The Future of Dallas Opera

Emmanuel Villaume makes Dallas Opera history as new music director

The Dallas Opera has hit a few milestones in the last five years, including moving from the Music Hall at Fair Park to Winspear Opera House in 2009 and presenting two simulcasts at Cowboys Stadium the past two seasons. Recently the opera reached another when it named only the third music director in its 56-year history: Emmanuel Villaume.

Villaume, a French-born conductor, has led performances for multiple opera companies around the world, including Metropolitan Opera in New York, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London, Opéra de Paris and Teatro La Fenice in Venice. He is an in-demand conductor who will continue to share his skills with other companies even after starting with Dallas Opera for the 2013-2014 season.

In an official statement, Dallas Opera general director and CEO Keith Cerny said Villaume's busy schedule should prove to be a boon for Dallas Opera's reputation.

"Emmanuel Villaume will prove an excellent ambassador for the company while attending to his many national and international conducting engagements and will help the Dallas Opera to continue to attract the best singers, directors and designers at work in our field today."

Villaume takes over for current music director Graeme Jenkins, who is stepping down after the 2012-2013 season. In fact, Villaume's official title will be the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director in Honor of Graeme Jenkins.

Jenkins, who has held the position since 1994, will retain a role as music director emeritus. Dallas Opera co-founder Nicola Rescigno was the music director from 1957-1994.

Villaume will oversee the already announced 2013-2014 season, titled "By Love Transformed," which includes performances of the classic Carmen, the new opera Death and the Powers, The Barber of Seville, and the Dallas premiere of the German opera Die Tote Stadt (The Dead City).

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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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