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Coachella Valley Repertory Sets the Stage for Fresh Voices with The Beauty Bubble Reading This March

On a quiet Tuesday afternoon in Cathedral City, the spotlight will belong not to sequins or spotlights — but to imagination.

At 2 p.m. on March 31, 2026, Coachella Valley Repertory (CVRep) continues its popular ORIGINS New Works Program with a staged reading of The Beauty Bubble, a smart, heartfelt new comedy by Joyce Callo. The event is free and open to the public, though tickets are required to manage seating.

If you’ve ever wondered where tomorrow’s hit plays are born, this is it — the rehearsal room, the first laughs, the first tears, the first time words leap off the page and into the air.

Selected from more than 700 submissions, The Beauty Bubble is the third of four new works featured in CVRep’s 2025–26 ORIGINS lineup. The story unfolds inside a retro, neon-bright desert beauty salon — part time capsule, part sanctuary — where a mismatched group of souls collide: a grieving hairstylist, his unpredictable sister, a sharp-tongued Manhattan diva, a timid widow, and a runaway drag queen. What begins as a mission to save their beloved shop slowly becomes something deeper — a chance to rebuild themselves.

It’s funny, tender, a little chaotic — and very human.

Callo brings serious credentials to the stage. A New York Emmy Award winner, she has worked across film, television, and theatre, with projects seen on HBO and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her knack for blending humor with emotional truth makes The Beauty Bubble a natural fit for CVRep’s risk-taking incubator.

Executive Creative Director Adam Karsten says programs like ORIGINS matter now more than ever.

“Broadway producers and theaters are no longer taking risks with new, untried works,” he noted. “CVRep is fortunate to support and encourage talented artists as they develop significant new plays. ORIGINS is our ‘page to stage’ commitment.”

That commitment has already paid off. Two previous ORIGINS selections have moved on to full productions, proving these readings aren’t just previews — they’re possibilities.

Audience members don’t just watch. After each reading, they’re invited to stay for a Q&A with the playwright, director, and cast — a rare behind-the-curtain look at how new theatre is shaped.

The series continues April 14 with The Agency by Lia Romeo.

Admission is free; reservations are required at CVRep.org or by phone. For theatre lovers, it’s an easy afternoon plan — and maybe the first glimpse of the Valley’s next breakout play.

Sometimes the biggest stories start small… in a beauty salon.