Opera + Art

Dallas Opera enlists Art Conspiracy for unexpected collision at La Bohème

Art Conspiracy will create special themed works at each performance of Dallas Opera's La Boheme .

Photo by Maxine Helfman

Audiences for Dallas Opera's upcoming production of La Bohème will get even more art than they bargained for because the company has partnered with Art Conspiracy to create works inspired by the classic opera.

Art Con, which "conspires to bring artists and musicians together," will have local artists painting and sculpting live in the lobby of the Winspear Opera House at each performance of La Bohème. Attendees can not only watch the art being created, but they also can buy finished pieces on the spot.

The idea is to create an atmosphere similar to that of the opera's storyline, in which working artists, writers and musicians mingle on the streets with neighborhood shopkeepers, students and tourists.

"Giving the arts a chance to collide in order to create fresh and unexpected moments of inspiration and the opportunity to change lives — that's what Art Conspiracy is all about," said executive director Erica Felicella in a release. "It's something we love to see happening in our city."

In addition to the creation of works onsite, other previously created La Bohème-themed pieces by artists affiliated with Art Con will be for sale.

La Bohème, which has six performances between March 13 and March 29, centers around four young artists yearning for love and worldly recognition while struggling for day-to-day survival in 19th century Paris. It was the inspiration for the Tony Award-winning musical Rent.

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Season Announcement

Kitchen Dog Theater unleashes immersive 2025 season in new Dallas space

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Safe at Home

Photo by Jordan Fraker

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Seven years after announcing it had purchased a building in the Design District, Kitchen Dog Theater is finally ready to move into its new home.

The third and final production of its 2025 season — the theater company's 34th — will take place all around the new "Doghouse." The other two productions will follow the immersive format at non-traditional performance spaces that was established last season.

With three fully produced events that each run the gambit from captivating and gutsy to heartfelt and hilarious, the monthly New Works Festival Staged Readings Series returns, as does the 23rd annual PUP Fest, nurturing high school talent from all over DFW.

First up is the area premiere of Will Eno's Wakey, Wakey, directed by KDT's artistic director Tina Parker and starring KDT co-artistic director Christopher Carlos.

"Is it now? I thought I had more time." These first words in Will Eno's play are spoken by Guy, a man who knows, like all of us on some level, that he is about to die. The play questions why we are here and the journeys that everyone takes to eventually get to the same place. Performances will take place at Expo Park, 840 Exposition Avenue, and run February 7-23, 2025.

Production No. 2 is full of mystery: The title and performance location will be announced soon and run in March/April 2025.

The Happiness Gymby Ken Weitzman closes out the season in August 2025 (exact dates TBA).

This regional premiere is a joyous, experiential event based on the science of well-being. Participants take part in a curated theatrical experience meant to boost their sense of happiness, joy, and feelings of connection. This one-of-a-kind project will be the soft opening to Kitchen Dog’s new theater and will take place all over the entire facility, giving patrons unparalleled access to KDT’s new home.

From March to July 2025, the 26th annual 2025 New Works Festival will showcase four-to-five staged readings of the newest and most exciting local and regional playwrights working in contemporary theater today. Each reading will feature some of DFW's most accomplished actors and directors and will take place at different venues across DFW.

For its 23rd annual event, PUP Fest will feature six staged readings of jury-selected plays written by DFW high school students, featuring student actors directed by area professional directors. PUP Fest is the culminating event of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Dallas ISD and Junior Players. Performance location is TBA, but the event will happen June 7, 2025.

For more information, visit kitchendogtheater.org or call 214-953-1055.

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