Handsome, expressive, congenial, versatile. Longtime Dallas stage and film actor John Venable earned that reputation honestly among his peers in the DFW theatre community. For five years he has had the good fortune to join the unique ranks of actors hired to nationally tour as the solo “apologist” for the entire male gender in Rob … Continue reading
“Most guys don’t like what I do…feel they’re less of a guy around me. I take the guy spot, and they don’t know where they belong.” The female fighter pilot in Grounded Some reviews beg to be written. Second Thought Theatre’s Grounded by George Brandt has haunted me since I witnessed last Friday the 13th’s … Continue reading
I reread my first paragraph in 2014’s Best of Live Theatre in the DFW region for criticalrant.com. It still stands in 2016, a year in which my creative focus shifted tectonically. I saw fewer shows as I was busy directing, thrilled to be so doing. “I operate on the premise that a theatre’s job is … Continue reading
How do two best friends of almost 40 years celebrate the holidays together? They mount a simple little two-person show for their friends and family. Except it also happens to be the most requested show and biggest hit in Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre’s 15-year history. A Tuna Christmas, Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard’s … Continue reading
Trinity Shakespeare Festival proudly announces its productions for Summer 2017, as it enters its 9th year of audience-pleasing excellence in performance. Richard III and Measure for Measure will run in repertory June 13-July 2, 2017 on the campus of Texas Christian University. AUDITIONS FOR TRINITY SHAKESPEARE 2017 Wednesday and Thursday January 18th and 19th Open … Continue reading
Guest review by Dr. Darise Eror In the Medieval era, clergymen faced the challenge of keeping the sacred embedded and relevant in the lives of a burgeoning middle class. Their answer? Make it funny! Thus emerged the Morality and Mystery Pageant plays, which blended the sacred with the profane in absorbing, anachronism-riddled theatre. Co-writers Jeffry … Continue reading
Cara Mia Theatre Co. aims to enchant Dallas theatregoers into the holiday spirit with their original family comedy favorite Nuestra Pastorela, opening Saturday November 19th and running through Sunday December 11th at the Latino Cultural Center. Directed by top-drawer movement and combat specialist and Cara Mia member artist Jeffrey Colangelo, the family friendly play unfolds … Continue reading
#getwicked “We have party in our name? We think theatre’s a party and we want our audiences to think so to,” chuckles House Party Theatre’s Creative Director Taylor Harris, his resonant, rich voice rumbling with glee. He’s playing the title role of the company’s inaugural production of a sweet little play by William Shakespeare, Macbeth, … Continue reading
Pay attention, class. How many of you know the story of King Midas with his Golden Touch? And you think of him as a seedy, greedy dude whose ability to turn everything he touched into gold backfired on him? Big, bland moral. What a yawner. That’s one perspective. But what if there was a human, … Continue reading
With a gripping play about the timely, hot button issue of choice (as in to abort a fetus or keep it to term), few would expect four of its six characters to be men and even fewer would expect the playwright to be a white man from the Baby Boomer generation. In the case of … Continue reading
