Stage Notes: LA TI DO debuts in Dallas with Sondheim cabaret; job postings at Pegasus Theatre

Don Mike Mendoza, co-founder of LA TI DO. (Courtesy photo)

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

LA TI DO Productions kicks off programming in Oak Lawn

On Wednesday, the Washington DC-based company announced it will come to Dallas as it expands its programming. The production company produces cabarets, concerts, theater and special events in DC, New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and now here. According to its press release, LTD will present at various venues throughout Dallas and Fort Worth.

For its inaugural show, LTD will present the cabaret show Songs of Sondheim at Union Coffee in Oak Lawn.

The show will be by DFW associate artistic director Sarah Powell with music direction by James McQuillen. Performers will include Sergio Garcia, Sheran Keyton, Jennifer Kuenzer, Tara Park and Jodi Crawford Wright with an appearance by co-founder Don Mike Mendoza.

According to its website, the mission of LTD is “to be a premiere community of cultural and artistic diversity and inclusion through music and spoken word collaboration.” The company was founded in 2012 beginning primarily with its grassroots cabaret shows but has expanded its vision to create programming specific to each city and its needs through collaborative efforts.

Tickets are available here.

Season announcements

Dallas Symphony Orchestra posts upcoming concerts for 2022/23

ICYMI, the DSO has been posting its new season on Facebook one by one, but for a complete listing of its classical, pops and family concerts, click here.

From DSO:

We are thrilled to present a diverse range of music in our upcoming season. New voices and fresh perspectives will show you classical music in brand new ways. Artists and works from around the world will offer even more opportunities to enjoy our concerts and performances. We hope you discover something new or rediscover some of your cherished favorites in the 22 | 23 season.

Runway Theatre announces season

The Grapevine theater announced its 38th season last Friday with six shows lined up beginning in September. The season’s theme is Exploring Place.

From Runway:

In geography, physical and human characteristics define the term place, but we know it can be so much more. It’s a memory, a possibility, an adventure. It’s a sense of belonging and knowing you’re welcome as you are. Place is a vital component in life, and this season Runway Theatre explores the idea in so many ways. From newlyweds traveling across the country to claim a place of their own to a mystery writer who imagines places for a living, while living in a place designed to her exacting (and demented) standards, this season, we’ll discover stories of those settling into the perfect place. We’ll also meet friends searching for their place in a changing world, and couples who aren’t even sure what place they’re in anymore. One thing is certain…Runway Theatre is your place, your creative home, and we can’t wait to enjoy this season, this PLACE, with you.

The season includes:

Sept. 30-Oct. 16: To Die For. It was a dark and stormy night…not just inside the imagination of best-selling historical romance writer Carla Woods; the night really was dark and stormy when a mysterious man swept Carla off her feet before he’d so much as stepped across her gothic threshold. But not everything is at it first seems.

Nov, 25-Dec. 11: A Doublewide Texas Christmas. It’s Christmastime in the tiniest town in Texas, and not only are its few residents dealing with the usual holiday stress, but they’re beginning to suspect the county is set to double-cross them just as it’s time to make things official for their little trailer park town.

Jan. 27-Feb. 12: Beer for Breakfast. There’s “no girls allowed,” at the lake house when a group of guys settle in for a weekend of beer, carbs, and reminiscing about “the good ol’ days.” Together, they’ll ignore divorces, unemployment, and even a stroke affecting their spirits until a last-minute, uninvited, guest arrives.

March 24-April 9: Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook. Award-winning composer, Stephen Schwartz plays with his well-known melodies (and a few lyrics!) from Wicked, Pippin and Godspell to tell a new story; one of moments squandered and savored, memories ruined and revived…a lifetime lived in snapshots.

June 2-18: Things My Mother Taught Me. As Olivia and Gabe, twenty-somethings newly committed to each other, drive across the country to start life together, their parents prove the two will unpack more than boxes upon arrival.

July 21-Aug. 6: Love, Lies and the Doctor’s Dilemma. To hide their relationship from her overbearing (and famous) sister-in-law, Joan fibs. Suddenly, her gardener-turned-love-turned-fake-psychiatrist knows too much but gets it all wrong.

The company also put out a call for directors on its Facebook page. For those interested, this form must be completed and submitted by Monday.

Season passes are on sale now and individual show sales will be announced at a later date.

Pegasus Theatre posts job openings

Pegasus Theatre has listed a number of job openings for its fall production of Hate Mail. Performances will run Oct. 20-Nov. 5, with rehearsals scheduled from Sept. 26-Oct. 19. Pegasus Theatre noted that it “seeks to proactively increase the diversity of its creative staff. As a result, we strongly encourage PGM (People of the Global Majority) applicants to submit their resume.” Here is the list of positions from Pegasus:

Director: Responsible for casting and directing a cast of two throughout the rehearsal and technical rehearsal period. Duties include providing a vision for the finished product to the design team as well as the cast and providing leadership during weekly production meetings that begin the weekend of Aug. 27.

Production Manager: Responsible for overseeing the work of all designers, ensuring all production elements are executed on schedule and per budget. Production elements on this show include set, props, lights, sound, and costumes. Duties include tracking actual production expenses against the production budget and giving advance notice of any over-runs. Responsible for organizing and running weekly production meetings.

