Theater Critic Picks

These are the 4 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for May

Matt Lyle's new play is getting a free livestreamed reading from Theatre Three.

Photo courtesy of Theatre Three

UPDATE: Luckenbooth Theatre's streaming production of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. was canceled on May 5.

---

COVID-19 can stop a lot of things, but it can't stop the performing arts. Though some movies theaters and restaurants have opened back up, live stage shows still aren't happening. But that doesn't mean you can't watch some plays at home and support your local theaters.

These Dallas-Fort Worth theater companies have found creative ways to still deliver their programming, and some are even free (though we highly suggest donating the ticket price — or more — if you're in a position to do so).

Here are four local shows to stream this month:

The Texas Devil
Theatre Three, livestreaming May 5 at 7 pm
In honor of North Texas Giving Tuesday Now, T3 is hosting a free livestream on Facebook of award-winning local playwright Matt Lyle's new work. The working reading, featuring local actors, will also have the playwright and director (Jeffrey Schmidt) answer questions and participate in discussion during the reading. The plot: A statue of Robert E. Lee. A small-town lawyer doing the right thing. A fumbled football. A Daughter of the Confederacy and her idiot husband. Some Oxycontin. A fair and balanced television news personality. A crippling existential crisis. Two Satanists. And one Texas Devil.

The Dreams of Our Youth
The Classics Theatre Project, livestreaming May 1-2, 8-9, 15-16
Just like last month, when actor Van Quattro stepped up to perform The Imaginary Invalid via free solo livestream from his house, TCTP has another venerable local actor tackling a play alone. Chris Messersmith will take on literary legend Mark Twain with ruminations on his life and career, performed for free on the theater's YouTube channel.

Shelter in Place: A Quarantined New Play Festival
Taphouse Theatre, streaming May 16-17
This new-ish Fort Worth theater company normally performs in local bars and businesses — so it's readjusting right now, just like all of us. Last month it invited local playwrights to send in their quarantine-inspired new works for online readings, and now it's time for round two. All the readings will be livestreamed on TT's Facebook page and then be saved to its YouTube channel (where the round one readings already live).

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.
Luckenbooth Theatre, streaming May 1-31
A rehearsal was filmed of this group's second show of its fifth season, so now audiences can enjoy a stage adaptation of Judy Blume's classic novel about growing up. Tickets to the virtual show are $25, and once you purchase on the website you will receive a link and instructions on how to view (and can only play the show once).

---

Looking for other arts-related events and activities you can enjoy online? This list is constantly being updated with new virtual happenings.

theater music

Season announcement

Mystic Pizza's Dallas premiere leads new AT&T PAC Broadway season

Photo courtesy of Lively McCabe Entertainment

undefined

The 2026-2027 Broadway at the Center season at Dallas' AT&T Performing Arts Center will feature a mixture of new and returning shows, including several recent Tony Award-nominated productions.

According to a release, the main season will consist of five musicals: Mystic Pizza: A New Musical, Shucked, Beetlejuice, The Who’s Tommy, and The Wiz. All productions take place at Winspear Opera House in downtown Dallas.

They will be joined by two previously-announced co-productions with Broadway Dallas - The Notebook and Hadestown - as well as TITAS/Dance Unbound co-production, Dance Me - The Music of Leonard Cohen.

First up will be Dance Me - The Music of Leonard Cohen, a creation inspired by the work of famed Montreal-based poet, artist, and songwriter Leonard Cohen, performed by Ballet Jazz Montreal.

The homage to the iconic artist evokes the grand cycles of existence in five seasons, as described in Cohen’s deeply reflective music and poems. There will be performances on September 18 and 19, 2026.

The first theater production will be Mystic Pizza: A New Musical, making its Dallas premiere. It is based on the 1988 rom-com that tells the story of three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love, and family in a small-town pizza joint.

The score features megahits of the '80s and '90s, including songs originally recorded by Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, John Cougar Mellencamp, and more. It will run November 20-22, 2026.

After the Broadway Dallas co-production of The Notebook, running January 12-24, 2027, the season picks up again with the return of Shucked, which played at the Music Hall at Fair Park in December 2024.

In the Tony Award-winning comedy, the corn that protects a small community starts to die. The town needs answers. But who will dare to venture beyond the borders of Cob County?

The Broadway hit, running March 19-21, 2027 is about an unlikely hero, an unscrupulous con artist, and a battle for the heart and soil of a small town.

Hadestown will follow shortly thereafter, running March 30-April 4, 2027, before the third Broadway Dallas co-production of the season, Beetlejuice, running April 28-May 2, 2027.

The musical, which previously came to Dallas in early 2024, is based on Tim Burton’s 1988 film and tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

June 2027 will bring the final two productions of the season, The Who’s Tommy (running June 3-5) and The Wiz (running June 10-13).

The Who's 1969 rock opera is about the young Tommy Walker whose innate knack for pinball catapults him from reticent adolescent to celebrity savior. It features the anthems “I’m Free,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Sensation,” and “Pinball Wizard.”

The Wiz, which just came to Dallas in September 2025, is a groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz that features soul, gospel, rock, and '70s funk that puts Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

“This season is designed to welcome both longtime subscribers and new audiences with a lineup that celebrates the full range of Broadway - from high-energy crowd pleasers and reimagined classics to bold contemporary storytelling,” said Warren Tranquada, CEO and President of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, in a statement.

For the first time in their partnership with Broadway Dallas, Broadway at the Center subscribers will enjoy early access and full subscriber benefits for Beetlejuice through May 1.

After May 1, all ticket purchases, customer service questions, and support for Beetlejuice will be handled directly by Broadway Dallas.

The Center offers a flexible subscription package that allows patrons to choose four or five shows from the season lineup, with the option to add or remove shows by contacting the box office directly.

Subscription package prices range from $150-$660, and sales begin on Monday, April 13, 2026. Packages may be purchased by phone at 214-880-0202, or online at attpac.org/broadway.

att performing arts center beetlejuice broadway at the center music mystic pizza performing-arts the wiz theater winspear opera house