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:
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Ravel and Gershwin, Nov. 12 and 13.
Bruce Wood Dance Dallas: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Nov. 13-15 at Moody Performance Hall, pictured.
Art Centre Theatre: Don Juan Tenorio, Nov. 13-22.
The Cliburn: Daniil Trifonov, piano, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at Kimbell Art Museum.
Plano Symphony Orchestra: Vive Le France!, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Robinson Fine Arts Center.
Timeless Concerts: Germany to Hungary, 8 p.m. Nov. 14 at River Legacy Living Science Center.
The Reid Cabaret Theatre: The Music of Sinatra, Nov. 17-22 at Casa Manana.
Onstage now:
Pocket Sandwich Theatre: The Werewolf of London, through Nov. 14.
Broadway Dallas: Buena Vista Social Club, through Nov. 15.
Theatre Frisco: The Cottage, through Nov. 15 at Frisco Discovery Center, pictured.
Theatre Off the Square: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, through Nov. 15.
Rover Dramawerks: Making God Laugh, through Nov. 22 at Cox Playhouse.
Undermain Theatre: for the rest of our lives, through Nov 22.
Season announcement: The Core Theatre
The Richardson-based theater announced its new season today. This new lineup will include one original show, one new adaptation, three regional premieres and a show that recently closed on Broadway.
The season includes:
Charlie’s Aunt: This classic farce has moved from Oxford 1880 to SMU in 1927. The imminent visit of Charles Wykeham’s aunt from Brazil, Donna Lucia, provides an excuse for Charles and Jack to invite their young ladies to meet her. When a telegram arrives postponing Donna Lucia’s visit, they persuade their amiable friend Babbs to impersonate the aunt – and the fun really begins. Jan 29 – Feb 21.
The Up and Down Detective Agency: Mike Byham’s original piece is a word play spoof of Noir detective movies of the 1930s and ’40s. March 5-21.
Triangle: The Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Set against the backdrop of the historic fire of 1911, this play explores the immigrant experience then and now through the tragedy of the “fire that changed America.” June 4-24.
Marjorie Prime: In this 2017 play, Jordan Harrison explores the mysteries of human identity and the limits – if any – of what technology can replace. Aug. 6-29.
Red Velvet: This 2012 biographical historical drama by British playwright Lolita Chakrabarti explores the true, often-forgotten story of Ira Aldridge, the first Black actor to play Othello on the London stage. Oct. 1-24.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley: A sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set two years after the novel ends, this holiday show continues the story, only this time with bookish middle sister Mary as the unlikely heroine. Nov. 19-Dec. 13.
Uptown Players launches its 25th season with the Texas premiere of Designing Women
Uptown Players’ landmark 25th anniversary season begins with a queer favorite. The company will launch with the Texas premiere of Designing Women: The Play, written by television series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and directed by Linda Leonard. The comedy reunites Julia, Suzanne, Mary Jo and Charlene for a new chapter of opinions, drama and the friendship that keeps them all together.
The show runs Dec. 4-13 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.
From Uptown:
Set in pandemic-era Atlanta, the play finds Sugarbaker & Associates navigating a world in which even lifelong friends struggle to agree. Charlene’s sheltered younger sister, Haley, arrives for her first job outside the home, while Suzanne’s messy divorce and Julia’s unexpected romantic possibilities create complications of their own.
Alongside Cleo, Anthony’s cousin and a partner in the business, the women face questions of faith, sexuality, politics and belonging with the candor and comic timing that made the television series a favorite.
Bloodworth-Thomason brings her characters into a deeply divided America, testing their loyalties while celebrating women who speak their minds and the bonds that make them family.
The cast features Catherine Langley as Julia Sugarbaker, Shannon J. McGrann as Suzanne Sugarbaker, Catherine D. DuBord as Mary Jo and Rhonda Triana as Charlene, with Emery Gray as Haley, Nadirah Shakir as Cleo, Kevin Moore as Wynn and Steven ten Brink as Caulder.
To spread some holiday cheer before curtain, the Kalita lobby will be decked Uptown Players style for some added festive flair.
Tickets now available at UptownPlayers.org.
And read about the company’s big move here.
KERA profiles out dancer Andre Silva of Texas Ballet Theater
As Texas Ballet Theater readies for its annual tradition of presenting The Nutcracker, KERA recently profiled its principal dancer Andre Silva. The feature by Gabriela Passos talks with Silva about his tenure at TBT and continuing his work as he gets older.
We profiled Silva in 2023 when he was about to perform in Dracula as well as mark his 20 years with the company.
Read or watch the piece here.
The Dallas Opera’s 26/27 Hart Institute for Women Conductors participants named
Earlier this month: The Dallas Opera (TDO) announced the 2026/27 participants of its International Opera Award-winning Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors (HIWC): Sara Corriga (Italy), Mariana Corichi Gómez (Mexico), Chi-Yuan Lin (Taiwan), and Rafaela Seywald (Austria).
“These women are at the apex of great talent and charisma, who can lead musicians fearlessly,” TDO Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO David Lomelí said in a press release. “They will do great things in their career, and our monumental program is going to slingshot them into their bright futures.”
The institute began this week with virtual sessions and panels for the participants.
In January 2027, they will travel to Dallas to participate in a 10-day in-person intensive, which will include rehearsals with The Dallas Opera Orchestra, group trainings, and one-on-one sessions with master teacher Elizabeth Askren. The in-person Institute will culminate with the annual HIWC Showcase Concert on Jan. 30.
IMZ Artists brings The Gifts of Christmas to the Winspear for one night only
For the night of Dec. 11, the Winspear will transform into a larger-than-life Christmas celebration with a collective of recording artists, vocalists, live band and strings, choir, ballet,
dancers and a special appearance by Santa Claus at The Gifts of Christmas: A Grand Celebration of Holiday Music presented by music agency IMZ Artists.
The concert includes the Grammy-nominated Dallas String Quartet; pop-rock outfit Q The Band; America’s Got Talent winner Bianca Ryan; and America’s Got Talent finalists Sons of Serendip, joined by the Youth Choir of Preston Center Dance and SMU Ballet.
Following last year’s Christmas at the Winspear: A Pop-Rock Holiday Spectacular, this year’s production expands with more music, voices and dance for a night of holiday classics, high energy performances and big visual production.
Through the production, IMZ Artists will raise funds to donate violins to children pursuing interests in music.
“There’s something powerful about bringing a city together through music at Christmas,”
IMZ founder Ion Zanca said in a press release. “I’ve always loved the great Christmas traditions of cities like Vienna and London, and we want to create something with that same spirit for Dallas—one night, one stage, incredible music, and a Christmas tradition our city can call its own for generations.”
Tickets are on sale now. with a 15 percent discount for a limited time using the code EARLYBIRD15.
–Rich Lopez