Stage Notes: Theatre Too’s popular production returns; new seasons from TCTP, Second Thought

Theatre Three will bring back its longest running musical this month. The romantic comedy written by Joe DiPietro with a score by Jimmy Roberts takes on the quirks and joys of love audiences whether people are single, in a relationship, or married forever. Directed by Alejandro Saucedo, ILYYPNC will open Jan. 18-Feb. 25 in the downstairs Theatre Too space at T3.

“I am excited for the opportunity to reimagine a Theatre Three classic and highlight different experiences in the 2024 production,” Saucedo said in a press release. “Romance, alongside the hope and hilarious disappointment that comes with it, is for everybody and that is my vision for bringing I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change to the new year.”

T3 will make the Valentine’s Day performance a bit more special for date night — and we’re loving how liberal they are about it.

Group pricing for this special event is available for couples ($150 for two tickets), Throuples ($180 for three tickets), Double Dates ($200 for four tickets), and Key Parties ($400 for ten tickets). Those attending this performance will receive champagne, chocolates and flowers.

This year’s cast features Brett Warner, Samantha Padilla, Jonah Munroe, Kevin Solis with understudies Jaclyn Gonzalez Stapp and Andre’ Williams. Along with Saucedo, the creative team includes music direction by Cody Dry, Stage Manager Claire Boschert, scenic design by Jeffrey Schmidt, lighting by Imani McCants, Costume Designer Karina Sanchez and Props Design by Sarah Barnes.

Tickets are available here.

Second Thought Theatre announces season packed with premieres

Second Thought Theatre: Jose Torres (Technical Director), Carson McCain (Artistic Director), Parker Gray (Executive Director), Sasha Maya Ada (Marketing Director) (Photo by Evan Michael Woods]

Second Thought Theatre stated that this new season for 2024 was curated to foster empathy. This also marks the company’s 20th year. This season will feature three premieres as well as STT’s new playwriting initiative. The seasons will begin in spring and conclude in fall over the course of three productions.

Throughout the year, STT will host its inaugural Thought Process: A Playwriting Cohort. The year-long, monthly meeting of local writers will offer a safe, low-stakes space for playwrights to interact with their peers, share pages to write.

“Opportunities for theater artists in DFW are growing and when Carson and I looked around the community for ways to continue serving and cultivating the incredible talent we have in the Metroplex, one group stood out to us: playwrights,” STT Executive Director said. “There are so many incredible writers we know here in DFW, and many, I’m sure, we have not been introduced to yet. However, opportunities for local writers to develop and experiment with their work are few and far between. So, enter [the] Thought Process. That’s what we want to offer: a safe, supportive, and enticing space for local writers to ‘write around and find out.'”

Interested playwrights should click here for more information.

The season includes:

March 27-April 13: Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery. This regional premiere will be directed by Jay Duffer with Alejandro Saucedo serving as assistant director. Heroes is “intentionally selected for a Dallas audience in an election year,” Executive Director Parker Gray said in the season announcement.

It’s nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four young conservatives have gathered at a backyard after-party. They’ve returned home to toast their mentor Gina, newly inducted as president of a tiny Catholic college. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and clashing generational politics, it becomes less a celebration than a vicious fight to be understood. On a chilly night in the middle of America, Will Arbery’s haunting play offers grace and disarming clarity, speaking to the heart of a country at war with itself.

The play was a 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Drama Finalist and winner of the 2020 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, and Whiting Award for Drama.

June 26-July 13: WINK by Jen Silverman. This regional premiere, directed by Jenna Burnett, will star Garret Storms as Wink the Cat.

Sofie is an unhappy housewife. Gregor is her bread-winning husband. Dr. Franz is their psychiatrist. Wink is the cat. And Gregor has just skinned the cat. Violent desires, domestic terrorism, and feline vengeance at any cost make WINK a dark comedy about the thin, thin line between savagery and civilization.

“Few things in this world make sense to me,” Gray stated. “But four things that make absolute, perfect sense to me? The combination of a Jen Silverman play, directed by Jenna Burnett, starring Garret Storms as a cat, and all on a Second Thought stage. That’s a perfect, wacky, holy, theatrical quadrinity if you ask me.”

Oct. 16-Nov. 2: hang by debbie tucker green is a national premiere and directed by Sasha Maya Ada. His life. In her hands. green’s hang is a shattering play about one woman’s unspeakable decision.

“This play is a punch. When Carson and I read this play, we knew that Sasha Maya Ada needed to direct it. Admirers of Second Thought’s 2022 hit production of Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over can expect Sasha and Second Thought to deliver a similar, but altogether singular experience with this American premiere by debbie tucker green that will be sure to leave you talking in the parking lot afterwards.”

Tickets and subscriptions are now available here.

The Classics Theatre Project has announced its 2024 season

TCTP went all out with a 2024 Season Announcement Party last month at Bitter Sisters Brewery that featured music, a silent auction, staged readings and more. The company announced its four shows for the year that will begin in March. All performances will be held at the Stone Cottage in Addison.

TCTP’s new season includes:

March 8-April 13: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by Jackie L. Kemp.

May 5-June 17: Oleanna by David Mamet, directed by April Miller.

July 8-Aug. 24: True West by Sam Shepard and directed by Terry Martin.

Fall dates TBD: Hamlet by William Shakespeare and directed by Joey Folsom.

Ticket sales have not yet been announced.

ICYMI

In my piece for our end-of-year issue, Stage Notes: A look back at the theater of 2023, I focused on the many women who made such huge impacts on theater in the past year for me. Whether they were onstage or behind or subjects of the plays, women’s voices were louder and glorious in 2023. In my write-up, I focused on the shows and actors I had seen personally which would naturally lead to omissions of others.

Thankfully, I’ve received emails of who shouldn’t go unnoticed and I want to include that here. And welcome more and more. While all of theater is a creative collaborative process, to me, it was clear, the women and female presenting creatives of area theater are total badasses.

From Denise Lee:

Everyone of those women and theatres deserved all of the praise given but I was very disappointed to see there was no mention of Teresa Coleman Wash and/or Bishop Arts Theatre Center. This is, at least, the 3rd time I’ve noticed the omission of this woman’s contributions to the community and I’m just curious why she keeps getting overlooked.

Teresa and her team kicked off their 30th Season at Bishop Arts Theatre with an adaptation of Othello, written by a Latino playwright with an African American Woman in the title role.. But despite the best efforts, not only could they not get media’s attention to cover the piece, she couldn’t get people to even acknowledge the major 30 year accomplishment. and what she has had to overcome to get Bishop Arts where it is today. Not only is this a theatre, whose Founder and Executive Director is a woman of color, the theatre, formerly TECO, and Teresa are NATIONALLY known for her accomplishments. They OWN the building where the theatre is housed and consistently operate in the black -something very few theatres, if any can claim. She produces a very successful jazz series that supports national and local musicians. There is a summer program for children and they continue to support local playwrights and budding directors.

Please know I have been, and continue to be, a friend and fan of the Dallas Voice FOR YEARS!! It’s just when I see an article written about the accomplishments of Women in our community that have made significant contributions to the theatrical community, I don’t understand how Teresa’s name and Bishop Arts Theatre are not on peoples radar.

My only objective is to uplift and raise awareness about a Female run theater that has consistently supported local actors, playwrights and creatives, And they have done it despite the many building blocks stacked against them, including hometown recognition.

–Rich Lopez