Stage Notes: TITAS announces new season; Gregory Patterson named as PSO executive director

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

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

TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND announces 2022/23 season

TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND has announced its 2022/23 season that will feature 10 companies from four countries with five debuts. This season TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND will present a lineup of diverse talents from the U.S., Canada, Persia, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The season was announced first at T/DU’s Command Performance and Gala last Saturday at the Winspear.

“TITAS is and foremost committed to artistic excellence, and we are thrilled, after two years of a lockdown, to be back to 10 internationally touring, stellar dance companies. 2022/23 will be a fantastic season.” Charles Santos, executive director/artistic director of TITAS said in a press release. “For four decades, TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND has presented the most innovative and remarkable dance artists touring the world today. First-time audience members say ‘I had no idea dance was so cool,’ something our longtime subscribers and we have always known.”

The season will include the following performances All performances at the Moody Performance Hall unless otherwise noted:

Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Gibney Dance (USA) (Texas debut).

Oct. 28 and 29: Nrityagram Ensemble in collaboration with the Chitrasena Dance Company (India/Sir Lanka).

Nov. 11: BodyTraffic (USA) at the Winspear.

Jan. 13 and 14: Hamid Rahmaian’s Song of the North (USA/Iran) (Texas debut).

March 03 and 04: Trinity Irish Dance Company (USA) (Dallas debut).

March 17 and 18: TITAS/UNFILTERED presents Alan Lake Factori(e) (Canada) (US debut).

April 07 and 08: Greg Maqoma’s Vuyani Dance Theatre (South Africa) (Texas debut).

April 22 and 23: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (USA) at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

June 09 and 10: Ballet BC (Canada) at the Winspear,

Special events next season will include Pilobolus in the Garden at the Nasher Sculpture Center Garden with dates to be announced and T/DUs annual Command Performance and Gala set for May 6 at the Winspear.

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Undermain’s Lonesome Blues postponed until September

Due to scheduling conflicts, Undermain Theatre announced Thursday that its production of Lonesome Blues, Akin Babatundé and Alan Govenar’s solo-performer meditation on the life and songs of Blind Lemon Jefferson, will be rescheduled from June to this coming September.

The show originally premiered in 2018 at The York Theatre Company in New York starring Babatundé and was directed by Undermain Theatre Founding Artistic Director, Katherine Owens. The road back to Blind Lemon’s Deep Ellum roots has been a long one. The upcoming Dallas premiere will be directed by Babatundé and performed by J. Dontray Davis.

Blind Lemon Jefferson’s legacy and influence is told through his songs and stories in Lonesome Blues. Born blind, Jefferson expressed himself through music and was discovered on a street corner in Deep Ellum in 1925 who helped forge the growth of the blues sound.

Lonesome Blues will run from September 1-17, 2022. The production will be the final installment of Undermain’s 38th season.

Plano Symphony Orchestra announces new ED

PSO’s Gregory Patterson. (Courtesy)

A highly respected North Texas arts leader will take the helm of the PSO in May. The Plano Symphony Orchestra announced Tuesday that Gregory Patterson has been named its executive director. Patterson, formerly served as Director of Development from 2018 until now, steps into the role following his successor’s, Robert A. Reed, resignation. Patterson’s appointment was recently voted on by the PSO Board of Directors, making him ED starting May 25.

“Gregory Patterson is a proven arts leader and, over the past three years, Mr. Patterson has proven to be a tremendous asset for the PSO and our community,” PSO Board President Marion Brockette said in a press release. “Very quickly, we saw his ability to forge and strengthen relationships as a vital part of the Symphony’s growth, and I look forward to the organization’s continued success under his leadership. I have seen Mr. Patterson’s ability to provide passionate support for our North Texas community through building relationships, forging bonds, and developing new initiatives for the PSO.”

Patterson’s leadership comes at the same time as PSO is celebrating its 40th anniversary season. He commented on his new appointment and working alongside Maestro Hector Guzman.

“The PSO has already made an indelible impact on the cultural landscape of North Texas because of its exceptional musicians, staff, volunteers, and Board. I look forward to continuing our work, expanding our impact in the community here in North Texas and nationally, bringing world-class musical experiences to our community, and partnering with Maestro Hector Guzman in achieving our many goals for the future,” he said in the release.

Patterson’s resume is an impressive one with significant international experience.

Patterson’s career began at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, where he served as a development assistant for two years. He then served as Director of Public Relations and Communications for The National Ballet of Canada, touring extensively with the company across North America and Europe, including tours to New York City, London, Berlin, Paris, and Los Angeles.

In 1990, Patterson joined the English National Ballet in London, England, as the Director of External Affairs and Development and later hired as the Director of Public Relations at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (formerly Orange County Performing Arts Center) in 1992. ultimately being named Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

North Texas residents might recognize Patterson from his nine-year tenure at WaterTower Theatre in Addison, where he worked as Director of Development and later, Managing Director. After forming Gregory Patterson Consulting, LLC in 2017, some of Patterson’s clients included Kitchen Dog Theater, Bishop Arts Theater Center, and the Texas Nonprofit Theater Association, among others.

“The success of the PSO is a remarkable combination of talent and dedication, not only in musical terms but also in the everyday operations of the organization,” Maestro Hector Guzman mentioned. “I am confident that Greg Patterson will be just as dynamic, dedicated and efficient as Robert Reed… someone that will carry us to a bright future. I am looking forward to working with him.”

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