Upstart Productions

This nonprofit theater company, started by a young business analyst who minored in theater at the University of Texas at Dallas, attracts some of the city’s youngest and brightest -- and that’s sort of the point. They aim to help new talent break into a biz that typically can take years to crack (hence the name) and they’ve been wildly successful thus far -- just take a look at all the awards they’ve racked up. Catch a show at their usual venue, the Green Zone in the Design District.