John Cullum, Randy Graff, Andrew Samonsky and More to Lead THEY PROMISED HER THE MOON Reading

A staged reading of They Promised Her the Moon will be presented Monday, December 3rd at 4pm, directed by Valentina Fratti. They Promised Her the Moon is based on the true story of Geraldyn "Jerrie" Cobb, the first woman to be tested for space flight. Along with twelve other women, Cobb went through the rigors of physical and mental testing only to be told that women would not be considered for NASA's astronaut training program.

The cast will feature Tony Award Winners John Cullum (Broadway's The Scottsboro Boys, August Osage County, Cymbeline, 110 in the Shade, Shenandoah, On the Twentieth Century, Off Broadway's Detroit), Randy Graff (Broadway's City of Angels, A Class Act) with Mary Bacon (Off Broadway's Giant, Harrison TX: Three Plays, Motherhood Out Loud), Reed Birney (Broadway's Picnic, Off Broadway's Dreams of Flying Dreams of Flying, A Small Fire, Circle Mirror Transformation), Jenn Colella (Broadway's Chaplin, High Fidelity, Urban Cowboy, Off Broadway's Closer Than Ever, Lucky Guy), & A ndrew Samonsky (Broadway's Scandalous, South Pacific, Off Broadway's Queen of the Mist, Merrily We Roll Along).

1960…the year of “THE RIGHT STUFF” and Mercury 7 was also the year of a little known story.This is the true story of pilot Jerrie Cobb, the first American woman to almost make it to the moon along with a group of American female astronauts preparing in mind and spirit to give their lives for the opportunity to go into space but never had the chance. Thirteen accomplished, fit women pilots passed grueling tests to be considered for astronauts in 1960; their test results were remarkable. LIFE magazine got hold of the story, and for a brief moment, a few of the women-- the media dubbed "atstronettes" sparkled as minor celebrities heading for space. It took 20 more years before Sally Ride blasted off in Challenger 3.The play focuses on one of those women - Jerrie Cobb - who for a short time thought that she was going to be the first female astronaut in space.

Ollstein received the 2012 Faith Broome Playwright-In-Residence Award where They Promised Her The Moon was developed and presented at The University of Oklahoma in Norman Oklahoma, in April 2012. Her play Esther's Moustache opens this December at New Jersey Repertory Company.

The reading is Monday, December 3, 2012 @ 4pm at NOLA Studios located at 244 West 54th Street, Studio # C and is free and open to the public, space is limited. Reservations are required. Please rsvp to: nyreadings@aol.com.