Actor Spotlight

New resident Dallas actress can knock you out in more ways than one

It's been a big couple of years for Tiana Kaye Johnson. The recently graduated SMU master's student moved seamlessly from college performances to two spotlight roles on the mainstage at Dallas Theater Center, and she will now join DTC's resident acting company beginning with the 2016-17 season.

Those two big roles — sweet, young Lily in The Book Club Play and mysterious Lorraine Motel maid Camae in The Mountaintop — no doubt helped Johnson's ascent at DTC, but the young actress had already booked another role by the time her residency was announced.

Johnson will be appearing in Dreamgirls, DTC's sparkly production of the 1981 musical inspired by the backstage drama of Motown girl group The Supremes. Before the show officially opens on June 17 (running through July 24 at the Wyly Theatre), Johnson took the time to fill out our survey of serious, fun, and sometimes ridiculous questions.

Name: Tiana Kaye Johnson

Role in Dreamgirls: Ensemble

Previous work in the DFW area: At SMU, Look Homeward Angel; Progress Theatre, The Burnin’; Dallas Theater Center, The Book Club Play and The Mountaintop

Hometown: Dallas

Where you currently reside: Dallas

First theater role: An ensemble role in a musical called Open a New Window at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters

First stage show you ever saw: I don’t remember the name, but it was a fabulous one-man show in a theater in Dallas.

Moment you decided to pursue a career in theater: My senior year in college, I knew I had a choice between teaching high school or going to graduate school, and I decided to go to grad school and get the training I needed to be a working actor.

Most challenging role you’ve played: Characters named Boo and MayBee in The Burnin’ by Cristal C. Truscott

Special skills: Boxing, color guard

Something you’re really bad at: Math

Current pop culture obsession: Beyoncé

Last book you read: Ebony and Ivy by Craig Steven Wilder

Favorite movie(s): The Lion King

Favorite musician(s): Erykah Badu

Favorite song: "Tokyo" by Lianne La Havas

Dream role: Anita in Jelly’s Last Jam

Favorite play(s): The Colored Museum

Favorite musical(s): Jelly’s Last Jam, Into the Woods

Favorite actors/actresses: Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson, Joe Morton, Viola Davis

Favorite food: Italian

Must-see TV show(s): Roots, Underground, Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders, Jane the Virgin

Something most people don’t know about you: I’ll can go on eating the same thing almost every day. If it’s good, of course.

Place in the world you’d most like to visit: Ghana

Pre-show warm-up: Whatever fuels me that day

Favorite part about your current role: I get to play so many different people in a two-hour time slot.

Most challenging part about your current project: Keeping up with all the moving parts of this play.

Most embarrassing onstage mishap: Stuttering onstage because I can’t get the word out.

Career you’d have if you weren’t in theater: Journalist

Favorite post-show spot: My bed

Favorite thing about Dallas-Forth Worth: It’s home.

Most memorable theater moment: Performing the role of a lifetime in The Mountaintop

Tiana Kaye Johnson in The Mountaintop at Dallas Theater Center.

Tiana Kaye Johnson in Dallas Theater Center's The Mountaintop

Photo by Karen Almond

Tiana Kaye Johnson in The Mountaintop at Dallas Theater Center.

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Music and Fashion

Miranda Lambert's 'Velvet Rodeo' wardrobe stars in new DFW exhibition

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” at National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame

Photo by Tyler Conrad

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” will open on November 7 at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.

Country star Miranda Lambert is bringing a bit of Las Vegas glamour and bling to North Texas. Her one-of-a-kind wardrobe from her "Velvet Rodeo" residency will go on display at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in Fort Worth when its new Icons Gallery opens November 7.

According to a release, the exhibition, called "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo," was created in collaboration with Lambert, and will feature costumes from the singer's Las Vegas residency, which ran from September 2022 to April 2024.

Lambert said her inspiration came from an earlier visit to the Fort Worth museum, where she spotted historic Western pieces that she photographed and sent to her stylist, Tiffany Gifford. They combined those influences with the glitz of Elvis Presley's heyday to create the "Velvet Rodeo" wardrobe.

“Seeing these pieces now have a life beyond the stage as part of the Museum’s new Icons Gallery feels really full circle and special,” Lambert said in a statement.

Visitors will now have the opportunity to study garments usually seen in motion and under stage lights, appreciating the details that help transform clothing into an essential part of a performance.

The Icons Gallery is part of the Museum’s 16,000-square-foot expansion, which introduces new galleries and experiences that explore the accomplishments and influence of women of the West. The $19 million expansion features a new entrance facing Dickies Arena, new galleries including a photography gallery, an event space accommodating up to 250, and the new Cowgirl Carousel.

Miranda Lambert, right, with rodeo queens onstage at the 45th Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon at Dickies Arena. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Lambert, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2021, is an active mounted shooting competitor and horsewoman, giving her a connection to the West that reaches beyond her music. "Velvet Rodeo" brings together Lambert's identity as a cowgirl and her creative expression as a performer.

“Miranda’s confidence, determination and independence make her a wonderful representative of the women we honor,” says Pat Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, in the release. “Opening our Icons Gallery with this collaboration celebrates her accomplishments while giving visitors a new way to connect with a cowgirl they know and admire.”

According to a museum spokesperson, the temporary exhibition will remain on display for at least one year; no specific end date was given.

In preparation for the expansion grand opening, the Cowgirl will be closed to the public beginning October 19 and will reopen November 7, with a members-only preview at 10 am and a public opening at noon.

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