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    Soluna Festival Insider's Guide

    Soluna Festival 2015: 6 must-attend events at the Dallas Arts District first

    Kendall Morgan
    kendall Morgan
    May 5, 2015 | 9:13 am

    Named after the Spanish combination of “sol” and “luna” (sun and moon), the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s inaugural Soluna Festival is a unique and ambitious undertaking, blending disparate visual art, music, dance, theater and orchestral performances during a three-week window in the Arts District.

     

    Founded by director of festival advancement Anna-Sophia van Zweden, DSO music director (and her father) Jaap van Zweden, and DSO president and CEO Jonathan Martin, Soluna blurs the lines between genres as it explores what it means to be an eternally optimistic citizen of this country with this year’s theme “Destination (America.)”

     

    “There are many reasons why we picked it and many layers,” says van Zweden of this year’s focus. “We wanted to make these connections and do projects that are reflective of Dallas and the people who live here. There are so many different cultures in the city.”

     

    The marriage of visual and performing arts may be an unusual undertaking for Dallas, but it’s a natural one for van Zweden. Raised with the soundtrack of Amsterdam’s Concergebouw, she attended the Amsterdam School of the Arts, Reinwardt Academie before conducting research on the dynamics between private collectors and museums in both her hometown and Dallas.

     

    Having interned at the DMA, she is currently finishing her master’s at Sotheby’s in New York, and her time in New York’s vibrant arts scene helped to inspire her Soluna journey.

     

    “In New York, there’s so much in the performance art world I really appreciate, and that’s something that didn’t exist in Dallas,” she explains. “I want to take bits and pieces of that and combine it with a classic orchestra to create something really interesting.”

     

    Just over year in the planning, Soluna is expected to draw attendees from both across the U.S. and Europe to indulge in its eclectic programming. Although it’s hard to narrow down the must-sees, van Zweden has hand-picked six key performances that you simply can’t miss.

     

     1. Soluna opening performance
    “For me, it’s mostly the visual arts,” explains van Zweden of her first choice, the May 6 opening night performance with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra providing a live soundtrack to film screenings by artist Alex Prager. “This is the first time her films will be screened with live music. She collaborated with a composer [Ali Helnwein], so that would be my first highlight.”

     

    Prager follows the event with an exhibit May 7 at the Goss-Michael Foundation, showing five never-before-viewed photographs shot as a companion to her film Face in the Crowd, which draws on everything from street photography to classic cinema.

     

     2. ReMix: Hollywood Exile
    Another cinematic treasure is behind van Zweden’s second pick — namely a world premiere video by Swiss video artist Pipilotti Rist with accompanying music by Conrad Tao. Part of the “Hollywood Exile” concert, the performance, May 8 and 9, honors the great composers who found a home in Tinseltown during the second World War. Created specifically for Soluna, the piece will travel around the globe once the festival is over.

     

    “It’s going places, I can promise you that,” laughs van Zweden.

     

     3. Francis Moreno’s WCD [after Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware]
    Local talent Francisco Moreno’s participation in Soluna is van Zweden’s third highlight. Drawn to Moreno’s work for its natural fit in the Destination: (America) theme, van Zweden cites his in-progress painting WCD [after Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware] as “a symbol of him being a Mexican artist, but trying to connect with American culture.

     

    “He’s been working on this project for years already, but he added this layer of black and white camouflage that tries to confuse the viewer on where to approach him.”

     

    The painting will be revealed May 9, 1-4 pm, in a free event (along with a painted Tandem Automotive car originally used in World War II) at 2900 Bataan St. Moreno’s black-and-white camouflaged interpretation of a symbolic American story reaches its culmination in a May 23 performance in the same Trinity Groves warehouse.

     

     4. Kevin Beasley’s Black Rocker
    New York-based Kevin Beasley’s May 15 site-specific Black Rocker is van Zweden’s fourth, rather avant-garde choice. Incorporating rap and hip-hop culture, this exploration of what it means to be an American features a rocking chair accompanied by 24 bespoke seat cushions equipped with microphones.

     

    Free and part of the DMA’s Late Night series, the performance (6 pm-midnight) invites audience members to interact with the artist in real time.

     

     5. Yael Bartana’s Inferno screening
    Israeli artist Yael Bartana explores cultural identity in her film Inferno, which screens before a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish on May 14 and 16. “It’s an incredibly powerful film, and my father’s mesmerized by it,” says van Zweden. The pre-concert screenings begin at 6:30 pm.

     

     6. St. Vincent with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
    Admittedly, narrowing down Soluna’s expansive offerings is difficult, but the sold-out May 17 performance of Grammy-winning songstress is the last must on van Zweden’s list.

     

    “It’s going to be more of a collaboration than just her performing,” promises van Zweden. “We really want to be open-minded and have pop artists collaborate with musicians and do all kinds of interesting things to open up and make new connections.”

     

     Soluna Festival performances range from free to $150 and run through May 24.

    Alex Prager, Face in the Crowd, 2013.

    Alex Prager Face in the Crowd
      
    Photo courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong
    Alex Prager, Face in the Crowd, 2013.
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    From Wilde to 'The Wiz': 8 unmissable July shows in North Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 2, 2025 | 10:18 am
    Second Thought Theatre presents Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Photo courtesy of Second Thought Theatre
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    Your instinct during the summer might be to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, and there are plenty of options to do exactly this month. But we would be remiss if we didn't remind you about a North Texas tradition: Shakespeare under the stars. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and watch The Bard (and this year Oscar Wilde) at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater with Shakespeare Dallas. Both shows opened in June, but continue through most of July.

    Here are eight shows local shows, listed in order of start date:

    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 18 extended to July 26
    This witty romantic comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895, tells the story of two men who assume the identities of a fictional man named Ernest. This leads them to each fall in love and encounter an assortment of comical problems along the way.

    Othello
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 20
    In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly but brilliant enemy. This production is set in an alternate-history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power.

    King Kirby
    American Chronicle Theatre Co., July 4-12
    This is the story of Jack "King of Comics" Kirby. The play follows him from the tough Jewish ghetto of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, to the harrowing battlefields of Normandy during WWII, to tense Senate hearings in the 1950s. Watch as he creates some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture: Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the New Gods, and countless others.

    Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Second Thought Theatre, July 9-26
    Written by Second Though Theatre artistic associate Jenny Ledel in her playwriting premiere, the play takes place in the near future, as Jane takes advantage of a new AI technology that would extend her lifespan ... even if she's not around to see it for herself.

    The Wiz
    Broadway at the Bass, July 15-20
    This all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical returns “home” in an all-new pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. The groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway, from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

    Noises Off
    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 18-August 2
    This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Playwright Michael Frayn gives a window into the inner workings of theatre behind-the-scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance.

    Everybody's Talking About Jamie
    Uptown Players, July 18-August 3
    Inspired by true events, this musical tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations.

    Shucked
    Broadway at the Bass, July 29-August 3
    This Tony Award-winning musical comedy features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy an appetite for great musical theater.

    broadway at the bassmusicalsnational tourplayssecond thought theatreuptown playersshakespeare under starsshakespeare in the parktheater
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