Stage Notes: Bruce Wood Dance announces new Associate Executive Director and upcoming season

Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.

Big news at Bruce Wood Dance

Dallas’ premier contemporary dance company, announced Tuesday the appointment of Elizabeth Van Vleck as associate executive director. Van Vleck will bring an array of experience in dance as a performer, teaching artist, choreographer, répétiteur, administrator and fundraiser. She has previously worked with Shapiro & Smith Dance, New York City Ballet, National Dance Institute, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, CalArts, Diavolo, BODYTRAFFIC, and Dallas’ own TITAS DANCE/UNBOUND.

In her role as associate executive director, Van Vleck will oversee the company’s national touring program, strengthen connections and partnerships across the country, and expand community impact initiatives including masterclasses, workshops, and educational engagement programs.

“Elizabeth’s passion for dance, vast experience, and strong reputation in the dance world makes her the perfect person to help take Bruce Wood Dance to the next level and inspire new audiences around the globe,” Gayle Halperin, executive director of Bruce Wood Dance said in a press release. “We are thrilled to have her on board as we enter this exciting next chapter for the company. I know her experience across all aspects of dance will be invaluable as we continue to build on our successes, ensure the company’s longevity, and impact generations to come.”

From BWD:

Led by artistic director Joy Bollinger, one of D Magazine’s 78 Women Who Make Dallas Great, Bruce Wood Dance continues to build an emotionally powerful and visually stunning repertory that is reminding audiences in Dallas and beyond of the power of dance to entertain, enrich, and heal. Coming out of the pandemic, the company is renewing its mission to create unique and powerful programming focused on the human and societal issues that affect our world. Van Vleck will help expand this mission.

In addition to Van Vleck’s appointment, the company also announced its upcoming 2022-23 season. With five new shows, the season will find the company making its return to Fort Worth along with a number of premiere performances.

The 2022-23 features the following (from BWD):

Sept. 17: Homecoming. Bruce Wood Dance returns to Fort Worth for one night only at the W. E. Scott Theatre. The performance features two nationally- acclaimed works by Bruce Wood — RED and Lovett!. 

Nov. 18 and 19: Awake. The company premieres Dvořák Serenade by Lar Lubovitch at Moody Performance Hall. Lubovitch has been named “one of the ten best choreographers in the world” by The New York Times,

April 8: Dallas Spring Arts Festival, co-produced by Bruce Wood Dance and The Dallas Conservatory, kicks off Dallas Arts Month. This free, family-friendly festival at Klyde Warren Park features a diverse range of music and dance for all to enjoy.

April 29: A Spring Concerto, featuring repertoire from Lar Lubovitch at Moody Performance Hall.

June 9-11: Grace. Three performances at Moody Performance Hall feature two world premieres: one by award-winning artist Ben Needham-Wood and one by Bruce Wood Dance artistic director Joy Bollinger.

Click here for more information about BWD.

DTC announces Kieran Connolly to star as Ebenezer Scrooge in its annual Carol

Dallas Theater Center announced Wednesday that Dallas actor Kieran Connolly will return to the Wyly Theatre to star as Scrooge in DTC’s family-favorite annual production of A Christmas Carol. Connolly originally appeared as Scrooge in the 2013.

DTC also announced its “Christmas in July” special for A Christmas Carol tickets that are purchased now through July 31 saving $10 per ticket with a purchase limit of four tickets.

TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND hires new Director of Development and Education

T/DU announced earlier this week that it has named Jessica Malek as its new Director of Development and Education. She previously served as its Production and Outreach Manager from 1997-2004.

Her new role will focus largely on maintaining and growing philanthropic support and leading TITAS’ community education programs.

She returns to TITAS after 18 years working in a variety of leadership positions at several Dallas-based nonprofits. Prior positions include Associate Director for UNT Dallas’ Principal Impact Collaborative and Chief Strategy Officer for Big Thought.

