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Sam Lisman

Sam Lisman

Sam Lisman works for a leading software company in the multi-family housing industry. An expatriate Vermonter, he’s lived in Plano, TX for over two decades, in large part because he loves Texas winters. Ancient Greek having been too difficult for him, he holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago.

Sam was a 2021 Dallas Burke to Buckley Fellow at the National Review Institute. Never one for half measures, Sam attends roughly two hundred live performances a year.

The first play he ever saw was The Tempest, when he was five or six years old, during which he was convinced that Caliban was the lead character.  He distinctly recalls Caliban's leg twitching in ecstasy as Stephano scratched his forehead like a puppy.

After attending a performance of Troilus and Cressida during college, he named his first cat after the play's hero (which he slightly regretted once he read Chaucer's version – and after realizing that naming the cat after a warrior may have influenced his personality).

His greatest aspiration in life is to play boogie-woogie on the piano, but, as an inveterate procrastinator, he recognizes that his lack of discipline (and fondness for naps) will most likely thwart his ambition. 

Convinced social media does more harm than good, he avoids it as much as he does physical exercise, but he can be reached at selisman@earthlink.net.




LEARN MORE ABOUT Sam Lisman

First Show:

The Tempest (local) / Peter Pan (Broadway)

Favorite Show:

The Book of Mormon / Gary, the Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Favorite Stories:



MOST POPULAR ARTICLES


Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Broadway Dallas
Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Broadway Dallas
April 19, 2024

Girl from the North Country fails to deliver on the promise of a Bob Dylan-Conor McPherson collaboration. Dylan famously asked, how does it feel? In this play, not so good.

Review: DEAR BRUTUS at MainStage Irving-Los Colinas
Review: DEAR BRUTUS at MainStage Irving-Los Colinas
March 21, 2024

I'm very thankful MainStage Irving-Los Colinas decided to include Dear Brutus in this year’s season, as many people (myself included) would otherwise never experience its magic. And it is magical, both in its setting and in this performance.

Review: POTUS: OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE at Stage West Theatre
Review: POTUS: OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE at Stage West Theatre
March 21, 2024

A truly funny - but very off-color - satire of American government and those we let run it. The purpose of a review should be to tell you what the play is about (without spoiling too much) and whether it’s worth your valuable time and money. 

Review: ANN at WaterTower Theatre
Review: ANN at WaterTower Theatre
February 22, 2024

Ann Richards was probably the luckiest politician in Texas history. The incumbent State Treasurer (not exactly a high-profile partisan office) in 1990, she was the Democrats choice to run for Governor.

Review: LES MISERABLES at Broadway Dallas
Review: LES MISERABLES at Broadway Dallas
February 22, 2024

The era of the seemingly endless tour brought Les Misérables back to DFW during Christmas.  I hadn’t seen it on stage in about a decade (let’s not talk about seeing it on film), so it seemed to be an appropriate time to revisit it. 

Review: KING LEAR at Shakespeare Dallas
Review: KING LEAR at Shakespeare Dallas
October 4, 2023

With temperatures finally dropping, now is the perfect time to go to the Park and see this outstanding cast bring this drama to life with passion and verve. This production is simply too good to miss.

Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Bass Hall
Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Bass Hall
September 30, 2023

Bass Hall is a lovely host for an excellent recreation of Harper Lee’s seminal work.

Review: AVENUE Q at Theatre Arlington
Review: AVENUE Q at Theatre Arlington
September 8, 2023

Avenue Q at Theatre Arlington remains as fresh, funny, and feisty as it’s ever been

Review: THE OTHER JOSH COHEN at Circle Theatre
Review: THE OTHER JOSH COHEN at Circle Theatre
September 7, 2023

The Other Josh Cohen is a delightful musical with a light-hearted tone that belies its deep morality, all while boasting a great cast a strong musical book.

Review: AS YOU LIKE IT at Fair Assembly
Review: AS YOU LIKE IT at Fair Assembly
August 9, 2023

If you’re only going to produce one show a year, as, to date, Fair Assembly does, you’d best make the most of it.  And once again, they’ve done exactly that, putting together a production that deserves a larger audience than the upstairs studio theater at The Wyly Theater can provide.

Review: GOIN' HOLLYWOOD at WaterTower Theatre
Review: GOIN' HOLLYWOOD at WaterTower Theatre
August 4, 2023

Although Goin' Hollywood was wonderfully performed, the ambitious new musical's story just couldn't match the efforts of its designers and actors.

Review: MISS MOLLY: A MARITAL DECEIT OF HONEST INTENTIONS at Amphibian Stage
Review: MISS MOLLY: A MARITAL DECEIT OF HONEST INTENTIONS at Amphibian Stage
August 4, 2023

Miss Molly is wickedly clever satire that would do Oscar Wilde proud. Amphibian Stage has produced an excellent show, that while not for every audience, is too good to miss.






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