The Dallas / Fort Worth Texas ('Metroplex') Theater Scene

The Dallas/Fort Worth Theater Scene:

Contrary to the opinions of many, there is a lot more to the Dallas/Fort Worth Theater Scene than touring productions of Broadway Shows.

The Metroplex Theater Scene caters to the taste of all theater-goers. Some companies specialize in revivals of the classics—while others showcase intriguing works by seasoned and newer playwrights. An extensive amount of productions have their Regional or even World Premieres in the Metroplex.

Also, Theater in the Metroplex is more than just about putting on productions—extensive educational opportunities exist for budding artists as well.

Some of the more prominent theater companies in the area are:

Casa Mañana produces and presents live professional theatre at two venues - Bass Performance Hall and Casa Mañana Theatre. Shows include national Broadway tours and self-produced shows at Bass Hall, such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Urinetown, Cats, and the upcoming Miss Saigon. The Children's Playhouse shows at Casa Mañana include world premieres, such as The Princess and the Pirate and Santa is Missing!, mixed in with recognizable titles like The Wizard of Oz and Seussical the Musical. Since it is the "house of tomorrow," Casa Mañana strives to bring challenging and thought-provoking theatre to North Texas as well. The first Silver Dome season included Proof and The Exonerated. Work to create a second Silver Dome season is underway.

Dallas Theater Center

The Dallas Theater Center produces classic, contemporary and new plays of the highest artistic quality. We will create communal experiences that inspire new ways of thinking and living. Our work will nurture and help shape the future of the American theater. Dallas Theater Center was founded in 1959. Richard Hamburger was hired in 1992 to serve as Dallas Theater Center's Artistic Director, and he continues to serve at the helm of the institution today. Under his direction, DTC has mounted landmark productions such as Angels in America, Santos & Santos and South Pacific.

Flower Mound Performing Arts Theater

The Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre (FMPAT) was founded in 1993 as Expressions Performing Arts Theatre with the mission of promoting the performing arts in North Texas with an emphasis in Flower Mound. It underwent a name change in 1998 in order to better represent it's largest sponsor, The Town of Flower Mound. FMPAT signed a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors' Equity Association in 2004, and currently provides a full season of plays and musicals along with an outstanding youth training program.

Currently running is the new musical Adventures in Love. This will be the final performance of FMPAT at is current location and past home of 7 years, The Barn Door Theatre. The new location will be announce as soon as negotiations are finalized and the 2005 Season is scheduled to resume in June 2005 with a remount of Adventures in Love and the next regularly scheduled season musical, Man of La Mancha.

Kitchen Dog Theater

Kitchen Dog Theater was founded in 1990 by five graduates of Southern Methodist University's Masters of Fine Arts acting program. After spending three intense years studying their craft at SMU, the members of KDT chose to continue their work in Dallas. The name Kitchen Dog Theater is drawn from Samuel Beckett's masterpiece Waiting for Godot. In this play, the "kitchen dog" is a symbol of the victim/participant in our society's seemingly endless cycle of ignorance and injustice. We call ourselves Kitchen Dog Theater because our work seeks to question this cycle. The KDT's current production is The Dead Monkey—a portrait of love and marriage in the 21^st Century described as being "somewhere between Strindberg and Sam Shepard."

Lyric Stage

Founded in 1993, Lyric Stage is Dallas County's only locally produced, professional musical theater company. In addition to world premieres, Lyric Stage is dedicated to the development and preservation of the American musical. Productions have included World Premieres of Roadside (the last Tom Jones/Harvey Schmidt collaboration); Richard Cory and Cather County­—and The Human Comedy—a rarely performed work.

Plano Repertory Theater

Plano Repertory Theatre (PRT) has been committed to producing quality theatre since 1975. As an artistic staple in the Plano community and a leader in the DFW theatre family, PRT is dedicated to bringing audiences and artists together through innovative productions and theatrical outreach, creating opportunities to experience a shared humanity. PRT has won numerous awards, accolades and commendations for its artistic excellence. Shows spotlighted for their excellence include, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Swing!, The Drawer Boy, Violet and Steve Martin's The Underpants.

Pocket Sandwich Theater

Founded in 1980 by "two guys who wished to produce perhaps a dozen shows which they had both long wished to do.", the Pocket Sandwich Theater consists of unabashedly "entertainment" shows—comedies and melodramas. They began with the old American Chestnut, The Drunkard, with a hero to cheer, heroine to sigh for, and villain to jeer at and toss popcorn. They have produced 190 shows, from their comedy spoofs (Attack! Of The Killer Mutant Leeches) to heavier entertainment (Inherit the Wind, Crimes of the hH Heart). Their musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol has been performed for 24 consecutive holiday seasons.

Theatre Three

TheatreThree began in 1961. The theatre is named to honor the three ingredients that are viewed to be equally important in Theatre—the gifts of the playwright, the zeal of the artists, and the talent of the audience. Theatre Three has staged Dallas premieres of the works by Edward Albee, August Wilson, Harold Pinter, Alan Ayckbourn, Tom Stoppard and Michael Fryn. Theatre Three has been the Southwest's leading producer of musicals by Stephen Sondheim. Two Pulitzer-Prize Winners—Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart) and Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife) began their theatrical careers as performers with Theatre Three.

The Uptown Players

Uptown Players hit the Dallas theater scene in December 2001 with their production of When Pigs Fly. Since then founders and co-producers Jeff Rane and Craig Lynch have sought out provocative, challenging dramatic plays, comedies and musicals to produce, most of which are regional premieres. While much of their content involves gay themes or undertones, more than forty percent of Uptown Players' audience consists of straight couples -- theater-goers looking for shows that many of the other local companies won't touch. Their productions showcase diverse contemporary and alternative life experiences and explore the complex issues of relationships, family, prejudice, and values. Last season's productions were: The Life - A show about hookers in Times Square (circa early 1980's); Red Scare On Sunset; Love! Valord

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