Troy Maxson is the 53-year-old patriarch in August Wilson’s Fences. He is an authoritarian, gruff, brutal force who famously tells his son, “I ain’t got to like you.” The general public is now learning a lot about August Wilson thanks to Denzel Washington and his commitment to produce 10 of…
After completing the first season of Inside Amy Schumer, the show’s head writer wasn’t sure whether a second season would be greenlit. “It’s terrifying. It’s really scary,” Jessi Klein says. “You can kind of get better at handling that anxiety, and I think I have gotten better at it, but…
Joel Ferrell is tackling what might seem like familiar territory at the Dallas Theater Center right now. The DTC artistic associate and actual son of a preacher is directing Lucas Hnath’s The Christians. But he says comparing his dad, a former Methodist pastor in Fort Worth, to Hnath’s world of…
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is on its first national tour, and it opens in Dallas today. It’s the story of a German, genderqueer rock singer who’s obsessed with becoming a star. Her husband, Yitzhak, an Eastern European drag queen, is the victim of her verbal abuse and jealousy. The musical…
On April 30, comedian Bill Maher will attempt to kiss and make up with hundreds of fans who had purchased tickets to see him perform stand-up comedy at Music Hall at Fair Park on Sunday Jan. 22, and were informed just a few minutes before the start of the show…
Paul McKenzie, the founder and artistic director of a new theatrical production company called Not Right Productions, has a passion for plays that push boundaries. So naturally he and his team picked Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical for their first production. Yes, that Debbie Does Dallas. It didn’t get far…
Late Monday night a person was shot twice after getting into their car outside of Cold Beer Company in Deep Ellum. This morning, the victim is being identified as Matthew Posey, playwright and founder of Ochre House Theatre, just a short walk from the bar in Exposition Park. “Famous, amazing…
The regional premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky opened this month at WaterTower Theatre. The play is full of badass lady drama, or rather, “badass lady astronomers,” to quote the star of the play, Anastasia Munoz. Silent Sky is the true story of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, a turn of the…
Gad Elmaleh performs 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, at Texas Theatre. Watching Gad Elmaleh perform comedy is like watching someone take the stage for the first time — except, he’s good. A native of Morocco, Elmaleh later moved to Paris where he honed his comedy act and became known as the “Jerry…
Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, artistic directors of Bridgman Packer Dance, have collaborated as performers and choreographers since 1978. Their innovative work developing a video partnering — the integration of live performance and video technology — has been acclaimed for its highly visual and visceral alchemy of the live and…
Danielle Georgiou could be persuaded to join a cult. There is something very appealing to the director of the theater/dance mashup Danielle Georgiou Dance Group about choosing your own truth. There’s something even more intriguing, almost beautiful, about cultish repetitive movement and actions. It’s very closely related to the animalistic…
Most of the notable mid-size theaters in DFW will produce at least one new play in 2017. This is an exciting trend. A commitment to producing and developing new works gives artists a reason to consider our city a a viable arts community. While some theaters will produce new works by…
Second Thought Theater is preparing to present the regional premiere of George Brandt’s Grounded, a one-woman show about a fighter pilot who’s also a wife and mother. The show will mark two firsts for its seasoned Dallas actor, Jenny Ledel: She will command the stage all by herself for the…
July 7, 2016, is a day North Texans will always remember. During a peaceful protest against recent police shootings that left black men dead in Louisiana and Minnesota, a heavily armed man opened fired on police officers working the protest in downtown Dallas. Five officers were killed. Nine were injured…
The stage burns up at Drugstore Cowboy in Deep Ellum when a dancing duo who call themselves the Indigos show off their waves, locks and soulful power pops that can move any somber crowd on a typical Friday night. They make a splash when they’re on the floor, whether it’s…
Big changes are in the works for two Dallas-area theater companies. Both Theatre Three and WaterTower Theatre announced new artistic leadership this month. Jeffrey Schmidt will fill the shoes of the late Jac Alder, founder and artistic director for the company. Alder died in 2015. WaterTower has hired Joanie Schultz…
Comedian Dick Gregory has used his comedy, celebrity and humanity to advocate for civil rights and call out ignorance in America and throughout the world, and he’s been doing it since long before he stepped in front of a microphone. Needless to say, Gregory doesn’t like what he sees now…
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter-day Saints movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets and was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is a religious satire musical that pokes fun at the beliefs of The Church of…
Winning a comedy competition like the annual Funniest Comic in Texas can be both a blessing and a burden. Just ask this year’s winner Dez O’Neal. The Dallas-born comedian won the title out of a pool of 500 comics in the competition’s final round last Friday at the Arlington Improv…
Did you ever wonder what happened to Frosty the Snowman after his 15 minutes of fame in the movie? Well, he took a turn for the worse. Now a depressive drug addict, Frosty has a new life in House Party Theatre’s musical Frosty: Songs of Redemption, The Musical!. House Party…
Maestra Marin Alsop is sitting near the harpist. She’s leaning back with her index finger resting across her cheek, observing the interaction between conductor Chaowen Ting and the orchestra. You can tell she wants more than she’s getting from this overture. Alsop gestures a cutoff and walks toward the podium…
Post-election doom and gloom are in full effect. Before you hit publish on another depressing Facebook post, think about getting out of the house and getting into the holiday spirit. There’s tons to see in Dallas and Fort Worth right now, from comedy shows to Amy Grant. You can’t throw…
