Kyle Christopher West

The ’80s delivered endless iconic pop culture trends like leg warmers, neon, Walkmans, Whitney, and Madonna. Broadway in the ’80s also saw a unique culture shift as British mega musicals like LES MISERABLES and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA began to take over the American stage. First on the scene, though, was CATS, which uniquely married the worlds of theater, ballet, spandex, and synthesized music in 1982. And although CATS has purrhaps only grown more hair-raising with age (not to mention enhanced audience expectations), the song-and-dance spectacle continues to mesmerize and mystify audiences more than 40 years after its inception.

Fort Salem Theater is thrilled to announce their 2021 Summer series! The COVID-conscious productions will mark both the theater’s reopening from the global pandemic, as well as the official grand reopening under new venue owners and management. The curtain rises on the theater’s mainstage with The Marvelous Wonderettes (June 18-27), followed by Next to Normal (July 23-August 1). Limited tickets are available now at www.FortSalem.com.

According to a note on The Firehouse Theatre’s website, dated November 20, 2020, Artistic and Education Director has formally resigned from his duties at the theatre. New leadership positions have not been announced.

Salem for Social Justice will be showing 'Harriet' at the Courthouse lawn on October 2nd. On Sunday, October 11th, the group will be holding an Abolitionist Underground Railroad Walk from 1-3PM led by local historian Clifford Oliver starting at the Greenwich Public Library. Both events are free.

After seven years of producing live theatre in Fort Worth, Tarrant Actors Regional Theatre (TART) has announced their plan to cease operations on all mainstage productions, effective immediately. With a mission to a?oeentertain, inspire, challenge, and educate its audiences through live theatre,a?? TART has produced both plays and musicals at The Fort Worth Community Arts Center since 2013.

Texas Woman's University's College Audition Prep Program is back better than ever this year with two great options for high school musical theater and acting students: a new two week Intensive stay camp hosted by Texas Woman's University on their beautiful Denton, Texas campus OR a four day Weekend event packed with master classes, dance classes, mock auditions and college program overview presentations.

Welcome to the Bennet household, where love is a game and the stakes are higher than ever. MainStage Irving-Las Colinas kicks-off the new year with Kate Hamill's inventive adaption of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice directed by Dennis Yslas Trainor. Performances run January 24-February 8 in the Dupree Theatre at Irving Arts Center. Tickets range from $19-$28 and are on sale now at the Irving Arts Center Box Office (972-252-2787 / www.IrvingArtsCenter.com).

Newcomer Mariah Lyttle hasn't exactly pounded the New York City pavement quite yet, but it's not a reflection on her motivation or hard work. In fact, the young actress barely crossed the graduation stage before headlining a regional production of THE WIZ, which closed only moments before she booked the coveted role of Celie in the latest THE COLOR PURPLE national tour. While back at home for the holidays with her family, Ms. Lyttle sat down to share how the role has helped her find her voice, and how this classic story inspires hope and faith in audiences of all backgrounds and beliefs.

It wasn't long after moving to New York City before actress Courtnee Carter made her Broadway debut understudying the lead character Ti Moune in the highly celebrated revival of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND. This week, we caught up with Ms. Carter while on tour with the show from Charleston, North Carolina where she now performs the role full time. She spoke about breaking down barriers and building a better community through love and hope. Read our full conversation below.

It's been 38 years since Andrew Lloyd Webber's mega-hit CATS made its stage debut. 42 years earlier, T.S. Eliot had unknowingly penned the musical's lyrics in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, his 1939 collection of feline inspired poetry. While his poems were an unexpected source material for a song-and-dance operetta, the family-friendly musical quickly became a Broadway landmark, adopting the tagline a?oeNow and Forevera?? during its impressive 18-year New York City run.

Written in 2002, the Queen and Ben Elton musical WE WILL ROCK YOU has taken the globe by storm, featuring record-breaking pop and rock hits of the 1970s and beyond. Following the success of the Oscar®-winning film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” WE WILL ROCK YOU, recently returned to North America and is currently en route to Irving's Toyota Music Factory for one night only on Tuesday, October 22nd.

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, presented by the Grand Prairie Arts Council, opens at the historic Uptown Theater on Friday, October 4, 2019, and runs through Sunday, October 13, 2019. The beautifully restored 1950's theater is located at 120 E Main St, Grand Prairie, TX 75050.

The Entertainment Series of Irving is thrilled to be opening its 2019-2020 season on Saturday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m. with the Pecos River Brass Band. The concert will be held at the Irving Arts Center (3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving). Tickets are $26.50 and can be purchased by visiting www.irvingartscenter.org or calling 972-252-ARTS.

Back by popular demand, the runaway international hit is coming back to the states! Known across the globe as a?oethe ultimate-feel good show, THE CHOIR OF MAN offers up 90 minutes of indisputable joy! It's a party. It's a concert. It's a pint-filled good time that combines hair-raising harmonies, high-energy dance, and foot-stomping choreography. The multi-talented cast of nine handsome blokes sings everything a?' pub tunes, pop, Broadway, classic rock a?' all to roof-raising heights. It's the best singing, dancing, stomping, concert pub-crawl you'll ever attend.

As previously announced, MainStage Irving*Las Colinas has recently leased the former Texas Musicians Museum (222 E. Irving Blvd, Irving TX 75060), with the newly-titled MainStage 222 building set to officially open on October 3rd. But marking the inaugural performance in the new space with be the MainStage 222 Live Blues Revue, featuring DFW's most requested Blues bands on Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 6:00PM to 12:00AM. $10 general admission tickets are now available online at tickets.irvingartscenter.com/milc222. Tickets at the door will be $12 as available.

It's almost show time in downtown Irving! The Heritage District will soon be abuzz with song, dance and more with new stages recently leased by the city's premier theater group - MainStage Irving-Las Colinas. Adopting the former Texas Musicians Museum at 222 East Irving Blvd, MainStage Irving-Las Colinas will now manage the venue as MainStage 222. The non-profit organization's new home will feature indoor and outdoor stages as well as rehearsal space, storage, and a scenic-building facility. The theater company will continue its traditional production series at the Irving Arts Center. The new space will allow the organization to increase its production offerings with a variety of performances to be presented in downtown Irving.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I received an invitation to a Wine & Magic show located under an artsy Dallas apartment building. But being a sucker for live theatre, dinner and drinks (where's the dinner theatre, DFW?), I accepted with an open mind and empty stomach. And while I may not have left the captivating event with the secrets to the show, I did succeed in making some incredible eats disappear. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

How do you celebrate an expansion eighteen years in the making? You throw a swanky, "Not So Casual Affair"!