Lights out

DFW theater exits the scene following COVID-19 challenges

Marsha Norman's play 'Night, Mother was part of the final season.

Photo courtesy of Tarrant Actors Regional Theatre

After seven years of producing live theater, Tarrant Actors Regional Theatre (TART) has announced it will permanently cease operations on all mainstage productions.

"Due to the loss of our primary source of funding and recent staffing changes, not to mention the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects, this season has been the 'perfect storm' for our organization, from which we simply are unable to recover at this time," says Allen Walker, TART's president and artistic director, in a release.

It is the first DFW theater company to close completely since the pandemic began.

With a mission to "entertain, inspire, challenge, and educate its audiences through live theater," TART continually grew year after year thanks to the support of loyal patrons and dedicated volunteers. Stipends for performing artists and creative staff were provided per production, a structure many theater companies of TART's size have been unable to duplicate.

"It has been a fantastic seven seasons and I am very proud of what we've accomplished," Walker says.

This season, TART presented 'Night, Mother by Marsha Norman and Hay Fever by Noel Coward. The summer musical, Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, announced its cancellation during pre-production due to COVID-19-related health and safety concerns. All ticket holders were refunded in April.

Along with Walker, Tarrant Actors Regional Theatre has been managed by Alex Krus (executive vice president), Karen Matheny (director of development), Charles M. Gatlin Jr. (board secretary), and Nicole R. Dobbins (board member).

Although the group will no longer produce full-scale productions, the board of directors is committed to continuing their established collaborations in the Fort Worth Fringe festival and other local arts events.

closings theater

Museum News

National Medal of Honor Museum offers preview at downtown Dallas event

AT&T

The AT&T Discovery District hosted a mobile museum pop-up.

A high-profile museum opening in 2025 offered a preview in downtown Dallas: It's The National Medal of Honor Museum, slated to open in Arlington, at Nolan Ryan Expressway and AT&T Way in the Stadium district in spring 2025.

To give folks a preview of coming attractions, the institution dispatched a mobile museum to make a visit to the AT&T Discovery District on November 20, during lunchtime when foot traffic is brisk.

Imagine the sense of wonder and amazement that downtown Dallas denizens must have felt upon the sight of a double decker bus, parked in the District, equipped with video and historical information about the Medal of Honor award, stories of the recipients, and a rendering of how the museum in Arlington will look.

The National Medal of Honor MuseumCourtesy rendering

The goal of The National Medal of Honor Museum is to inspire Americans by honoring and preserving the history of the highest military decoration awarded for valor in combat.

They hope it will serve as a national landmark, illustrating the historical thread of sacrifice and patriotism that runs through all U.S. military service members, past and present.

Beyond its state-of-the-art, interactive experiences, a critical part of the Museum’s mission will be to use the stories of Medal of Honor recipients to inspire their fellow Americans.

It will incorporate the AT&T Virtual Recipient Theater, an augmented reality experience where visitors can interact with with Medal of Honor recipients. The space will be equipped with cutting-edge conversational AI technology complete with voice recognition to allow museum goers to have a conversation in a 3D format with medal of honor recipients living and past.

It will also have AT&T Branded Wi-Fi throughput the museum.

Interior of the mobile Medal of Honor Museum.AT&T