People who talk through movies are the absolute worst. No matter how funny the clever asides may be, nobody likes a movie talker. But sometimes there’s nothing better than quoting along with or poking fun at an old film – especially if the person doing the poking is a stand-up…

There are no new stories. It’s a maxim we all accept. And this column is proof. Every week I wax lyrical about a weekend in the blossoming Dallas arts world. Most Friday nights I see a play, most Saturday evenings I visit galleries and then I while away the late…

If you’re looking for a break from World Cup watching this week, we’ve got you covered. This week in Dallas, there’s plenty to do. We’ve narrowed it down to a few cool parties, some art and Shakespeare in the Park. See you in the streets…

There is so much art and culture happening in the city this weekend, it’s absurd. It’s also wholly impossible for you to see it all. Writing those words makes me absolutely gleeful. Sure, it’s mid-June, but as you know, art is always in vogue in Dallas, or haven’t you been…

“I don’t have sex with any of my clients, I should probably address that misconception first,” she says, running her hands down the front of her bright red latex dress. It’s a hot Wednesday afternoon and I’ve arrived with a photographer to meet the city’s foremost dominatrix – a title…

Shakespeare’s plots are more complicated than the brain of an angsty teenage girl. Perhaps that’s fitting because many of Shakespeare’s plays are about angsty teenage girls. Much Ado About Nothing, for example, chronicles the thorny twists and turns of men trying to woo the affection of two young cousins, Beatrice…

The eye of heaven is certainly beginning to shine too hot as we make the slow descent to summer’s summit. In due order, Shakespeare season is back. The annual onslaught of iambic pentameter anchors summer stages with productions of his most beloved works at theaters across the Metroplex. Like in…

There’s art everywhere. In this cubicle, there’s a graphic print next to a Robert Motherwell postcard, above a notebook covered with an Andy Warhol photograph. And that’s just one corner. We cover everything in art to make life more beautiful. Perhaps that’s why designer and illustrator Michael Sieben began covering…

When was the last time you saw a film with a female protagonist you felt like you could actually relate to? You know what I’m talking about. The film world is saturated with rom-com, super women, nymphomaniac, unemployed but NYC-dwelling bull shit. Where are the normal women? Complaints aside, there…

Saturday night in Deep Ellum the gallery scene was busy. Cohn Drennan Contemporary opened its doors with Dan Allen’s scrapbook, a photography exhibit chronicling the alternative music scene in Dallas, specifically featuring portraits of the punk, gothic, and riot girl musicians and fans. Visitors overflowed into the street, while the…

Monday, June 9 Lev Aronson Legacy Cello Festival Last year, Thornton founded the Lev Aronson Legacy Festival to memorialize the man who changed countless lives with music. This year the festival returns to the camp of Southern Methodist University June 9-14, with performances by former students – including Kirshbaum and…

Spring spills over into summer and the party begins. There’s so much going on this weekend, it’s difficult to narrow a schedule down into something doable. You’ll need to make choices this weekend. You can’t do it all. The good news is, everything on this list will make for a…

College campuses have grown quiet post graduation. Soon, the sound of over-achieving will be faintly heard during summer school classes, but really how much noise can those 4.0 seekers make? If Southern Methodist University’s campus has grown eerily silent, the Lev Aronson Cello Festival arrives this week to change that…

Summer is the season of parties: Graduation parties, pool parties, 4th of July parties, and the no-event-necessary cookout parties. But if you’re looking for another reason to celebrate, may we suggest tap dance? As one of the only truly American dance forms (besides Zumba, obviously), the Dance Council of North…

They say once you learn the rules, you can break ‘em. They also say there are no rules in art. So whoever they are, they sound a bit conflicted. But Dallas-based artist Robert Jessup follows whichever rules he damn well pleases in his newest set of paintings, currently on view…

Two left turns may not make a right and forgiving may not be the same as forgetting. But imagine a world where we didn’t need to shroud truths in idioms, instead facing our wrongdoings with unblinking eyes. Perhaps in this world, we could right wrongs and admonish our sins. Israel…

Playwrights seek inspiration everywhere. Dallas-based writer Jonathan Norton is no exception. The prolific dramatist is constantly on the hunt for a good story, particularly one that strikes him close to home. For his newest play Mississippi Goddamn, inspiration arrived on a trip to title state where he learned the history…

Ann Williams has been getting her way for a long time. She was the first African-American to graduate with her MFA in dance from Texas Woman’s Univeristy; she started the city’s first resident dance company focused on creating opportunities for minorities; she spent 37 years teaching, producing and advocating for…