They Promised Her the Moon, a play about real-life female flyer Jerrie Cobb, and her dream of becoming an astronaut in the 1960s, gets two public readings in New York starting October 17.

The Miranda Theatre Company presents the readings of the drama by Laurel Ollstein October 17 at 6:30 PM and October 18 at 3 PM at Nola Studios, 250 West 54th Street in Manhattan.

They Promised Her the Moon tells the story of Jerrie Cobb, the “almost-first” female astronaut. Cobb was one of the famed “Mercury 13” group of women who were privately given some of the same screening tests and training as the male astronauts in the NASA space program that eventually put human beings in space and on the moon.

According to production notes, Cobb “devoted her life to the sky, only to realize that family, colleagues, and contemporaries were too earthbound to see beyond the gender gap and let her soar. In 1959, after undergoing rigorous physical and psychological testing, Cobb surpassed scores of many of the famous Mercury 7 astronauts. Yet it was John Glenn, who was chosen to travel into space first. Laurel Ollstein tells the story of a great American woman who reached for the moon but hit the glass ceiling instead.”

Directed by Valentina Fratti (Catch the Butcher, Snow Orchid, Apartment 3A), the reading features Peter McRobbie (Broadway: Invention of Love), Zoe Perry (last appeared on Broadway with her mother, Laurie Metcalf, in MTC’s The Other Place), John Hillner (Broadway: La Cage aux Folles; The Graduate; Mamma Mia!), Jeff Kready (Broadway: A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder; Billy Elliot), Barbara Kingsley and Carol Todd.

The readings of They Promised Her the Moon are open to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are required. RSVP: [email protected].