https://www.sagaftra.org/sf-nc-conservatory-screenplay-reading-rose-girl
Jun 02, 2025 - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM PDT
This event will be held in person.
Where: SAG-AFTRA SF-NC Local Office 350 Sansome Street, Ste 840, San Francisco, CA 94104
Join us for the next performance in our San Francisco-Northern California Local Conservatory Screenplay Reading Series: Rose Girl by Holly Lynn Payne
SYNOPSIS: Summary of Ep. 1, Season 1
Rose Girl is an 8-episode medieval, mystical thriller based on the enchanting story of Damascena, a mysterious orphan girl who discovers she possesses a secret power to turn darkness into light based on the bestselling novel by Holly Lynn Payne.
SEASON 1: Born a mystery unto herself, Damascena escapes an abusive upbringing under a tyrannical monk only to receive a cryptic transmission that instructs her to turn roses into rose oil to be used for performing miracles. The girl wants nothing to do with this mysterious healing power, or the fame and fortune it garners, which make her the target of mass exploitation for years. When the monk tracks her down and takes her back into his custody, she survives his attempted murder and ends up on a journey to find Rumi, the most powerful spiritual master of the 13th century. Recognizing her own level of mastery, Rumi initiates her into the forbidden Whirling Dervish dance that teaches her how to turn her pain into love. Set in the 13th century, “Rose Girl” will feature dark, textural monasteries and villages, big, colorful Persian cities, battles with Mongolian warriors, throngs of angry villagers, the evil doings of an un-holy monk, and the breathtaking choreography of the Sufi Whirling Dervishes throughout this disarmingly powerful story of female resilience about the girl who can turn darkness into light.
PILOT: We open in the tumultuous 13th century Balkh (Afghanistan), where a mesmerizing young woman with luminous cerulean eyes is surrounded by Mongol warriors terrorizing her magnificent, ancient city. She stands resolute, holding rosehips and prays, possessing a quiet, potent grace, while a group of warriors slash through her dress and families flee the carnage around her. In the chaos, a 12-year old Rumi recognizes the girl and runs to her rescue—but ends up slashed across the neck by a Mongolian dagger. We cut to Konya, Turkey, decades later, where Rumi, now 60, is called to perform the funeral of Damascena, a 14-year old girl, who is found wrapped in a black wool cloak with her travel companion, a tongueless, mute monk who looks anything but holy. Rumi is startled when the girl awakens in his presence, revealing the same luminous green eyes of the girl from Balkh. But this is not that girl. We return to Damascena’s mysterious birth in a mountain monastery, where the ‘unholy’ gay monk, Ivan Balev, is tasked with her care when her mother, Rasa, abandons her. Ivan is not the father and finds himself in a months-long battle
to K*ll or keep her alive. As the baby captivates the hearts of the Second Kingdom and her legend grows, so does Ivan’s disdain. When Rasa returns for her baby, Ivan refuses to give up Damascena, the only experience of love he has left after losing his father and lover.
WRITER/FILMMAKER BIO: Holly Lynn Payne is an award-winning, internationally published author of four novels, private writing coach, and the host and producer of the Page One Podcast. Her debut, The Virgin’s Knot (Dutton), was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book and led her to Turkey where she first encountered the tomb of Rumi. She earned a master’s degree from USC, BA in journalism from the University of Richmond, and has served on the faculty of the California College of the Arts, Academy of Art University, San Francisco State University and Stanford University. She is the former CEO and founder of Booxby, a startup that built AI powered book discovery software, backed by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Payne’s historical thriller, Rose Girl, won a starred Kirkus Review and was name Editor’s Choice from the Historical Novel Society in 2023. The Rose Girl novel, pitch and pilot episode have been registered in accordance with the Writers Guild of America and the Library of Congress. Author retains all film and ancillary rights. She is currently work on book two of the Rose Girl trilogy.
RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP. Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP.
https://www.sagaftra.org/sf-nc-conservatory-screenplay-reading-rose-girl
This event is only open to active SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid through April 30, 2025 or Oct. 31, 2025). Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.
ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 hours before the start of the event.
https://www.sagaftra.org/sf-nc-conservatory-screenplay-reading-rose-girl
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