The Art of Cathedral City: The Bent Brings Bold LGBTQ+ Theater to the Stage — Rehearsed Right Here in Cathedral City

Check out the latest episode of CCTV's "The Art of Cathedral City," highlighting the theater companies that call Cathedral City home!

Host Conrad Angel Corral recently visited The Bent, the Coachella Valley's only LGBTQ+ theater company, at its office and rehearsal studio at 68475 East Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Cathedral City. Co-founder and Managing Director Terry Ray joined Conrad to preview the company's fifth season, which is being rehearsed here in Cathedral City before it opens at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

Founded in December 2022 by Ray and Artistic Director Steve Rosenbaum, who have collaborated for more than 30 years, The Bent is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) theater dedicated to the talents and stories of the LGBTQIA+ community. In just four seasons, the company has become one of the valley's most acclaimed theater companies. Its two-part production of The Inheritance drew strong reviews, won Rosenbaum the Desert Theatre League award for Best Director for Part One, and earned Ray a Desert Star Award for his dual roles in the same production.

Both founders bring deep experience to the rehearsal room. Ray has appeared in more than 200 films, plays and television shows. His play Electricity became the longest-running play in Palm Springs history. Rosenbaum is a New Yorker who trained in New York and London, holds a BFA in Theatre from Brooklyn College, and co-founded The Bent after moving to the desert during the pandemic.

The Bent turns five this year. Its Season 5 lineup mixes American classics, comedy and new work:

• October 9-24, 2026 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, directed by Terry Ray
• November 13-29, 2026 - Dada Woof Papa Hot by Peter Parnell, directed by Jerome Joseph Gentes
• Holiday special - Skippy & Bitsy's All-Star Christmas TV Extravaganza, created by Terry Ray and Miss Jane Guy. The show-biz duo goes country this year.
• January 22-February 6, 2027 - Jeffrey by Paul Rudnick, directed by Jason Reale and Kudra Wagner
• February 26-March 13, 2027 - Bad Dog, written and directed by Jennifer Hoppe-House (West Coast premiere)
• April 23-May 8, 2027 - Mother Play by Paula Vogel, directed by Steve Rosenbaum

The season opens with Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning 1955 drama. The Bent's production puts new focus on the unspoken bond between Brick and his friend Skipper, reframing the play as an early Broadway story about life in the closet. New this season, second-Saturday performances include a post-show talkback with the cast and director.

Please support the arts in Cathedral City. Residents can watch new episodes of "The Art of Cathedral City" on the City's Facebook page, Instagram account and YouTube channel, or watch CCTV (our government cable channel) on Spectrum Cable Channel 17.

All performances take place at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, Theater 3, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs. Five-play Season 5 subscriptions are available through October 1, and single tickets are on sale now. Tickets may be ordered online at www.thebent.org, by calling (442) 268-5474, or by emailing [email protected].