Buster Spiller

Uptown Players delivers a ROUSING production of the Award-Winning musical Kinky Boots!

Katy Tye and Jeffrey Coangelo discuss movement theater on the cusp of their latest production, 'Prism.'

But even this self-professed Grinch has a soft spot so when my favorite children's Christmas tale The Little Drummer Boy comes on, I'm fixed in front of the TV like I was as a young boy and often find myself crying because the message in the story transcends a religious and biblical one; it is a story about the best in humanity. That childlike fascination and sentiment was evoked recently during Teco Theatrical Productions updated and modern version of Langstan Hughes The Black Nativity, produced annually by the company. I have seen many versions of this show, and nearly every one staged by Teco, and I can say with utter confidence this is by far the BEST Nativity I have ever witnessed. It's that good!

Based on the number of U.S. residents who participated in the recent midterm elections, the lowest turnout since 1942, Kitchen Dog Theater's recent production of "The Arsonists", written by Max Frisch in 1953 is a stark reminder the old adage "art imitating life" can easily be rephrased to say "art IS life." And the parallels between this play and the inertia of the American voting public, which seems to get worst, is a somber cue that if citizens don't take serious the business of their daily lives, individuals with misplaced and misguided intentions are more than willing to cajole them and turn their lives upside down. Now to be certain, this story pulls you in IMMEDIATELY and you will laugh at what you see because it seems very 'familiar', and actually, it IS familiar. It is us. It is our story. We live it every day. As Americans, we love baseball, apple pie, cooing babies, and happy endings. You know, the perfect Norman Rockwell picture ending. We are nostalgic to a fault and want everything to blissfully continue without too much changing. In fact, we detest change despite our words to the contrary.

It is in this setting that the regional production of "Detroit 67", written by Detroit native Dominique Morisseau and produced by the African American Repertory Theater (AART) takes place. In what can be a story easily dismissed as regional, of interest only to people familiar with the rise and fall of the city, Morisseau's colorful and fluid writing style complete with vernacular of that period, along with great direction and blocking creates a theatrical setting in which one is completely absorbed into the story and its place in U.S. history.

According to the Roman Catholic Church, these things are true regarding purgatory. One, it is real ("Ok, I'll go along with this"). Two, it's not a second chance at heaven if you screwed up on earth. It's just a docking place for you to do some last minute purification since nothing unclean can enter the heavenly realm ("I don't think that's fair"). Three, it's not an actual place but a state of being ("Like Nirvana-ish?"). Four, it's not punishment but rather an act of mercy by God ("SIGH of relief!"). Five, prayers for spirits in purgatory help them get to heaven (Hmmm…I don't know if I want sinners praying for me, especially those Christians). Six, souls in purgatory can't pray for themselves but can pray for those still on earth ("that is WAY weird!"). Seven, people send themselves to purgatory IF they are saved first, God doesn't do it for them ("Free will! Yep, I'm onboard!"). And eight, there is no fire in purgatory ("Even BIGGER SIGH of relief!").

Americans are particularly spoiled when it comes to what we expect from films, television, and theater. We have to have a presentation that follows a very predicable format, including a likeable hero or heroine, antagonist, life conflict that mirrors our own, and a climax in which good wins over evil. We want to leave these experiences feeling completely uplifted and good about ourselves. What is perceived as negative isn't even part of our collective consciousness.

Contemporary Theatre of Dallas "Little Women" JUMPS off the pages

Despite its billing of a tale woven in the Louisiana bayou during the 21st century as written by 2013 MacArthur Foundation Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney, 'The Brothers Size' actually has its genesis in some West African village over 3,700 miles away across the Atlantic Ocean, serving as a cultural bridge connecting the ancient with the contemporary. With musician S-Ankh Rasa who hails from Dakar, Senegal operating as a silent but completely integrated spiritual guide with his solitary drum, unseen to the characters but very present to the audience, the beats which emanate from his instrument creates the storytelling space for three modern day male griots to narrate a tale so visually moving and powerful that it simples leave you speechless from start to finish. Under the outstanding production team of director Tre Garrett and assistant director George W. Donaldson III, running at one hour and 15 minutes, the show reviewed was one of several preview shows before the production opens on Fri., Oct. 3.

In today's world, marriage is an optional life choice for couples versus previous generations where it was expected that adults would marry, procreate children, grow old, and eventually die having completed their primary life's function. Even though those family structures may have included outside children born out of wedlock by a husband committing adultery, children and their mothers who were either ignored or treated like they didn't exist, the primary family unit remained intact. In Melissa Ross's "Thinner than Water," currently in production at Kitchen Dog Theater, you realize despite advancements we have made as a global society in a number of areas, this component of the human condition is still alive and well.

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.