of the way the economy is going, people are cutting back on their entertainment spending,” Moskowitz said. “Government funding for the arts is also in jeopardy—and a large portion of our audience is Canadian, and we know that many of them are not coming back next season.”
Said Abramowitz: “There’s no question that it’s getting harder and harder to produce theater. But I’m really happy we’ve been a major part of the extraordinary live theater produced in the valley, and we are ending both on our terms and on top. This has been a fantastic chapter in my life.”
Abramowitz and Moskowitz praised Tony Padilla, DET’s founder and producing artistic director emeritus, for helping the company grow and flourish.
“He not only gave his time and money; he also gave his love,” said Abramowitz. “We would not have been where we are without his vision and talent.”
Added Moskowitz: “I can’t underscore enough Tony Padilla’s role in getting DET started, and for the first few years, he was the main financial backer of the company. We are very proud to have produced many of his original works and grateful for his vision.”
Both Abramowitz and Moskowitz pledged to remain active in the local arts scene. Moskowitz plans to return to his cabaret roots, he said, and Abramowitz hopes to continue to mentor students and take the stage as an actor.
“There is no way I’m not going back on those boards,” Abramowitz said. “Theater is my artistic way to express myself.”
Moskowitz said he will “miss the sheer joy of bringing people things they never thought they would see in the Coachella Valley. I will miss that sense of discovery and people telling us how glad they were that we took the time to find the works we presented.”
They said they’ll miss working closely with each other as well.
“Shawn is without a doubt the kindest, most optimistic person,” Moskowitz said. “To watch him with the students in our internship program is a masterclass in mentorship. He knows how to make them believe they can do something that they thought they couldn’t—and he’s done that for me, too. He’s really helped me develop my leadership potential.”
Said Abramowitz: “I don’t think there are enough positive words in the dictionary to explain my love and affection for Jerome. He is such a wonderful, kind human being. He has led us down so many wonderful paths. I have seen him grow to be a fantastic artistic director. He gives so much of his own personal time, not just to make things work, but to make them beautiful.”
While they’re understandably concerned about the effects of the economy and the current presidential administration on the arts, Abramowitz and Moskowitz expressed optimism about the local theater community.
“We hope people will maintain their theatergoing in spite of what’s going on in the world, because it’s an absolute necessity for a full life,” said Moskowitz. “I can’t imagine a life where I didn’t go to the theater.”
Said Abramowitz: “Everyone is doing something fun and different. Our theater community has been exceptionally generous partners over the years. I hope that new work continues to be presented, and I hope that DET audiences will connect with these other organizations. There is so much good work happening in the valley.”
Season tickets will go on sale for renewing Desert Ensemble Theatre subscribers on June 1, and for new subscribers on July 15. Single tickets will go on sale Sept. 1. For more information, call 760-565-2476, or visit www.desertensembletheatre.org.