Desert Ensemble Theatre - DET

04/25/2026

After 15 amazing years, Desert Ensemble Theatre is saying goodbye — and we’re opening our doors one last time for a liquidation sale.

Come browse furniture, props, tools, décor, and theatre equipment from our productions and shop.

📅 May 8 | 9 AM – 2 PM
📍 Cathedral City
💵 Cash & Venmo accepted

Come find a piece of DET history. 🎭

04/16/2026

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱! 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗘𝗧'𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗡𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧!
"You won't want to miss this production. Knife to the Heart reaches its target.” —June August, BroadwayWorld.com
“...this production is a high-note finale for a company that has spent years taking creative risks.” — Jason Mannino, StageandCinema.com
“It’s a great choice for DET’s final play.” — VJ Hume, CVIndependent.com
Tickets: https://holdmyticket.com/event/449358

04/14/2026

Tonight at 7pm. Tickets available at the door, or by visiting https://tickets.holdmyticket.com/tickets/460976
“Ménil and Her Heart” has been raising awareness for the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls for the past couple of years, simultaneously paving the way for other Indigenous artists and storytellers.
We are excited to partner with TigerBear Productions to bring this reading to the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

April 14, 7pmPalm Springs Cultural CenterDesert Ensemble Theatrein association with TigerBear ProductionsIn connection with the Native Performing Arts Network's National Day of Theatre Readings for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives,…

04/07/2026

04/07/2026

Tickets: https://holdmyticket.com/event/449358
Opening Friday! our final production!
Over 15 years, DET has grown from a ‘small but mighty’ company into one of the Desert’s anchor theatres. We’ve championed quirky, offbeat work that provokes thought and laughter. For our final production, we wanted a play that reflects that spirit. Knife to the Heart by Stan Zimmerman & Christian McLaughlin delivers—blending humor with questions of faith, identity, and family, and sending audiences home with a full heart.”
Starring Bonnie Gilgallon, Jonathan Brett, Jessica Lenz and Ricky Luna.

04/02/2026

𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 • 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 • 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟵, 𝟳:𝟯𝟬𝗽𝗺
🎟️ 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 $𝟮𝟱 (𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 $𝟭𝟱!)
Get a sneak peek at DET’s final production, Knife to the Heart by Stan Zimmerman & Christian McLaughlin.
Hailed as “uproariously hysterical” and “unexpectedly touching,” this sharp comedy turns a polite dinner-table debate into total chaos when one unexpected question sparks a battle of wills.
👉 Tickets:

KNIFE TO THE HEART by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin Directed by Stan Zimmerman April 10 – April 19, 2025 When Marshall and Julie Ann discover they’re having twin boys, their joy is quickly tested by a clash over…

03/31/2026

𝟭𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀! 𝗦𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀! 𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 — 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧!

𝗞𝗡𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧 by Stan Zimmerman & Christian McLaughlin a wildly funny clash of Jewish tradition and personal convictions. When a pregnancy ignites a family crisis, can only the ga**or save the day? https://holdmyticket.com/event/449358

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧 by Isabella Madrigal. In connection with the Native Performing Arts Network’s National Day of Theatre Readings for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives, this play—based on three Cahuilla stories—follows a girl’s disappearance, her family’s grief, and her sister’s search. A co-presentation with TigerBear Productions. https://tickets.holdmyticket.com/tickets/460976

03/26/2026

The cast of KNIFE TO THE HEART: Jonathan Brett, Jessica Lenz, Ricky Luna and Bonnie Gilgallon.
This is a final chance to experience what has distinguished Desert Ensemble Theatre for 15 seasons: it's funny, warm, topical, and just a bit irreverent! Don't miss this delightful comedy, written by Stan Zimmerman (The Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls) and Christian McLaughlin (Married... With Children) and directed by Stan.
Tickets https://holdmyticket.com/event/449358

03/24/2026

Welcome to DET, playwright and director Stan Zimmerman (𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨, 𝙂𝙞𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨, and more)!
Together with co-writer Christian McLaughlin (𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙... 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣, 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨) Stan has created a hilarious and thought-provoking comedy about faith, identity, and family.
With 𝙆𝙉𝙄𝙁𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙏, DET ends our 15-year run with a bang—and a bris!
Come see what these veteran scribes have cooked up! Tickets: https://holdmyticket.com/event/449358