Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women: A Black Cowgirl Musical Dramedy

Juneteenth. New lives. new freedoms. Buffalo Women is a tale of hidden figures living extraordinary lives on the frontier in 1865.

A newly freed slave, Bethula, is in search of her daughter who was sold by the master who ran the plantation where Bethula was captive. She meets four other women along the way who are based on real, badass women in history.

Though the plot sounds like a heavy drama, the brilliance of this show is that it is a romp. Beaufield Berry has written dialogue that weaves the vernacular of the 1800s with contemporary speech. It’s raw and true and smartly speaks with comedic honesty about motherhood, revenge, and how resilient Black women were and have always been.

Playwright Beaufield Berry will be at talkbacks Sunday, June 19; Friday, June 24; Saturday, June 25; and Sunday, June 26, 2022.

The Des Moines production is a workshop performance of this brand-new work by Beaufield Berry. It will be produced in two other cities in the next year, Blue Barn Theatre in Omaha and another theatre in Kansas City.

Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women is a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Playhouse.

Our safety guide has been updated and reflects these main changes: The Playhouse no longer requires masks to attend a performance. However, masks are welcomed! If it makes you more comfortable, please feel free to wear a mask. We understand that individual healthcare is a matter of personal practices and choices.

We do ask that:

  • if you are feeling sick, or
  • have a positive test, or
  • have had exposure to someone who has COVID

please call the ticket office and reschedule your performance. Our refund and exchange policy remains in effect: You have up to 7 days following your performance date to request an exchange or refund.

Please note: The Playhouse remains committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for volunteers and guests. Should circumstances change once again, mask mandates return, or the CDC alters their recommendations, we will follow the most stringent guidelines. Click here to read our changes as of Mar. 2, 2022.

Performance Times:
7:00 PM Sunday, June 19; 7:30 PM Wednesday, June 22-Saturday, June 25; 2:00 PM Sunday, June 26, 2022
Theatre:
Kate Goldman Children's Theatre
Run Time:
2 hours 15 minutes including a 15-minute intermission
Content Advisory:
Adult content and language. The Playhouse does not rate subject matter as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have questions about content, age appropriateness, or other aspects of the show (ie strobe lights and other theatrical effects), please contact the ticket office at 515.277.6261.

In the News

Buffalo Women preview, A Gentle Guide to Des Moines Theatre
June 9, 2022
We Are Iowa Local 5 interview with directors Tiffany Johnson and Katy Merriman
June 14, 2022

Buffalo Women preview, Little Village
June 18, 2022
Buffalo Women review, Little Village
June 20, 2022

Company

  • Zadie

    Alexis Davis

    Zadie
  • Bethula

    Rebecca Davis

    Bethula
  • Biddy

    Rae Fehring

    Biddy
  • Stagecoach

    Alexandra Gray

    Stagecoach
  • Cathay

    Cle Shai Harden

    Cathay
  • Guitarist

    Brandon Findlay

    Guitarist
  • Guitarist

    Sean Veeder

    Guitarist
  • Drums

    Scott Yoshimura

    Drums
  • Co-director

    Tiffany Johnson

    Co-director
  • Co-director

    Katy Merriman

    Co-director
  • Music Director/Conductor/Piano

    Courageous Fire

    Music Director/Conductor/Piano
  • Choreographer

    Toné Cheré

    Choreographer
  • Scenic Designer / Lighting Designer

    John Pomeroy

    Scenic Designer / Lighting Designer
  • Costume Designer

    Kessehu Usert-Wonten

    Costume Designer
  • Properties Designer

    Angela Lampe

    Properties Designer
  • Stage Manager

    Paige Beck

    Stage Manager
  • Assistant Stage Manager

    Tinika Roland

    Assistant Stage Manager

Photos/Video

  • (clockwise from lower left) Rae Fehring is Biddy, Alexis Davis is Zadie, Alexandra Gray is Stagecoach, Cle Shai Harden is Cathay, and Rebecca Davis is Bethula in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Rebecca Davis is Bethula in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Alexis Davis is Zadie in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Cle Shai Harden is Cathay in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Alexandra Gray is Stagecoach in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • Rae Fehring is Biddy in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • (left to right) Rebecca Davis is Bethula, Alexis Davis is Zadie, and Cle Shai Harden is Cathay in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • (left to right) Rebecca Davis is Bethula and Cle Shai Harden is Cathay in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • (left to right) Alexandra Gray is Stagecoach, Rae Fehring is Biddy, Rebecca Davis is Bethula, and Cle Shai Harden is Cathay in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • (left to right) Alexis Davis is Zadie and Rebecca Davis is Bethula in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

