• Napoleon Douglas was hired as the new Artistic Director, stepping in to oversee the artistic and infrastructural vision of Pyramid. He stepped in after Tiffany Johnson ended her 9-year tenure with the Company. Tiffany still serves in an advisory capacity on the Board of Directors.

• Alexis Davis who has been with Pyramid since its founding was promoted from Managing Director to Producer, where she is responsible for overseeing the administration for productions and programming.

• Sarah Oyibo remains on as our Marketing Director. She is the Founder and Creative Director of Studio Delta Designs and has also been with Pyramid since its inception.

• Iowa Wolves: Pyramid was a featured Organization during an Iowa Wolves Game, where we coordinated the singing of the National Anthem and Black National Anthem for the Game. In exchange, we were able to secure 25 tickets for our community to enjoy!

• “Create Black History at DMACC”: Pyramid collaborated with DMACC Urban Campus to bring this brand new event where attendees experienced three main programs: a performance of “The Meeting” by Jeff Stetson,, a showing of Heart Health Docuseries by Heart 2 Heart (produced by INIKATAE’ Consulting), and a performance by the Bridges 2 Harmony Gospel Choir from Theodore Roosevelt High School. There was vendors with booths available for attendees to stop at throughout the event, and food and music were also provided.. The shows were free of charge (increasing accessibility to theatre for all) , but free will donations were accepted at the show for admission. All proceeds were donated to Iowa Juneteenth.

• There were two showings of “The Meeting”, both followed by a Talk Back. This dynamic play tells of an imaginary meeting between Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Valentine’s Day in 1965. Set a week before Malcom X was killed, their discussion in a Harlem hotel highlights the differences between their beliefs and approach to fighting for civil rights.

• This was the first-time showing of the Heart Health Docuseries by Heart 2 Heart. In this poignant feature, five Black Iowans share their personal stories and heart health journeys, and clinicians also provide their input from a medical standpoint..

• Emancipation Day at Living History Farms: Pyramid co-produced Living History Farms’ Annual Emancipation Day. In addition to their regularly scheduled “Sweet Potato Pie Social”, Pyramid wrote and produced a staged reading that featured The Langston Hughes Players of Des Moines and Living History Farms Interpreters. The program concluded with music provided by a 7-member praise team and 5-piece band, and a Keynote Speech by Deidre DeJear, former Democratic Nominee for Governor of Iowa.

• “The Black Feminist Guide To The Human Body” by Lisa B Thompson: We produced a new work titled “The Black Feminist Guide To The Human Body” by Lisa B Thompson, in a rolling world premiere with The Vortex Theatre (Austin, TX), Fusebox Festival (Austin, TX), The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (San Francisco, CA), and commissioned by the National Performance Network.

• The play shows the duality of Black Women: how we exist in difference spaces and times in our lives, and shares secrets of the soul that we keep hidden, giving an empowering message that you don’t want to miss.

• This show was a “Choreo-Poem” using multimedia for the production. Projections and coordinated music.

• Many community efforts were involved with this show. We engaged our community on social media to nominate Black Women of the Community to be featured both in the rolling projections in the show, and with a full bio on our social media platforms. We also were able to secure a sold out house through Courageous Access, LLC, and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, that brought in over 150 Black Women for a private showing of the performance.

• Alexis Davis won Best Performance in a Featured Role in a Play for her performance as “Cee Cee” in “The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body”

• Toné Cheré won Best Performance in a Featured Role in a Play for her performance as “Dee” in “The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body”

• The Full Cast of “The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body” was nominated for Best Performance by an Ensemble in a Play

Nicole Bartolozzi was chosen to be Chair of the Board of Directors. She has served on the Board for over a year and was elected by a unanimous decision.

• “The Last Stop on Market Street” by Cheryl L West: Pyramid co-produced “The Last Stop on Market Street” with The Des Moines Playhouse and City Voices. This show was the inaugural performance in the Playhouse’s newly constructed Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre. There were also many community initiatives employed.

• The cast platformed many performers who graced the Playhouse stage for the first time, including past and present students of City Voices - a Community Centered Music Education Program that provides free music instruction to underserved students in the Des Moines Metro Area. Over 50% of the cast were from City Voices. City Voices also was the main music partner of the endeavor, where Mary Anne Sims - Executive Director - lead the live recording efforts for all the tracks used in the show. The tracks were recorded at City Voices Studios, engineered by City Voices Teaching Artist Dang Felton (a local artist).

• Indigo Moore - a local painter - had her work featured in the show. She painted a large mural that had elements that were referenced in the script. This is the first time an artist of her kind has been featured in a Pyramid or Playhouse production.

• We toured this show at three locations:

• Corinthian Baptist Church - this performance was special because it was free of charge (creating accessibility to the show for a larger community) and we had a community dinner prior to the show, where Playhouse, City Voices, and Pyramid staff members served the community a free meal. There was a program before the show that showcased the Corinthian Baptist Church Youth Program, and an upcoming performance of “Amahl & The Night Visitors” that is a co-production between Corinthian Baptist Church and Plymouth Church of Des Moines.

• Two DMPS Elementary Schools: Phillips Elementary of Des Moines East Side and Moulton Elementary of Des Moines West Side. These are two schools that normally don’t have the resources to send their students to the Playhouse for their student performances, so we brought the show to them!

• Show description: “Guided by his veritable force-of-nature Nana, CJ travels a little closer to his roots and sees that things are not always what they seem. Based on the Newbery Medal-winning book and with a spectacular, spirited score by Motown legend Lamont Dozier and his son Paris Ray Dozier, you’ll find yourself dancing in your seat as you enjoy this vibrant story about connecting to your community.”