Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music, dance, comedy and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information.
Stage Notes Calendar
Opening this week:
Ochre House Theater: Immovable Beast, opened Wednesday-May 30, pictured.
The Firehouse Theatre: Sister Act, today-May 31.
Amphibian Stage: Stand-up Comic Residency with Nore Davis, Friday and Saturday.
Dallas Black Dance Theater: Spring Celebration: Prismatic, Friday and Saturday at the Wyly Theatre.
Inclusion Productions: La Dama de Negro, Friday and Saturday at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand, Friday-Sunday at the Meyerson.
Texas Ballet Theater: Swan Lake, Friday-Sunday at Bass Hall.
Teatro Dallas: Los Niños Santos de Maria Sabina, Friday-May 24 at the Latino Cultural Center.
Upright Theatre Co.: Camelot, Friday-June 14.
Mesquite Symphony Orchestra: Transcendence, 7 p.m. Saturday at Mesquite Arts Center.
Dallas Chamber Symphony: Brahms: Symphony Nº 4, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Moody Performance Hall.
WaterTower Theatre: Always…Patsy Cline, Tuesday-May 31.
Onstage now:
Art Centre Theatre:The Monkey’s Paw, through Saturday.
Circle Theatre: Rent, through Saturday, pictured.
Pocket Sandwich Theater: The Legend of DeadEye Mary, through May 16.
Allen Contemporary Theatre: Our Town, through Sunday.
Art Centre Theatre: The Outsiders, through Sunday.
Reid Cabaret Theatre: 100 Years of Sammy Davis Jr., through Sunday at Casa Manana.
Theatre Arlington: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, through Sunday.
Theatre Frisco: Sylvia, through Sunday.
The Core Theatre: Everynight Live! Comedy, through May 31.
Broadway Dallas: Wicked, through June 14.
Avant Chamber Ballet announces its 2026/27 season
Avant Chamber Ballet’s (ACB) Artistic Director Katie Puder announced the company’s 15th season this week with the most performance dates in its history. The expanded season features two subscription series, both presented at Moody Performance Hall: the Classic Series and Family Series.
“Our new season is a journey through the past, present, and future of ballet with new works and timeless classics, ” she said in the press release. “We are particularly excited to expand our production of The Nutcracker to two weekends in collaboration with Dallas Chamber Symphony.”
The Classic Series includes the choice of three or four full productions. The Family Series features three matinee performances specifically designed for young audiences. Subscriptions are on sale now at AvantChamberBallet.org.
Performances include:
Oct. 30 and 31: Dracula. Featuring the dramatic score by Philip Glass, this ballet tells the classic story reimagined to reflect the minimalist score and our current times.
Nov. 28-Dec. 6:Paul Mejia’s The Nutcracker. This lush production features the professional dancers of ACB and a large children’s cast representing the best talent from local auditions with accompaniment by the Dallas Chamber Symphony.
Dec. 3 and 7: Nutcracker: Short and Suite. A 45-minute, sensory-friendly version of the holiday classic perfect for introducing young audiences. (Family Series)
Feb. 20: My First Swan Lake. This 45-minute version features the famous lakeside scenes, including the “Dance of the Little Swans” and the magical first meeting between the Prince and Odette, the Swan Queen. (Family Series)
Feb. 20 and 21: Love and Loss: Swan Lake Act 2 + Duets. The program will feature live orchestra conducted by Brad Cawyer and works by Christopher Wheeldon, Paul Mejia and Petipa.
April 24: Broadway Babes. This will be a shortened version of the Classic Series production. (Family Series)
April 24 and 25: Ballet to Broadway. Bridging classical ballet with the energy of musical theater, the performance features Katie Puder’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” Christopher Wheeldon’s “Carousel” pas de deux and more to be announced.
Theatre Three will reimagine Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with a glittery disco decadence
T3 will take audiences back to the ’70s with its new production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, running June 11-July 12 on the Norma Young Arena Stage. This fresh take is directed by Vonda K. Bowling, music directed by Cody Dry, and choreographed by Kelly McCain.
Based on the popular film, the story follows the rivalry between two con artists as they compete to swindle an unsuspecting heiress.
“This is Dirty Rotten Scoundrels like you’ve never seen it before,” Artistic Director Jeffrey Schmidt said in a press release. “A 1970s casino is the perfect backdrop for a story about illusion, ambition, and outlandish cons. It amplifies everything: the comedy, the characters, and the sheer fun of the piece.”
T3 announced the cast and creative teams which includes actors James Crawford, Parker Gray (pictured), Christina Austin Lopez, Ryan Michael Friedman, Mary Gilbreath Grimm, Sophie De Young, Mark Tam Quach.
Along with Bowling, Dry and McCain, the production team includes Stage Manager Noelle Smith, Lighting Designer Aaron Johansen, Costume Design by Breianna Bairrington, Sound Design by Brian McDonald, Scenic Design by Schmidt, Production Assistant Case Hubbard.
Tickets are on sale now at Theatre3Dallas.com or the box office.
David Lomelí named General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera
On behalf of The Dallas Opera’s Boad of Directors, Chair Quincy Roberts announced on Thursday the appointment of David Lomelí as the next Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, effective June 1, 2026.
“David Lomelí is the rare leader who understands that great opera companies must honor tradition while fearlessly building for the future. He brings international artistic credibility, strategic vision, and an extraordinary ability to connect with artists, patrons, audiences, and community leaders alike,” Roberts said in today’s press release.
