Buster Spiller - Page 2

I recently had the opportunity to chat with the director and several cast members of '12 Angry Jurors' about the often volatile subject of jury trials in America and how effective they are as a tool of justice in determining the guilt or innocence of a defendant.

There are very few long-running play festivals/competitions in North Texas and the fact TeCo Theatrical Productions, Inc. has been able to successfully produce their event for 12 years speaks volumes about their ability to sustain programming in the midst of reduced arts funding nationwide.

Two lawyers find themselves defending a wealthy white executive charged with raping a black woman. When a new legal assistant gets involved in the case, the opinions that boil beneath explode to the surface. When Mamet turns the spotlight on what we think but can't say, dangerous truths are revealed, and no punches are spared.

The story of a man/child who is constantly surrounded by happiness. However, just as he is able to find happiness, a sinister, dark force swoops in to rip it away from him. In the face of this overwhelming oppression, our hero continues to fight for his happiness in a funny, heartwarming, and truly unnerving story that culminates in a single climatic scene.

Lady Somerset finds herself hosting an amicable if mysterious weekend on her estate only to be...wait...haven't we done this before?!? A classic murder mystery setup gets a wry post-modern bludgeoning with real and smart surprises.

Dante is given a tour through the different circles of hell. As he descends further into the underworld it he finds himself slowly descending into madness and that the souls and demons he encounters aren't going to allow him to escape. This ground breaking theatrical production of Dante's Poem is done in modern English making it accessible and understandable to modern audiences. Original premiere in 2008.

Directed by Becki McDonald, who makes some excellent directing choices with her large cast of fifteen adult and children actors by combining brief oratory, traditional dialogue, and injecting cast members into the audience to DRAW viewers dead smack into the action. This created a theater experience that is equally educational, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Use of mixed media was also a component but the limitations of the performance space really hampered full immersion into the subject matter created by Robertson and Spencer in their script.

Family secrets and loyalty to friends are at the heart of Jonathan Norton's latest play 'Seek First The Kingdom of God.'

'I realized that I haven't told my own story on stage yet and I don't trust my own writing, so I thought this was a step in the right direction.' - Adam A. Anderson on his work in 'Symphony No. 8 in A Major'.

Local playwrights compete for a chance to win $1,000 cash and bragging rights for an entire year. SMU/Meadows Prize Winner Will Power facilitates.

As the play opens, all seems right in the Westmoreland household. Dayne prepares for the start of football season, and Gracie and Kendall audition to join the cast of the high school production of 'Oklahoma.' Everything quickly begins to fall apart when an unexpected tragedy rocks the solid foundation of the Westmoreland family to the breaking point. Yellow dives head first into the themes of cowardice, intolerance and the damage caused to families by secrets, rejection and the difficulty of forgiveness.

Teco Theatrical Productions has reached a milestone with its Annual New Play Competition. Now in its 10th year, this staple of the Dallas theater community celebrates six (6) local playwrights selected by a reading committee who compete for an opportunity to win $1,000 by audience vote of their favorite 1-act play.

Dallas-based playwright and 2010 Diaspora Performing Arts Commission recipient Jonathan Norton doesn't invoke the name, image, or presence of Williams in his ground-breaking stage production "My Tidy List of Terrors", based on the Atlanta Child Murders.

'Billie's Blues', an original stage play written by D/FW playwright diannetucker and directed by Sheran Goodspeed Keyton, follows the incredible yet tumultuous life of the late great American jazz singer Billie Holiday through stories and of course, soul-stirring songs.

Historically, nightclubs have always held a special place in the heart and soul of Black America. In the presence of Jim Crow laws, these establishments offered blacks a place where they could meet each other socially, dine, drink, dance provocatively, and be entertained by local or traveling performers absent the persistent racism they experienced daily.

The 2009 National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) is taking place Aug. 3-8 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Shows will be presented at multiple venues throughout the city. Ticket prices range from $7-$42. A NBTF Stimulus Discount Ticket Package is available.

Shane Arts Theatrical Ensemble Repertory has taken a different approach in telling the story of Romeo and Juliet, with a clever condensed adaptation by dramaturge David Hundsness and several standout performances, making the classic more accessible to modern audiences, particularly those unfamiliar with Shakespeare or find the genre yawn-boring.

The Man with the Pointed Toes has returned to Artisan Center Theater for a 3-week engagement, beginning Jun. 26 and running through Jul 18. The Artisan Center Theater is located at 418 E. Pipeline Rd in Hurst, Texas.

Obituary, an original work written by Dallas-based artist Akin Babatunde, takes an irreverent look at the most reverent spectacle of the human experience, that being death this Mon., Jun. 22 at 8 pm at Jubilee Theatre, located at 506 Main St. in Fort Worth, Texas.