A few years ago Lee Trull was just another unemployed actor/playwright. The college dropout was struggling to get by on temp jobs and the occasional small roles, mostly smart-alecky dweebs. Then came the Kitchen Dog Theater premiere of Allison Moore's Dust Bowl drama End Times. Like a young Jimmy Stewart, Trull ambled across the stage, acted the thing to pieces and became a local star. After that came mostly comedic roles at Second Thought, Theatre Three and the Out of the Loop Festival. With the acting thing working, Trull reminded directors he's also a playwright. A good one, it turns out, with commissions from Stage West and the now-defunct Classical Acting Company, adapting Huck Finn, Pinocchio and Gift of the Magi. His latest is his own original idea, Tall Thin Walls of Regret, set in Dallas at the end of the Cold War. Already a company member at Kitchen Dog, Trull, 28, was named the first artistic associate and new resident company member at Dallas Theater Center. There he will write, act in two shows a season and teach. "He is an outstanding example of a talented local artist whose work we hope to support and develop in the coming years," says DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty. Adds Trull, "I couldn't have written a better job opportunity for myself."