Java Joe's is serving something other than coffee this weekend. The Bookstore at Joe's will be presenting Lesbian's Last Pizza, an original play commissioned specifically for the Des Moines bookstore.
The play is the first production by Children of the Corn Theater, a collection of local theater artists, composers and writers. Their mission: to bring exciting, innovative, relevant and affordable theater to Iowa, a recent press release stated.
If innovation was the goal, their debut will be a phenomenal success. Lesbian's Last Pizza tells the story of a young woman engaged in a battle of wills with a homophobic pizzeria, the press release stated.
"The play involves one woman on stage. She's talking on the phone about her life to everyone she knows. She's a lesbian dying of AIDS and wants to kill herself to avoid any more suffering," marketing director and producer Jules Westegaard said.
As depressing as the play sounds, actress Cheryl Snodgrass is enthusiastic about the performance.
"The concept of a one-woman show is exciting. It's an excellent opportunity to reveal feelings of alienation," Snodgrass said.
"The play isn't an AIDS play or a gay play. It's about communication," Westegaard said.
Communication with their audience was a high priority for the founders of Children of the Corn Theater.
"The company wants to perform more cutting-edge theater in an alternative theater space. The smaller atmosphere of the bookstore will help keep the audience involved," Westegaard explained.
The most original aspect of Children of the Corn is the odd assortment of individuals. "Almost everyone in the group works professionally in Chicago, but we're bringing our art home to Iowa," Westegaard said.
"We're all either from Iowa or went to school there. Some of us have been apart for 10 years or so, but we've managed to gravitate back to each other," Snodgrass said.
Lesbian's Last Pizza will be performed at The Bookstore at Joe's at 216 4th Street in Des Moines. Curtain time is at midnight on June 28 and 29. Tickets are $6 and are available at the door.
For more information, please contact Jules Westegaard at 288-7267.