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.

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.

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.

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"!

Texas-born Brooke Singer is no stranger to the stage. In fact, she's been performing professionally since before most of her peers had picked their first extra-curricular activity. And now, after years of sailing the world playing famous Disney characters like Belle and performing in the world premiere of the stage version of TANGLED, she's got an opportunity to show off her less family-friendly skills by taking the new stage musical version of the nostalgic 90's film Cruel Intentions on the road. We caught up between shows while the tour was stopped in sunny Washington DC. Read more, below:

This weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, actress Molly Franco took the stage as Dorothy in Casa Mañana's production of THE WIZARD OF OZ. When Franco learned that members of the deaf community were in the audience on Thursday evening, she sought permission to adjust the blocking of the show's iconic song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to incorporate American Sign Language into her performance.

The 2019 Ritz Theatre season will open with 'John & Jen' at 7:35 p.m. April 4-6 and at 2 p.m., April 7 at the Ritz Theatre, 111 W. Third St., Sheffield. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. 'John & Jen' is a musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and book by Lippa and Greenwald. Lippa went on to write the music and lyrics for the stage musicals 'Wild Party', 'The Addams Family' and 'Big Fish.'

Plaza Theatre Company is pleased to announce auditions for its upcoming production of Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA. The production will be directed by JaceSon P. Barrus with assistant direction by Kimberly Billins-Oliver and Jay Cornils, stage management by Lindsay Batt, choreography by Tabitha Ibarra and assistant choreography by Eden Barrus and Alina Jennings.

Dallas' newest musical, The Manufactured Myth of Eveline Flynn debuts tonight on the mainstage at Theatre Three. The musical is written by locals Ian Ferguson (music and lyrics) and Michael Federico (book) and runs January 31st-February 24th. The official opening night is scheduled for Monday, February 4th, but preview performances are open to the public. Tickets and more information can be found at www.Theatre3Dallas.com.

This Friday, February 1st, Plaza Theatre Company opens DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL at PlazaCo's Dudley Hall location at 305 S. Anglin Street in Cleburne, TX opening on February 1st and playing thru March 2nd, 2019. Tickets are more information at www.plaza-theatre.com