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    FIT Coverage

    First half of independent theater fest highlights some of Dallas' best

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 18, 2017 | 4:41 pm

    Opening weekend was a good indicator of quality for this year's Festival of Independent Theatres, which boasts its strongest lineup in years. Of the eight one-act shows featured in repertory during the three-week fest, audiences got to experience a little bit of everything with the first four, all of which opened July 14-16.

     

    For those unfamiliar with how FIT works, the approximately 50-minute shows are paired up in two-show blocks (which change throughout the festival). So it's entirely feasible to take in 50 percent of the festival in one weekend sitting. The smartest option is to buy a pass, but no matter your ticket situation, you'll want to get to the Bath House Cultural Center early. Competition is cutthroat for seats this year, especially to FIT's big-name offerings.

     

    One of those would be The Boxer, a live silent movie-style rom-com written and directed by Matt Lyle. It actually premiered at FIT 10 years ago with the same two leads: Jeff Swearingen as the Depression-era pugilist and Kim Lyle as Velma, a plucky gal masquerading as a man in order to find work. It's a meet-cute with baggy trousers, as Velma accidentally punches out the Boxer's trainer and then steps in to take his place, all the while trying to suppress her growing feelings for the scrappy fighter.

     

    Heightened physical comedy and a few choice lines (mouthed, of course, while dialogue cards appear on the screen behind) lay the groundwork for this show's charming conceit, but it's the music design by pianist B. Wolf and foley work from Johnny Sequenzia that really give it legs. The Boxer has been knocking around fringe festivals and regional theaters ever since its debut in 2007, but it's clear audiences are thrilled to have it back home in Dallas.

     

    Two other FIT participants with major seniority are WingSpan Theatre Co. and Echo Theatre. The former is a founding member of the festival while the latter has performed during 17 of FIT's 19 years. But audiences probably won't be clamoring for Echo to bring back this year's offering, a choppy adaptation of Ali Smith's tedious and little-performed play Trace of Arc. Saints history, crusading eco-warriors, class struggles, and a litany of advertising jingles all congeal in a gummy mess under longtime Echo producer Kateri Cale in her first foray into directing (she also adapted the script).

     

    Meanwhile, Susan Sargeant wrings every bit of dark humor and loaded wordplay from Edward Albee's Finding the Sun, about a tangled web of families and lovers (both current and ex) on a beach seeking vitamin D and connection. The cast moves at a brisk clip, dancing over Albee's sometimes shocking conversations with glee and making an obtuse romp in the sand pleasantly accessible.

     

    But nothing pierces through humanity's hard shell like Sherry Jo Ward's one-woman play Stiff, about her diagnosis and ongoing acceptance of a (literally) one-in-a-million disease called Stiff Person's Syndrome. Ward was an acclaimed and in-demand actor in the DFW area until her body began mysteriously seizing and locking up a few years ago. She briefly continued to act until Echo Theatre's production of Precious Little in 2015, during which she used a cane and relied on cleverly staged opportunities to sit or lean against furniture, and Circle Theatre's Who Am I This Time? (And Other Conundrums of Love) in 2017.

     

    Now back onstage, Ward reminds audiences of her captivating nature with a brutally honest look at how living with this rare disease has changed every aspect of her life. She is equal parts devastating and hilarious, peppering her script with blue humor and raw confessions (plus some well-timed visual aids, designed for the big screen by Jaymes Gregory), and is quietly helped along when necessary by director Marianne Galloway. It's a show — and a performance — that will be talked about for years to come.

     

    ---

     

     The Festival of Independent Theatres continues through August 5, and includes the shows Fiddler's Cave, The Great Dictator, The Caveman Play, and Tommy Cain.

    Risk Theater Initiative presents Sherry Jo Ward in her one-woman play Stiff.

    Stiff at FIT
      
    Photo by Thomas Ward
    Risk Theater Initiative presents Sherry Jo Ward in her one-woman play Stiff.
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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 extended to July 26
    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.

    broadway at the bassmusicalsnational tourplayssecond thought theatreuptown playersshakespeare under starsshakespeare in the parktheater
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