Season Announcement

Dallas-Fort Worth theater casts a spooky spell with 2021 streaming season

Kim Novak starred as Gillian in the film version of Bell, Book & Candle.

Photo by Photography by Rex

MainStage Irving-Las Colinas is "embracing the mayhem" this year with a season made up entirely of streaming shows.

The four plays, including a collection of short plays by David Ives, are a little glam, a little thoughtful, and a lot spooky.

"We're dedicated to providing entertaining, safe, and accessible theatre as we continue navigating the pandemic in 2021," says board president Clayton Cunningham. "While we're hopeful that gathering together will be possible later in the year, we wanted to provide our patrons with a list of confirmed productions that we know they will love."

First up is Lives of the Saints, a collection of six short plays by David Ives that will be directed by Andi Allen. The playlets span:

A friendship almost founders over a gift gone unappreciated.
A washing-machine repairman falls in love with a picture-perfect washer.
A pair of lookalikes named Bebe W.W. Doppel-gängler attempt to solve an identity crisis with the help of a doctor and his nurse.
A man feels he never truly knew the woman who birthed him, and now that she's gone, he'll never get the chance. Or will he?
A ridiculous Masterpiece Theatre-style murder mystery with suspects and a bumbling Scotland Yard detective confounded by philosophical quandaries.
Two women preparing a funeral breakfast in a church basement muse on life, death, and the meaning of Polish jokes.

It's all streaming online March 12-27, 2021.

Bell, Book and Candle by John Van Druten is next, and the 1950s play is known as the inspiration for the hit TV show Bewitched. In a world where witches can't fall in love, Gillian Holroyd complicates her situation by casting a spell over Shepherd Henderson out of spite. When he falls head over heels in love with her, Gillian must choose whether to love a mortal, or lose him entirely. Directed by Rose Anne Holman, it streams May 7-22, 2021.

B.J. Cleveland directs Elizabeth L. Fuller's Me and Jezebel, a hilarious and true story about when the playwright met her screen idol. On May 28, 1985, the star-struck Fuller's dream came true when the legendary Bette Davis came to dinner at her Connecticut home. Four weeks later, as the hotel strike in New York dragged on, she was still there. It streams July 23-August 7, 2021.

The season concludes with Bad Seed by Maxwell Anderson, from William March's novel. In a small Southern town where Colonel and Christine Penmark live with their daughter, Rhoda, Mrs. Penmark is alarmed when one of her daughter’s classmates mysteriously drowns at a picnic. As the truth begins to reveal itself, the Penmark family starts to question whether their daughter is as innocent as she seems. Directed by Bruce Coleman, it streams September 10-25, 2021.

Subscribers of the 2020-2021 season will be sent tickets for all the updated productions. All streaming ticket-buyers will be able to transfer streamed tickets to traditional tickets should performances be moved to live performances in the Dupree Theatre.

Streaming season four-packs will be available for purchase at www.MainStageIrving.com on February 2 at noon. Ticketing questions should be directed to the Irving Arts Center box office (972-252-2787) or MainStage's administrative office (972-594-6104 or info@irvingtheatre.org).

theater

Ballet news

Texas Ballet Theater executive director leaving for new gig in Northeast

Photo courtesy of Texas Ballet Theater

Vanessa Logan joined Texas Ballet Theater in 2016.

Vanessa Logan, who has served as Texas Ballet Theater executive director since 2016, is leaving TBT for a new role in the Northeast, the company says. Her final day with TBT will be June 30, 2025.

The move will allow Logan to be closer to her family, the organization says. Her new position has not yet been announced.

"While we will greatly miss Vanessa and her leadership at TBT, we support her decision to do what is best for her and her family and wish her well in her new pursuit," says TBT board of governors chair Anne T. Bass in a May 19 release. "Throughout her tenure at TBT, Vanessa has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism. It has been a delight to have worked closely with Vanessa over the last nine years, and I am most grateful for her unstinting efforts that have advanced TBT in so many respects."

Logan joined North Texas' largest ballet company before the 2016-17 season; she previously had worked at the American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey and Boston Ballet.

"Being part of TBT has been an immensely enriching and transformative experience. Partnering with Artistic Director Tim O’Keefe, working alongside such talented artists, and collaborating with a dedicated administrative and school staff has been a true privilege," Logan says in the release. "I am also deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our committed Board Chair and the Board of Governors, whose vision and leadership have been instrumental. Contributing to productions that bring beauty and artistry to our audiences and nurturing ballet education for countless children in Dallas-Fort Worth has been incredibly rewarding."

During her tenure with TBT, Logan helped the company navigate through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 followed by a catastrophic winter storm of 2021; she helped smooth the transition of artistic director from Ben Stevenson to Tim O'Keefe in 2023; and she oversaw new school facilities in Richardson and Dallas. TBT has also begun a 65,000-square-foot renovation of its Fort Worth facility to support future growth.

"Vanessa’s support and partnership during the transition was phenomenal. I cannot imagine another leader better equipped to guide TBT seamlessly through such a transformational change," O’Keefe says. "Her steadfastness instilled confidence and built trust with staff, students and subscribers as she ensured that we held true to TBT’s mission of honoring classical ballet while embracing a new chapter of artistic evolution."

TBT’s Board of Governors will immediately start searching for Logan’s successor and will quickly name an interim executive director to oversee operations until a permanent leader is in place, they say.

Texas Ballet Theater, which is a resident company of both Winspear Opera House in Dallas and Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, just closed its 2024-25 season with O'Keefe's all-new staging of the beloved ballet Giselle.

ballet dance leaving logan texas ballet theater vanessa vanessa logan