He continued, “Throughout this search, David distinguished himself not only through his vision for the future of opera, but through his authenticity, collaborative leadership style, and deep understanding of The Dallas Opera’s artistic mission and community impact. We are confident that he is uniquely prepared to lead this company into an exciting new era of growth and international prominence.”
Lomelí returns to The Dallas Opera (TDO) in this new role after serving at the Santa Fe Opera as Chief Artistic Officer and Chief Artistic Advisor for five years, as well as at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Casting Director and Head of International Partnerships and Strategy. He previously served The Dallas Opera as the founding director of the Hart Institute for Women Conductors among other roles within the company.
“I am honored, and especially grateful to partner with a thoughtful and sensitive Board that understands both the immense challenges and extraordinary possibilities facing our art form today,” Lomelí stated in the release. “I look forward to listening, learning, and building together with our magnificent orchestra, chorus, artists, and deeply passionate staff, whose dedication and spirit are the heartbeat of this company. My goal is to serve this institution, this city, and this art form with humility, ambition, and a profound sense of responsibility as we shape the next chapter of The Dallas Opera together.”
His experience in managed million-dollar-plus budgets, developing international co-production partnerships that generated new revenue streams, and cultivating relationships with global corporate and cultural partners brings a distinct experience to TDO. He is a founding member of OPERA America’s Diversity Initiative and a frequent speaker on artistic leadership and talent development.
Lomelí succeeds Ian Derrer, who has served in the role for eight years; his tenure concludes on June 30, when he leaves to be General Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in Toronto. Derrer made the announcement that he would resign from TDO back in February.
Stage West reveals its new season of shows
Stage West announced last week the lineup for its 48th season, titled Beneath the Surface. The new season will feature six shows, one of which is a brand-new, as well as a co-production with Second Thought Theatre and Watering Hole Collective. There will also be an extra show not included in the season ticket, brought back by popular demand.
Executive Producer Dana Schultes said, “With Beneath the Surface, we’ve built a season that rewards curiosity. These are plays with humor, heart, provocation, and style. They entertain beautifully on the surface while inviting audiences into deeper questions underneath. This season is quintessential Stage West: smart, surprising, funny, moving and full of substance.”
Tickets and more information can be found at StageWest.org.
The season includes:
Oct. 22-Nov. 8: Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector. A virus has hit the elite Eureka Day elementary school. An outbreak is near. Now the school board must meet with the pack of parents to find an ethical solution. But when the ultra-progressive Eureka community cannot agree, this beacon of open-minded ideals quickly spirals into chaos. Truth is a weapon and facts are subjective in this regional premiere satire of national proportions.
Jan. 9-24: Camp Siegfried by Bess Wohl. In the golden summer of 1938, two teenagers meet at a real-life Long Island camp. She is lonely and unassuming, he is energetic and bright-eyed. As their innocent attraction deepens, it’s gradually poisoned by the camp’s ideology. Intrigue turns to indoctrination as the youths find themselves on a collision course toward extremism. A co-production with Second Thought Theatre in collaboration with Watering Hole Collective.
Jan. 28-Feb. 14: I, Will: A Late Romance by Scott Carter. Where there’s a Will, there’s a way. Shakespeare is stuck. His theater is shut down, a plague looms, his love life is a mess, and he has the worst case of writer’s block. What’s a Bard to do? Enter a sleazy brothel-owner with a proposition. As plans take motion and lovers plot, the idea for a new kind of play reveals itself. Inspired by real events, this comic-fantasy imagines the origin of Shakespeare’s final plays and proves that it’s never too late to start again.
This production is supported by Broadway Dallas through its Texas Born & Raised and was developed, in part, by the Baylor New Play Initiative.
March 10-27: Hedwig and the Angry Inch by John Cameron Mitchell, with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. From East Berlin to Junction City comes an electric tale of glitter, grit and gnosis. On a revenge tour across the nation, punk icon Hedwig Robinson – backed by her band, the Angry Inch – recounts her high-octane journey in search of her other half. With a pulsing rock score, this musical triumph is for anyone who has felt that life gave them an inch when they deserved a mile.
June 9-27: Godspeed by Terence Anthony. In the home of the brave, freedom must be claimed. It’s 1865 and slavery has been abolished. Godspeed is now free to return to Texas — with a revolver, one bullet and vengeance on her mind. Joined by a Mexican gunslinger and her drunk former enslaver, she sets off on a perilous frontier journey. But a new discovery makes her question if the vendetta she desires is the justice she seeks in this regional premiere.
Aug. 11-29: An Old-Fashioned Family Murder by Joe DiPietro. There’s been a murder at the Claythorne estate. The family all have alibis, but someone is lying. When a (junior) detective arrives on the scene it’s clear that everyone is a suspect. Between jealous sisters, a dim fiancé, a pompous author, and a sharp-eyed widow, motives abound and the culprit could be anyone. Murder’s a family affair in this clever, laugh-out-loud whodunnit parody.
Dec. 2-20: All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 by Peter Rothstein, vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte, Timothy C. Takach. On the front lines of World War I, a Christmas miracle happened. World War I. In the silent Christmas Eve night, a lone soldier steps into no man’s land to sing. At war with each other, would-be enemies come together to share a holiday of camaraderie and peace. Witness this forgotten historical event in this encore performance, as soldiers from both sides unite their voices in this a cappella musical, told in the words and songs of those who lived it.
–Rich Lopez