David Samuel played the role of Yohannes in the staged reading of Banna Desta’s new play Red Taxi. Directed by Yohanna Desta and featuring Semere Desta, Marchant Davis, Kate Pittard, Hubert Point Du Jour, James Udom, Mahalet Tegenu, and Bisserat Tseggai, Red Taxi follows Abraha, a new immigrant and Eritrean cab driver in Washington, D.C. Over four decades, from the 1980s to present day, Abraha and his four close friends experience the emotional and political highs and lows of being in the taxi business, which begs them to question how they can thrive and maintain relationships in such a fragile democracy. The reading took place at Signature Theatre in NYC on June 14th, 2024.