Theater Critic Picks

These are the 8 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for November

Have you recovered from October yet? If you're still craving culture, November doesn't disappoint. Everything from cats to kids and ghosts to actors will be onstage, as local favorites return and national tours stop by.

Here are the 8 shows to see in order by start date:

Annie
Casa Mañana, November 2-10
This show has some of the greatest musical theater hits ever written, including "Tomorrow" and "It's a Hard-Knock Life." With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage, Annie escapes the cruel Miss Hannigan to the wondrous world of NYC, where adventures await.

Cats
Dallas Summer Musicals, November 5-17
This record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages. It tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn.

The Thanksgiving Play
Undermain Theatre, November 6-December 1
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse's wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally "woke" teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.

Queen of Basel
Kitchen Dog Theater, November 21-December 15
It’s Art Basel, Miami's weeklong party for the rich and famous, where real estate heiress Julie reigns over the blowout her mogul father is throwing at his South Beach hotel. But after tangling with her father and a run-in with a tray of cocktails, Julie plots her next move in the hotel's barely used storage kitchen in this play by Hilary Bettis.

A Christmas Carol
Dallas Theater Center, November 21-December 29
Written by Charles Dickens, adapted by Kevin Moriarty, and directed by Joel Ferrell, this adaptation of Dickens' classic has three spirits coming to visit the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Brandon Potter) and take him on a fantastic journey through Christmases past, present, and future.

Dear Evan Hansen
Dallas Summer Musicals, November 26-December 8
A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Tony Award winner Steven Levenson; a score by Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Tony Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif.

Swimming While Drowning
Cara Mía Theatre Co., November 29-December 15
Angelo and Mila are fifteen and homeless. Angelo is a dreamer, Mila is a street-wise hustler, but when they become roommates at a shelter for LGBTQ teens, they build a fragile bond that inspires them to reach for understanding and self-acceptance. Emilio Rodriguez's poetic coming-of-age story celebrates the healing power of hope and the beautiful mystery of being a teenager.

Noises Off
Theatre Three, November 29-December 22
They say all the world is a stage, but perhaps the drama behind-the-scenes is where the real story is at. This play by Michael Frayn provides a sneak peek onstage and backstage of an amateur traveling theater production, from final rehearsals through opening night and the subsequent touring season. But can this troupe keep their offstage antics behind the curtain, or will the drama waiting in the wings find its way center stage?

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Hilary Bettis' Queen of Basel.

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Queen of Basel

Photo by Matt Mrozek

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Hilary Bettis' Queen of Basel.

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Museum News

2 Dallas museums partner on landmark Roy Lichtenstein acquisition

Courtesy

Roy Lichtenstein

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) and the Nasher Sculpture Center will present works from the joint acquisition of more than 50 artworks generously gifted by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation in 2024, showing prints, drawings, and sculptures by the groundbreaking American artist at the two neighboring institutions in the Dallas Arts District.

According to a release, the installations will be on view from January 31 to August 16, 2026 at the Nasher and from January 1 to July 5, 2026 at the DMA.

The joint gift made by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation to the DMA and the Nasher in Celebration of the Centennial of Roy Lichtenstein is comprised of a selection of prints, drawings, maquettes, and sculptures by Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), a leading figure in twentieth-century American art and a pioneer of the Pop Art movement.

The works were specifically selected by the curatorial staff of both institutions and relate to objects already in their respective collections including sculptures, works on paper, and maquettes, along with tools and study objects.

Organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center’s Senior Curator Dr. Catherine Craft, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the DMA Ade Omotosho, and The Allen and Kelli Questrom Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings at the DMA Dr. Emily Friedman, the presentation is divided according to each institution’s strengths and will be shown in combination with objects by Lichtenstein already in their respective permanent collections.

At the Nasher, works relating to three sculptures from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection—Head with Blue Shadow, Peace through Chemistry, and Double Glass—will be accompanied by a selection from the Foundation's gift of more than two dozen drawings and maquettes associated with Lichtenstein’s Brushstroke sculptures.

At the Dallas Museum of Art, the presentation features a set of Brushstroke sculptures carved from wood alongside various prints and studies that reveal the artist’s eclectic imagery.

Events
In addition to the exhibition, the DMA and the Nasher will co-host a Study Day focused on the artist on March 28, 2026, sponsored by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. This scholarly event will bring together a variety of curators, academics, and conservators to discuss Lichtenstein’s studio practice and the fabrication and conservation of his sculptures.

Concluding the Study Day will be a public conversation held at the DMA between Nasher Director Carlos Basualdo and artist Alex Da Corte, regarding Da Corte’s work on the forthcoming Lichtenstein retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

“In bestowing this generous gift, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation established Dallas as a center for the study and display of Lichtenstein’s work,” Basualdo says in a statement. “This collaborative presentation of the gift and the corresponding programming is an important step in the direction of pursuing that goal, deepening the understanding of an artist who remains immensely influential to contemporary art and its relationship with mass media and today’s culture.”

Roy Lichtenstein is made possible by support from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District (DTPID).

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