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    Actor Spotlight

    Dallas actor Akron Watson channels '70s funk for Fortress of Solitude

    Lindsey Wilson
    Mar 10, 2014 | 8:43 am

    Even if you've never read The Fortress of Solitude, the title might sound familiar. Dallas Theater Center is adapting the popular coming-of-age novel into a stage musical (which Time.com noted as one to watch), and author Jonathan Lethem visited the DMA last month to talk about the process of bringing his story from the page to the stage.

     

    Likewise, even if you don't immediately recognize the name Akron Watson, chances are you've seen his work. The Dallas native last graced the DTC stage in Kevin Moriarty's reimagined A Christmas Carol as Bob Cratchit, and he was in 2011's To Kill a Mockingbird. But he's also popped up on practically every Dallas-Fort Worth stage from Theatre Three to Lyric Stage to Casa Mañana.

     

    Add on a featured role in the TV series Friday Night Lights and a controversial appearance on American Idol, and Watson is a memorable performer.

     

    Catch him in The Fortress of Solitude at Dallas Theater Center through April 6, and stay late after the show as he moderates a talk-back with the audience. Watson recently took the time to fill out our survey of serious, fun and sometimes ridiculous questions.

     

     Name: Akron Watson

     

     Role in The Fortress of Solitude: Subtle Distinction. I wish I could say more.

     

     Previous work in the DFW area: So many shows I am proud of. A few are The Shipment, Undermain Theatre; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Theatre Three; Diary of a Worm, Dallas Children's Theater; and Fences, African American Rep.

     

     Hometown: Right here in Dallas. Pleasant Grove, to be specific.

     

     Where you currently reside: Old East Dallas

     

     First theater role: Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol at my church

     

     First stage show you ever saw: An original piece about the story of David and Goliath at my elementary school

     

     Moment you decided to pursue a career in theater: I don't recall a specific moment. A number of people and places helped me decide — the exceptional educators at Collin County Community College, playing Mercutio in a re-envisioned version of Romeo & Juliet and super supportive parents.

     

     Most challenging role you've played: Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird at Dallas Theater Center. He had such a beautifully simple mind and such a pivotal role in an American classic story.

     

     Special skills: Um, singing? You can't tell from this, but I'm a pretty great writer. I'll prove that one day.

     

     Something you're REALLY bad at: I plead the fifth!

     

     Current pop culture obsession: Instagram! Facebook! Basically my cellphone.

     

     Last book you read: I'm going to name drop real quick: The Actor and the Target, given to me by DTC Resident Acting Company member and SMU professor Michael Connolly. Great guy, great book.

     

     Favorite movie(s): Epics and sci-fi, anything Marvel, all the new Batmans, Gladiator

     

     Favorite musician(s): John Legend

     

     Favorite song: "All of Me"

     

     Dream role: Coalhouse in Ragtime

     

     Favorite play(s): Tempest, All My Sons, Top Dog/Underdog, all things August Wilson

     

     Favorite food: Salmon

     

     Must-see TV show(s): I never watch TV.

     

     Something most people don't know about you: People don't know those things for a reason.

     

     Place in the world you'd most like to visit: London, Australian, Russia — all to audition.

     

     Pre-show warm-up: "Trinida and the big Mississippi, and the town Honolulu, and the Lake Titicaca, the popacatapital is not in Canada, rather in Mexico Mexico Mexico, Canada, Malaga, Remedy Brendesey, Tibet, Tibet Tibet ..."

     

     Favorite part about your current role: The dancing. The feeling of moving to a vibe of the '70s: funk!

     

     Most challenging part about your current role: The dancing!

     

     Most embarrassing onstage mishap: Once I wore boxers in a scene without a button. It was a very intimate black box theater full of family and friends. It was a really long scene. Many times in the scene I was blocked to walk downstage toward the audience and just stand and deliver. I could literally feel the eyes ... smh ...

     

     Career you'd have if you weren't a performer: Math teacher or accountant

     

     Favorite post-show spot: A booth with the cast, with a table covered in Mexican food and tequila

     

     Favorite thing about Dallas-Fort Worth: The space, the job market, the prices and DTC

     

     Most memorable theater moment: Breaking down into tears during a rehearsal of To Kill A Mockingbird as Tom Robinson. All the pressure and power of representing a man, a family and an entire race wrapped in such a simple set of answers. The complex nature of his disposition: innocent but filled with guilt, terrified but just brave enough, tortured. It was a breakthrough for me as an actor and as a black man to find Tom Robinson and live as him onstage.

     

    Akron Watson starring in To Kill a Mockingbird.

    "To Kill a Mockingbird" at Dallas Theater Center
      
    Photo by Karen Almond
    Akron Watson starring in To Kill a Mockingbird.
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    Theater Critic Picks

    From Wilde to 'The Wiz': 8 unmissable July shows in North Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 2, 2025 | 10:18 am
    Second Thought Theatre presents Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Photo courtesy of Second Thought Theatre
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    Your instinct during the summer might be to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, and there are plenty of options to do exactly this month. But we would be remiss if we didn't remind you about a North Texas tradition: Shakespeare under the stars. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and watch The Bard (and this year Oscar Wilde) at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater with Shakespeare Dallas. Both shows opened in June, but continue through most of July.

    Here are eight shows local shows, listed in order of start date:

    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 18
    This witty romantic comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895, tells the story of two men who assume the identities of a fictional man named Ernest. This leads them to each fall in love and encounter an assortment of comical problems along the way.

    Othello
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 20
    In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly but brilliant enemy. This production is set in an alternate-history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power.

    King Kirby
    American Chronicle Theatre Co., July 4-12
    This is the story of Jack "King of Comics" Kirby. The play follows him from the tough Jewish ghetto of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, to the harrowing battlefields of Normandy during WWII, to tense Senate hearings in the 1950s. Watch as he creates some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture: Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the New Gods, and countless others.

    Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Second Thought Theatre, July 9-26
    Written by Second Though Theatre artistic associate Jenny Ledel in her playwriting premiere, the play takes place in the near future, as Jane takes advantage of a new AI technology that would extend her lifespan ... even if she's not around to see it for herself.

    The Wiz
    Broadway at the Bass, July 15-20
    This all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical returns “home” in an all-new pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. The groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway, from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

    Noises Off
    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 18-August 2
    This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Playwright Michael Frayn gives a window into the inner workings of theatre behind-the-scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance.

    Everybody's Talking About Jamie
    Uptown Players, July 18-August 3
    Inspired by true events, this musical tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations.

    Shucked
    Broadway at the Bass, July 29-August 3
    This Tony Award-winning musical comedy features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy an appetite for great musical theater.

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