  • (clockwise from bottom left) Rae Fehring is Biddy, Alexandra Gray is Stagecoach, Cle Shai Harden is Cathay, Rebecca Davis is Bethula, and (center) Alexis Davis is Zadie in Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a co-production of Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, June 19-26, 2022, at The Playhouse. Photo by Steve Gibbons.

Press Release

Des Moines Playhouse Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Subject: Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse Present Buffalo Women
Contact: Lee Ann Bakros, Playhouse Marketing & Public Relations Director, 515-974-5358

Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse present Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women, a Black cowgirl musical dramedy, June 19-26, 2022. Tickets are available online at dmplayhouse.com and by phone at 515.277.6261. Buffalo Women will be presented in the Kate Goldman Theatre at The Playhouse. The Playhouse no longer requires masks; however masks are welcomed.

Juneteenth. New lives. New freedoms. Buffalo Women is a tale of hidden figures living extraordinary lives on the frontier in 1865. Bethula, a newly freed slave, is in search of her daughter who was sold by the master who ran the plantation where Bethula was captive. She meets four other women along the way who are based on real, badass women in history.

Though the plot sounds like a drama, the brilliance of this show is that it is a romp. Beaufield Berry has written dialogue that weaves the vernacular of the 1800s with contemporary speech. It’s raw and true and speaks with comedic honesty about motherhood, revenge, and how resilient Black women were and have always been.

Playhouse artistic director Katy Merriman says, “We've been privileged to work directly with playwright Beaufield Berry on edits, new ideas, and style changes in music and on finding the core of each of these women. It's been the perfect material for the latest collaboration between Pyramid Theatre Company and The Playhouse. We are all so excited to support Beaufield and her work."

The Des Moines production is a workshop performance of this brand-new work. Buffalo Women will be produced in two other cities, Omaha and Kansas City, in the next year.

The Des Moines cast, under the direction of Tiffany Johnson and Katy Merriman, includes Alexis Davis, Rebecca Davis, Rae Fehring, Alexandra Gray, Cle Shai Harden, and Madison Ray & The Finesse. Music direction is provided by Courageous Fire with choreography by Toné Cheré. The design team is John Pomeroy, scenic and lighting designer; Kessehu Usert-Wonten, costume designer; and Angela Lampe, properties designer. This is the second collaboration between Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse, which co-produced A Love Offering by Jonathan Norton in June 2021.

Pyramid Theatre Company (PTC) provides a gateway to the arts for the Des Moines community by illuminating the presence of Black artists in the theatre canon and providing a means of artistic expression to emerging Black voices. The company commits itself to the tenet of Sankofa, a word in the Akan language of Ghana meaning "return to retrieve." With this in mind, PTC offers works firmly rooted in the lessons of the past in order to serve needs of the present.

The Playhouse mission, as one of Iowa's largest and oldest producing theatres, is to create extraordinary, shared experiences through live theatre. Located at the 42nd Street exit of I-235, the theatre has presented a full season of shows since 1919 and also offers a wide variety of educational experiences including classes for ages 4 to adult, theatre trips to New York, and volunteer opportunities onstage and backstage.

For more information about Buffalo Women, contact The Playhouse ticket office at 515.277.6261.

Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women
Performances: 7:00 PM, Sunday, June 19; 7:30 PM Wednesday, June 22-Saturday, June 25; 2:00 PM, Sunday, June 26, 2022
Tickets $25 all ages
Purchase at dmplayhouse.com

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Show Credits

By Beaufield Berry

Music and Additional Lyrics by J. Isaiah Smith