Season Announcement

Dallas Opera's new season mixes crowd-pleasing classics with an intriguing premiere

Verdi's La traviata is part of Dallas Opera's 2017-18 season.

Photo by Maxine Helfman

The theme for Dallas Opera's 2017-18 season is "Motives Unmasked," inspiring visions of deceitful decisions and sexy double-crossing, along with some brutal truth-telling.

That's all in line with Camille Saint-Saëns' season opener Samson and Dalila, one of three classics that Dallas Opera has on tap for its 61st season. Tenor Clifton Forbis and Russian soprano Olga Borodina — in her eagerly awaited Dallas Opera debut — portray the doomed twosome, trapped in a love affair of biblical proportions. The five performances are October 20, 22 (matinee), 25, 28, and November 5 (matinee).

Next up is Giuseppe Verdi's heartbreaking 1853 masterpiece La traviata, sung in Italian with English supertitles. Called "the perfect Pretty Woman night at the opera," the perennial crowd-pleaser is a revival of a Lyric Opera of Chicago production and spotlights conductor Carlo Montanaro and director Stefania Panighini in their company debuts. Its performance dates are October 27 and 29 (matinee) and November 1, 4, 10, and 12 (matinee).

A unique pairing of two works is third: Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 and The Ring of Polykrates. The latter is described by Dallas Opera general director and CEO Keith Cerny as "a delightful opera rarity so rare, that we believe it has only had two professional productions in this country since it originally premiered in Munich 100 years ago." The duo opens 2018 and will have only four performances: February 9, 11 (matinee), 14, and 17.

The term "groundbreaking" is apropos when applied to the next opera, which mixes 3-D elements into the live staging. Sunken Garden is composed by Michel van der Aa with libretto by British novelist David Mitchell, and van der Aa himself is directing. The critically acclaimed "occult film mystery opera" concerns a filmmaker’s obsession with the disappearance of a young girl and the discovery of a walled garden, which is the barrier between life and death. Performances are March 9, 11 (matinee), 14, and 17, 2018.

To close out the season, Dallas Opera is bringing back Mozart’s hell-raising comedy-drama Don Giovanni, based on the exploits of the legendary Don Juan. Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecień stars in this provocative, R-rated production, under the baton of Dallas Opera music director Emmanuel Villaume. It runs April 13, 15 (matinee), 18, 21, 27, and 29 (matinee), 2018.

The Dallas Opera Family Performance Series also has some intrigue on tap, with two performances each of Donizetti and Company (October 15 and February 18, 2018), The Three Little Pigs (November 4 and February 3, 2018), and Pépito (November 19 and February 10, 2018). Tickets for these shows are only $5 and opera-lovers of all ages are welcome.

Single tickets to Dallas Opera's main 2017-18 season go on sale to the public in July and are available online at www.dallasopera.org or by calling 214-443-1000.

In addition, the next free live simulcast is set for March 18 at 7:30 pm and it's at a brand-new location. Dallas Cowboys world headquarters The Star in Frisco will host its first arts event with the high-definition screening of Madame Butterfly. Puccini's Italian opera is the third production in Dallas Opera's current season.

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A Familiar Face

Dallas Theater Center names Jaime Castañeda as new artistic director

Photo courtesy of Dallas Theater Center

Jaime Castañeda is the Tony-winning theater's new artistic director.

The Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center has found its next artistic director: Jaime Castañeda, who has a long history with both DTC and North Texas, will become the regional theater's sixth artistic director beginning July 2026. The 2026-27 season will be the first chosen by him.

Jonathan Norton, DTC’s resident playwright, is currently serving as interim artistic director and will continue to lead the remainder of the 2025-26 season, which culminates in the world premiere of his play Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem in May.

“DTC is committed to artistic excellence and community engagement, and we believe Jaime’s experience, creativity, bold vision, and proven leadership, coupled with his dedication to innovation, will guide DTC into an exciting new chapter in the life of the theater," says board chair Lynn Pride Richardson in a release.

In 2012, Castañeda directed DTC’s production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz. But he began his career more than 20 years ago in Dallas-Fort Worth by founding Firestarter Productions while still attending Texas Christian University. In addition to directing at DTC, other local theater credits include Kitchen Dog Theater, Amphibian Stage, and Circle Theatre. Castañeda is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Directing Fellowship, and holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and an MFA in Directing from University of Texas at Austin.

Most recently, Castañeda directed at such leading theaters across the country as American Conservatory Theater, South Coast Repertory, Huntington Theatre Company, and La Jolla Playhouse, where he previously served as associate artistic director from 2014-2018. He was also artistic associate at Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company from 2009-2014.

"Jaime brings a bold, visceral artistic vision, a deep commitment to new voices, and a collaborative leadership style that inspires artists and audiences alike,” says DTC executive director Kevin Moriarty. “With his Texas roots and national experience, I am thrilled to welcome him home as DTC’s new Enloe/Rose artistic director. I have known and admired his work since 2007, when he was already one of the most exciting emerging directors in North Texas, and I later saw him create unforgettable work for DTC on the Wyly stage and at leading theaters nationwide.”

As artistic director, Castañeda will lead the theater’s artistic vision, direct and produce plays and musicals, oversee DTC’s Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company, and partner with Moriarty, the staff, and the board of trustees to advance DTC’s mission, vision, and values.

Castañeda joins a distinguished line of artistic leadership at Dallas Theater Center, including founding artistic director Paul Baker, Adrian Hall, Ken Bryant, Richard Hamburger, and Moriarty, who served as artistic director from 2007-2022.

“We are extremely pleased with a successful national search that brings Jaime to Dallas Theater Center,” says DTC board member Chris Luna. “His energy is contagious and he understands Texas and Dallas. We look forward to collaborating with Jaime as he continues his innovative approach to regional theater.”

Castañeda was selected for the role following a national search led by Management Consultants for the Arts. The search committee was co-chaired by Luna and Richardson, and included Moriarty, Norton, Jennifer Altabef, Diane Brierley, Lauren Embrey, Sam Holland (Dean, SMU Meadows School of the Arts), Sharron Hunt, Randy Kender, Julie Kosnik, Deborah McMurray, Sam Megally, Liz Mikel (DTC Brierley Resident Acting Company member), Andy Smith, Lily Weiss (executive director, Dallas Arts District) and Donna Wilhelm.

“Growing up in Texas, Dallas Theater Center was one of the first places where I saw what professional theater and excellence looked like,” Castañeda says. “I’m thrilled to come back and build on the history of artists and leaders who have been a part of this organization. I’m eager to join Kevin, the board, and our staff to create lasting theatrical experiences for our audiences.”

Dallas Theater Center's current production of A Christmas Carol runs through December 27 at the Wyly Theatre.

dallas theater center jaime castañeda kevin moriarty theater