Performing Arts

A profile on Nick Florez, a DFW native who has worked as a dancer, choreographer and artistic director for everyone from Celine Dion to Katy Perry.

Hannibal Buress is one of the most unique, original voices in comedy today, stand-up or otherwise. Blending absurdity with the benign, Buress can take what’s on its face a simple premise, like talking about the mixed drink “Flaming Dr Pepper,” and create a full history of how it was made…

The infamous photo Kathy Griffin released May 30, 2017, in which she held an effigy of President Donald Trump’s severed and bloodied head by its fluffy, blond mop of hair earned her the kind of fame that no former D-list celebrity would ever want. “This was another level,” Griffin says.

Michael and Carol Garland may be in their 70s, but they’ve spent most of their years on dance floors, and something as meaningless as age hasn’t stopped them. “If you put us behind the silhouette, people think we’re in our teens,” Michael says. “We do some crazy routines that even…

Texas-born playwright Robert Askins grew up going to church where puppet ministries were used to teach life lessons from the Bible. In his play Hand to God, Askins explores the complex duality of human nature and the battle against the self. He created a little puppet named Tyrone to ask…

There’s nothing worse for a stand-up comedian than seeing someone in the audience pull out a cellphone. “I’d rather someone get drunk and start throwing things at me during my set then pull out a phone,” says Dallas comedian Wes Corwin. It’s not uncommon to be at a live venue and…

The AT&T Performing Arts Center has plenty of space. Its website says it is the “largest contiguous arts district in the United States.” It includes the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Annette Strauss Square, and Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park. In 2014,…

When Alfred Kainga started doing stand-up comedy 13 years ago in Dallas, there wasn’t much thought of anything other than making the crowd laugh. This weekend, as Kainga headlines the Arlington Improv for the first time, he and the crew reflect on the journey that led to his name on…

“Alive. Thrilled. Grateful. Exhausted. Unbelieving.” These are just a few of the words Ashley White uses to describe how she is feeling halfway through Imprint Theatreworks’ inaugural season. “There’s such a myriad of emotions,” she says. “It’s similar to having a child — you’ve created this thing.” Imprint’s first season began…

Every Tuesday, Taylor Higginbotham, Brad McKenzie and Robbie Scheer invite a comedian to perform some stand-up comedy to a live crowd at Dan’s Silver Leaf in Denton for their podcast, The Brave Boys. But the comedian’s set is not recorded; only those in the packed room hear it. After the…

On four of the hottest weekends of the Dallas summer, the Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock Lake will host some of the city’s most forward-thinking performers and artists when Dallas’ Festival of Independent Theatres returns for its 20th iteration. This year, the festival will also feature two art…

We’ve all been there. Minding your own business, browsing the nutrition facts on a box of Whole Foods crackers you can’t afford, when all of a sudden a hyper-accessorized, immaculately manicured middle-aged woman compliments you. “I just have to tell you, your bone structure is beautiful!” At first you think,…

What do we do about gun violence? That’s the question 20 or so high school students from Dallas’ Cry Havoc Theater Company set out to answer. They wanted to begin a conversation about guns and gun ownership with people involved in the debate surrounding one of the most divisive issues…

A group of burlesque performers have come together in the name of camaraderie and community service. Mary Lynn Mayhem founded Bad Girls Club DFW in 2017, and it officially launched in January. The members aim to use their positions within the burlesque community to pursue philanthropic endeavors. Mayhem’s idea to start…

You should always be careful what you tell a comedian. You could become more than just a clever bit in an act. Comedian George Redd learned that lesson when he told fellow comics Joel “Junebug” Runnels and Flo Hernandez about an old parking ticket he planned to pay. Runnels and…

On a television screen that only the audience and improviser Scriven Bernard can see, the word “Titanic” flashes, starting a wave of giggles from the audience. Brian Harrington, the other improviser onstage, has his back turned and cannot see the word, and it’s Bernard’s job to create an improvised scene…

Former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Erica Wilkins wants to get paid. Wilkins is suing the Cowboys, according to the lawsuit, because she was not paid for all the hours she worked. This includes practices, training, rehearsals and filming for the CMT show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Wilkins also claims…

A group of longtime friends gathers around the dinner table at Ben Stegmair’s two-story house, which sits on cul-de-sac in Carrollton. With laptops and notes in front of them, they rehearse lines in preparation to take the stage for their upcoming inaugural production of Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party. Stegmair,…

Anyika McMillan-Herod will celebrate her 10th year cancer free by directing The Monarch, a play she wrote during her battle against Stage 3 breast cancer. “May 24 marked my 10th ‘Monarch Day’ — this is the name my husband gave to the anniversary of my remission,” she says. The Monarch…

Summer vacation from school is one long party with you and all your friends jumping from adventure to adventure in the lake house you rented together. At least that’s how it works in the movies. In real life, you get a summer job that barely covers the gas to go…

Yes, that Steve Martin. Although best known to many as a comedian, Martin is a talented musician. Martin’s musical talent has won him Grammys, including one for best American roots album, Love Has Come For You, a collaboration with musician and songwriter Edie Brickell. The pair wrote a musical that…

Jitin Higorani, founder and director of the DFW South Asian Film Festival, has been tracking the shifting demographics of visitors to his 4-year-old festival. This year’s event, expanded to four days, was the biggest to date, and Hiograni says nearly a quarter of visitors came from outside of Dallas’ South…