Set Designer/Technical Director: Responsible for designing and creating the set for this show. Duties include weekly production meetings, providing a preliminary sketch of the set at the second production meeting and a final set drawing at the third production meeting. Responsible for attending a designer run-through of the show, the load-in of any set elements, all technical rehearsals, and the load-out of any set elements after the show closes.

Props Designer: Responsible for designing props for this production, to include all hand props, set dressing, and furniture. Items may be pulled from our stock, borrowed, purchased, or constructed and painted. Duties include weekly production meetings. Responsible for attending a designer run-through of the show, the load-in of all props, all technical rehearsals, and the load-out of any props after the show closes.

Lighting Designer: Responsible for designing and focusing the lighting for this show using the lighting package provided by the Bath House Cultural Center. Duties include weekly production meetings. Responsible for attending a designer run-through of the show, the load-in of lighting cues, all technical rehearsals.

Sound Designer: Responsible for designing the sound for this show, to include pre-show music, underscoring, scene changes, intermission music, and end of show music. Duties include weekly production meetings. Responsible for attending a designer run-through of the show, the load-in of sound cues, all technical rehearsals, and possibly one paper tech and one dry tech rehearsal.

Light Board Operator: Responsible for running the light board during technical rehearsals and performances for this production.

Sound Operator: Responsible for running sound during technical rehearsals and performances for this production.

Show announcements

Black Comedy to open at Theatre Arlington

‘Black Comedy’ by Theatre Arlington. (Courtesy photo by Eric Younkin)

Theatre Arlington will open the British farce by Tony award-winning playwright, Peter Shaffer on July 15. The show runs through July 31.

The production is directed by Sharon Kaye Miller and stars Micah JL Brooks as Brindsley Miller, Alli Franken as Carol Melkett, Jakie Cabe as Colonel Melkett, Hannah Bell as Miss Furnival, Micah Green as Harold Gorringe, Jenna Anderson as Clea, Andrew Nicolas as Schuppanzigh and Kelley Garland as Georg Bamberger.

Equity Stage Manager, Maria Leon Hickox leads theproduction team which includes Victoria Esquibell (Assistant Stage Manager), Bryan Stevenson (set and lighting), Ryan Simón (sound) and Robin Dotson (properties designer). Director Miller also serves as the costume designer.

From Theatre Arlington:

This hilarious British farce provides the audience with a unique and slightly wacky theater experience. In South Kensington, London, struggling sculptor, Brindsley Miller and his debutante fiancée, Carol Melkett decide to throw a little party to impress Carol’s pompous father and a wealthy art dealer. But to do so, they “borrow” some expensive furniture and art from Brindsley’s next-door neighbor, Harold who just happens to be an antique dealer away for the weekend. What could happen, right?

Well, how about a blown fuse throwing the flat into complete darkness? To make matters worse, several unexpected guests show up, including his mischievous ex-girlfriend and his neighbor from whom he “borrowed” the furnishings. Chaos and disaster quickly result as the quarreling guests stumble around in the dark not able to see each other, but the audience still can!

Tickets are available here.

Hip Pocket Theatre brings Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam and Eve to life

The cast of ‘The Diaries of Adam and Eve’ at Hip Pocket Theatre. (Courtesy photo)

HPT’s 46th season continues with its three-week run of The Diaries of Adam and Eve at its outdoor amphitheater opening Friday. The show runs through July 24.

The show was adapted by Yvonne Duque-Guerrero which also marks her directing debut with HPT. She began her work with the company in 1989 working in several of its productions over the years. She is also the co-founder and first artistic director of Artes de la Rosa at the Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth.

“It’s a privilege to be working under the stars this summer and creating magic with this beautiful tribe and I am honored,” she said in a press release.

The cast features Ronald Fernandez, Jr., Shelby Griffin and Paul Heyduck as the show’s Adams, and Aja Jones-Crowe, Kristi Ramos Toler and Amanda Reyes as the Eves. Thad Isbell and Amanda Merrill round out the cast. The show also features original music by Darrin Kobetich, scenic design by Megan Beddingfield, costumes by
Susan Austin, lighting by Nikki DeShea Smithwith Lauren Riley as stage manager and Casey Collier as assistant stage manager.

Tickets are available here.

New this week:

PNC Patio Sessions: Ego Jones, 5:30 p.m. today in Sammons Park.

Theatre Three: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, today-July 17.

Theatre Arlington: Club Cabaret with Leslie Jones, 7:30 p.m, Friday.

B. Moore Dance: Create + Innovate + Repeat, Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.

Public Works Dallas: The Odyssey, Friday-Sunday at the Wyly.

Allen Contemporary Theatre: It’s Only a Play, Friday-July 17.

Grapevine Shakespeare in the Park: Much Ado About Nothing by OhLook Performing Arts, Friday-July 23 at Heritage Park Botanical Gardens.

Hip Pocket Theatre: The Diaries of Adam and Eve, Friday-July 24.

Richardson Theater Center: Plaza Suite, Friday-July 24.

Theatre Denton: The Music Man, Friday-July 24 at the Campus Theatre.