Poetic Licence – A Staged Reading
April 13, 2026 at 7:30 PM, Dutch playwright Frank Siera is bringing a staged reading of Poetic Licence to 7 Stages’ Mainstage.
This (probably) true story of British playwright Joe Orton and his partner Ken, who–in what might have been a psychotic episode–killed both Joe and himself; a play about playwrights and actors, about the difference between theatre and reality, about the difference between normalcy and dangerous absurdity, about homosexuality when it was considered both a crime and a mental illness, about what should or should not be normal, and the thin line between fiction and reality.
This staged reading includes a preshow introduction by playwright Frank Siera and 7 Stages Artistic Director Heidi S Howard, as well as a post-show Art of Activism dialogue centered on the boundaries of normalcy, questions of sanity and what is actually criminal behavior.
Content warning – descriptions of sexual violence and self harm.
Credits
Playwright – Frank Siera
Translation – Rina Vergano
Director – Heidi S Howard
Stage Manager – Kai Anwuzia
Joe Orton – Geoffrey Solomon
Ken Halliwell – Markell Williams
Edna Welthorpe – Destiny Renee
Musician – Deisha Oliver
Thanks to Michaël Bloos and Dr. Emma Parker
Frank Siera is a Dutch playwright and stage director. He runs his own music theatre collective KASSETT, where he writes, directs and organises. Siera’s texts are typically inspired by a true story or legendary myth, philosophical in nature and written in a poetic and rhythmic style. Ever since he started writing, music has been an important influence, both in style and theme. In 2012, Siera graduated from the Dutch theatre academy in Maastricht with his own play SPRAAKWATER about the silent piano man who washed ashore in a British coastal town. SPRAAKWATER has since been translated and performed at the prestigious Festival D’Avignon in 2021, two different festivals in Brazil in 2022 and 2023 and tours throughout France, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. He wrote his first opera libretto RITRATTO for the renowned Dutch National Opera in 2020. RITRATTO was well-received with 5 stars by the BBC and nominated for an Edison, the Dutch equivalent of a Grammy award. His play SÂLT was performed in front of the Dutch King and Queen in 2023, at the well-known site specific theatre festival Oerol on the island of Terschelling. POETIC LICENCE, a play about British playwright Joe Orton and his partner Kenneth Halliwell, received rave reviews: “Frank Siera’s text plays a dark game with fiction and reality.” For 10 years, following his graduation in 2012, Siera collaborated with 7 Stages as a director and writing coach, in their yearly Dutch-American exchange and training program (Youth Creates and Bootcamp).
Geoffrey Solomon (Joe Orton) is a queer, multi-disciplinary artist – born and raised in East Atlanta. Geoffrey’s creative practice extends from theatre, to painting, making music, and tattooing. His style is influenced by the combination of these practices. As a community focused artist, Geoffrey seeks to make work that is accessible, inclusive, and sincere — executing folksy, unpretentious, themes with skillful polish. Geoffrey is a Youth Creates alumn, and is excited for this opportunity to keep growing his relationship with 7 Stages Theatre.
Markell Williams (Ken Halliwell) is an award-winning actor, writer, and teaching artist based in Atlanta. He is especially grateful to 7 stages for being a creative home that has helped nurture, challenge, and refine his artistic voice. His theatre work spans companies including the Alliance Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, True Colors, Out Of Hand, Horizon Theatre, Birmingham’s Children’s Theatre and Center for Puppetry Arts among others. His on-screen credits include appearances on Will Trent, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Atlanta.
Destiny Renee (Edna Welthrope) is an actress, poet, and teaching artist working across stage and screen. Her work has appeared in theatre productions around the country as well as in film, television, and commercial projects—including her debut appearance on Netflix’s Ruth & Boaz! A longtime member of the 7 Stages Theatre community and former Education Director, Destiny holds this artistic home very close to her heart. She is grateful to continue creating with a community she loves and admires and is thrilled to return for this staged reading of Poetic License. When she’s not performing, she can be found writing poetry, coaching young actors, and dreaming up new ways to tell meaningful stories.
Deisha Oliver (Musician) is a multi-instrumentalist and soundscape artist. She regularly works as a studio musician and an invited performing artist in public art spaces, wellness environments and alongside dancers. Oliver’s early training was with polish cellist, Kristoph Kielbasovich. For the next few years and while in college, she continued her classical training in cello as well as developed skills in operatic singing. As a form of rebellion and after getting to play Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony, she respectfully left the classical ladder, opting for Avant rock, jazz groups, and working with dancers and art galleries. As she unlearned her training, she retrained in the art of listening – enjoying the spontaneity of live performance. Deisha currently composes and performs with her group Flight of Swallows as well as the Atlanta Improvisor’s Orchestra, Musicians and Movers, lado, and sometimes simply solo under a bridge.
Kai Anwuzia (Stage Manager) is a multifaceted performance artist with specialties in dance/theatre/voice, educator, and collaborator from Atlanta. She is an alum of 7 Stages’ Youth Creates program, Moving in the Spirit, and obtained her degree in Vocal Performance from Columbia College Chicago. Previous stage management credits include: Mlima’s Tale (7 Stages Theatre 2023), What Are You? (7 Stages Theatre 2024), Incarceration Plantation: The Musical (7 Stages, HomeBrew 2025), Yanni Stone & The Honeypot Trap (Synchronicity Theater 2025), and F.PUNK JUNKIES (7 Stages 2025). As a performance artist, she always enjoys being in creative spaces and is honored to support this amazing cast as stage manager.
