Drake Street

Drake Street is a five-act stage play which takes place along a magical street in Des Moines, Iowa. I wrote it primarily for Jr. High and High School students, for in-class readings and other school uses. It features two Otis Redding songs, Try a Little Tenderness and (Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay.

A few of the characters you’ll meet include a young Amelia Earhart, an old George Washington Carver, his friend Henry A. Wallace with his new hybrid seed corn, radio announcer Ronald (Dutch) Reagan, the five founders of the National Negro Bar Association, Harriet Tubman leading fugitives up the Des Moines River, local jazz pianist Speck Red and others who together showcase a blend of perseverance, invention and creativity.

Source: Drake Street

Author: Russell Simmons

A writer across all media and methods as possible and appropriate. Raised in Des Moines, Iowa, I scholarshipped in Debate at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD; the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA and Pace University in New York City. Currently living in a suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, raising a teenage artist. View all posts by Russell Simmons