2022-2023 Broadway at the Bass season tickets on sale now

Performing Arts Fort Worth has announced that season tickets to the new season are ready for purchase. But hurry as ticket sales are limited. This new season includes My Fair Lady, Disney’s The Lion King, Pretty Woman: The Musical, Annie, Tootsie and Hadestown plus Broadway Specials season add-on Elf the Musical.

Tickets are available here.

Show announcements

Rover Dramawerks to present Steve Martin comedy

Rover Dramawerks will contine its 22nd season with the comedy The Underpants by Steve Martin. The show will open Aug. 4-20  at the Cox Playhouse in Plano. The first night is in preview with $10 tickets advance or pay-what-you-can admission at the door.

From Rover:

Louise and Theo Markes (played by Jenny Wood and Brian Hoffman) are a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louise’s bloomers fall down in public. Though she pulls them up quickly, Theo thinks the incident will cost him his job as a government clerk. Louise’s momentary display does not result in the feared scandal, but it does attract various infatuated men (Weston Loy, Russell Sims, Eric Levy and Anthony Magee), all of whom want to rent the spare room in the Markes’ home to be close to Louise and woo her. But Theo remains oblivious and Louise’s nosy neighbor Gertrude (Penny Elaine) eggs her on to have an affair. A wild satire adapted from the classic German play.

Janette Oswald directs the show and serves as set designer. The remaining crew includes Jennifer Patton as stage manager, Karen Askew as costume designer and Michael Straub as master carpenter. Show designers include Robbi Holman on sound, Penny Elaine for props and Kenneth Hall on lighting.

Tickets on sale now here.

Onstage in Bedford announces Halloween 2022 radio plays

On Tuesday, OIB is already ready to scare its audiences. The company announced its four Halloween radio plays for October. The plays are directed by Mike Hathaway and will run Oct. 21 and 22. Tickets on sale now here.

From OIB:

Check out this spooky lineup of old time radio plays:

On A Country Road.
Written by Walter Bazarr. Original Air Date November 16, 1950

A chilling tale about an escaped madwoman and a couple out of gas in the dark. You are driving along a country road. The traffic is starting to back-up and a storm is brewing. All you need to complete the scene is a lunatic on the run after butchering a doctor, a nurse and a ward attendant with a meat cleaver in the nearby mental hospital.

That Thing In the Window
Written by Lucille Fletcher.  Original Air Date December 14, 1946

The story of a man convinced that he sees a dead body in an apartment across the street. Try as he might, he can’t get anyone to believe him. Obsessed with finding the phantom body, he becomes a terrific annoyance to his neighbors. The radioplay was written for Suspense by Lucille Fletcher, who also wrote Sorry, Wong Number!

The Hitch-Hiker
Written by Lucille Fletcher. Original Air Date Novermber 17, 1941

Before Ronald Adams sets out on a cross-country trip, his mother warns him to be careful driving. As Adams crosses the Brooklyn Bridge in the rain, he barely avoids running over a hitchhiker in the roadway. Over the next few days, Adams sees the hitchhiker wherever he goes and becomes increasingly anxious that the man is trying to kill him. Originally written for Orson Welles, this is another tense thriller from Lucille Fletcher, who later adapted the tale for The Twilight Zone!

Ghost Party
Written by Arch Oboler
Original Air Date April 21, 1937

A young couple reluctantly attends a party thrown by the town’s social power couple, known for their horrendous and over-the-top gatherings. The theme for this soiree is a “real ghost seance” and it’s all fun and games until they summon a vampire who demands a high price to leave…

In other OIB news, the theater announced that its production of Turn of the Screw is now canceled.

From the theater:

We regret to announce that ONSTAGE will be unable to present Turn of the Screw this fall. We hope to be able to produce it for you sometime in the near future. But! We’ll be replacing it with the hit comedy Almost, Maine, from our 30th Anniversary season, and will again be directed by Joe Chapa.

Performance dates and times remain the same (Sept. 30-Oct. 16) so current ticket holders don’t need to do anything. We’ll resend confirmations with the updated show title in the coming days. For any refunds, email the box office at boxoffice@onstageinbedford.com.

ICYMI