Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music, dance, comedy and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.
Opening this week:
Lewisville Playhouse: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, today-Oct.18.
Circle Theatre: Ain’t Misbehavin,’ today-Oct. 25.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Rachmaninoff & Time for Three, Friday-Sunday.
Art Centre Theatre: Cannibal! The Musical, Friday-Oct. 11.
Texas Ballet Theater: Casanova, Friday-Oct. 24 at Bass Hall, pictured.
Lakeside Community Theatre: True West, Oct. 2-17.
Allen Contemporary Theatre: The Book of Will, Friday-Oct. 18.
Mesquite Arts Theatre: The Play That Goes Wrong, Friday-Oct. 18.
Jubilee Theatre: I’ll Be Damned If…, Friday-Oct. 25.
Upright Theatre Co.: Misery, Friday-Oct. 25.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra: Celebración Sinfónica, 7 p.m. Saturday at the Rose Marine Theater.
The Reid Cabaret Theatre: Thank God I’m A Country Boy: The Music of John Denver, Tuesday-Nov. 1 at Casa Manana.
Onstage now:
Second Thought Theatre: Dance Nation, through Saturday at Bryant Hall.
Drunk Shakespeare Society: Romeo and Juliet, through Sunday at Deep Ellum Art Co.
Undermain Theatre: Evenings at the Talkhouse, through Sunday, pictured.
Cara Mía Theatre: The 7th annual Latinidades Festival, through Oct. 11 at the Latino Cultural Center.
Shakespeare Dallas: Titus Andronicus, through Oct. 18 at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.
TACA reveals 2026 New Works Fund recipients
Earlier this week, TACA announced the recipients of its 2026 New Works Fund, awarding $125,000 in grants to three North Texas arts organizations to support the development and presentation of original artistic projects.
The New Works Fund supports the creation of new literary, performing and visual art, with an emphasis on sharing stories of individuals and communities often underrepresented in their artistic disciplines.
This year’s recipients include:
- Dallas Children’s Theater – BATCAT The Musical by John Maclay — September 2028
- Kitchen Dog Theater – Black Republican by Jamal Gibral Sterling — June 2027
- Shakespeare Dallas – El Zorro Vive! by Dante Flores — June 2027.
Season announcement: Upright Theatre’s 2027 season
The Euless-based theater announced its new season last week. The 2027 season will feature seven shows, two of them junior musicals and one show TBA. This announcement comes ahead of its newest production Misery which opens tomorrow.
The season includes:
Feb. 19 – March 21: Little Shop of Horrors
April 2 – May 2: Clue
May 14 – June 14: Show to be announced.
June 26 – July 31: Disney’s The Lion King JR.
Aug. 13 – Sept. 12: Avenue Q
Oct. 1 – 24: The Crucible
Nov. 13-Dec. 18: Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR.
Season tickets are on sale now. Benefits include discounted tickets, date selection, concession discount, one ticket exchange and exclusive offers throughout the season.
For more information, click here.
Review: Second Thought’s Dance Nation is a WTF fever dream of comedy and horror
After watching Dance Nation this past Monday, I couldn’t help but ask “What the hell did I just see?” That was followed by a second question: “Why do I want to see this again?” As the show nears its closing on Saturday, the latest by Second Thought adds a triumph to its belt, but also adds to the company’s proclivity toward the stranger side of Dallas theater.
The story unfolds within a modest Ohio studio overseen by the overbearing Dance Teacher Pat, who intimidates his young performers to achieve flawless execution. His ultimate ambition centers on leading the squad to victory at nationals with a piece celebrating Gandhi.
His team of dancers features a range of distinct personalities: Ashlee is fierce and defiant; Amina is gifted and calculating; Zuzu is uncertain; Sofia is discovering her womanhood; Connie serves as a sensible voice; and Maeve has her head in the clouds. Meanwhile, a clumsy mistake sidelines Vanessa. Luke as the troupe’s sole young man.
Mark Quach shined as Dance Teacher Pat, stepping into a commanding role after stellar ensemble work on other stages. He embodied the fanatical, ambitious teacher with animated energy while maintaining a stoic face, that all added a sharp layer of humor to the performance.
Lauren LeBlanc and Christie Vela play 13-year-olds without resorting to caricature. Both brought dimension to their roles: LeBlanc captured the graceful Amina others envy or emulate, while Vela portrayed the tough Ashlee everyone wants as a best friend—or at least avoids crossing.
The rest of the cast primarily consists of students from UT Arlington, which co-produced the production. The university just came off another co-pro with Theatre Three’s Spring Awakening, that wrapped up its run last week featuring a similarly student-driven ensemble.
In several respects, both felt like two sides of the same coin.
Much like Spring Awakening, the dancers in Nation grapple with blossoming physical awareness and inner longings while also navigating peer connections and domineering authority.
However, the narrative in Dance Nation was far more unhinged: characters yell obscenities toward the audience, there’s menstrual blood smearing as war paint and the entire group gets completely feral with fangs and claws out. This energy is amplified by Caroline Hodge’s lighting, Noah Heller’s sound design, and Kristina Ortiz Miller’s costuming. Miller paid great attention to detail with layered dance attire, and Dance Teacher Pat’s tracksuit was a standout.
While appropriately wild, director Shiyama Nithiananda kept the show grounded and cohesive. Running about 110 minutes without an intermission, the production’s swift pacing and clear storyline truly made the time fly. The entire cast brought strong conviction to their roles, with the student actors delivering natural, confident performances.
Whatever UTA Theater is doing with their students, they are doing it right.
The show closes Saturday at Bryant Hall.
–Rich Lopez