Theater Critic Picks

These are the 5 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for July

UPDATE: MainStage Irving-Las Colinas' production of An Act of God has moved to an online streaming production. Tickets now start at $19 and you have 48 hours to watch the recorded production.

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Following phase III of Texas' reopening plan, "fine arts performance halls" are allowed to welcome back audiences at 50 percent capacity. And some theaters are on board, opening their doors to live performances for the first time since March.

Others are all for the live performances, but only outside and still with reduced crowd and cast sizes. There are also a few that are keeping their productions virtual, thanks to different ways of recording.

Here are five local shows to watch this month:

The Zoo Story
Arts Council of Fort Worth, July 10-25
Performing in the Fort Worth Community Arts Center's outdoor Courtyard Gallery, Jason Leyva and a troupe of Texas actors will introduce audiences to Edward Albee's absurdist, one-act play that examines isolation and the never-ending struggle to communicate and connect (timely, huh?). Tickets are limited to 30 guests per performance, and the audience will enjoy pre-show live music and shaded seating on the covered veranda. Tickets are $15 and available here.

Lone Star
The Classics Theatre Project, July 11-12 and July 16-19
In the backyard of a small-town Texas bar, one-time local high-school hero Roy and his little brother Ray work their way through a case of beer. Roy is back in town after a tour in Vietnam and is regaling Ray with tales of his love life and military exploits. With the arrival of Cletis, son of the local hardware store owner, Roy's world begins to collapse as truths come out about what happened during his time away. Director Joey Folsom is staging James McLure's one-act outside the Margo Jones Theater in Fair Park, to audiences of 35 and with all proper safety measures in place (masks, temperature checks, social distancing). Tickets are $10-25 and available here.

The True History of the Tragic Life & Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World
Amphibian Stage Productions, streaming July 16-30
Debuted by Amphibian in 2003 and then staged — in total darkness — in 2012, Shaun Prendergast's real-life tale is the perfect vehicle for an auditory-only production. Using only a 3-D soundscape engineered with the cinematic Dolby Atmos surround sound, the immersive listening encounter introduced audiences to Julia, a Mexican woman who was born with two genetic conditions now known as hypertrichosis terminalis and gingival hyperplasia, which caused her to grow excessive hair all over her body and enlarged her facial features. Often and unkindly referred to as the "Ape-woman," Julia was dragged across oceans by her husband and manager, performing in traveling circuses and sideshows and always searching for the love and beauty she believed life had in store for her. Tickets are $13 and available here.

I Am My Own Wife
WaterTower Theatre, streaming July 16-August 2
Originally scheduled to run in April, Doug Wright's Pulitzer Prize-winning play was already in pre-production, the set half-built and abandoned when theaters were ordered to close in March. But because this is a one-person show, where a single actor (Bob Hess) plays more than 30 characters, WTT and director Ashley Puckett Gonzales found a creative and safe way to film the production for online streaming. The play is based on the true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an elegant and eccentric 65-year-old German transgender woman who, against all odds, managed to survive both the Nazi onslaught of WWII and the repressive East German Communist regime occupations of her home. Tickets are $38 and can be purchased here or by calling 972-450-6232.

An Act of God
MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, July 23-August 1
Instead of presenting the large-scale musical Disaster!, MainStage is going with David Javerbaum's divine comedy about the Almighty (Sherry Etzel) and two devoted angels (Eric Criner and Alex Swanson). Seating in the Dupree Theatre will be very limited — about 60 of the 230 available seats — and the company says that all ticket buyers will be provided with safety protocols and measures no less than one week before their performance. Tickets are $29 and available here or by calling 972-252-2787.

Joey Folsom directs Lone Star for The Classics Theatre Project.

Photo courtesy of The Classics Theatre Project

Joey Folsom directs Lone Star for The Classics Theatre Project.

theater

history in the making

Taylor Sheridan to be honored with legendary Texas award in 2027

1923 Las Vegas Premiere Screening & After Party Taylor Sheridan

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is a 2027 recipient of the History-Making Texan Award.

Trailblazing North Texas producer, director, and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan will add a new award to his shelf in 2027. Sheridan has been named one of two recipients of the History-Making Texan Award, which the Texas State History Museum Foundation (TSHMF) will present in Austin in spring 2027.

Since 2005, the organization has honored "living Texas legends whose contributions to the state and the nation have been truly historic and exceptional in scope and nature." Past galas have recognized prominent Texas figures such as former presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush and former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush, as well as H-E-B chairman Charles Butt, singer-songwriter and accordionist Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenéz, among others.

Joining Sheridan as the other 2027 honoree is Texas Historical Commission chairman, businessman, and philanthropist John L. Nau, III. The 2027 gala will be held at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin on March 2, Texas Independence Day.

"Our honorees are national leaders whose accomplishments have elevated Texas’ distinctive place on the national and international stage," said Debbie Raynor, Dinner Chair and TSHMF Trustee, in a relase. "John L. Nau, III and Taylor Sheridan have each, in very different ways, helped tell the Texas story — one through the preservation of our history and treasured places, the other through the power of storytelling that has brought Texas and the American West to audiences around the world."

Quadruple-threat filmmaker Sheridan is most widely recognized for his award-winning neo-Western TV series Yellowstone and its associated spin-offs 1883, 1923, Marshals, and Dutton Ranch. Raynor hailed Sheridan for his success in bringing a "remarkable new dimension to the way the world sees Texas and the American West."

"As a creator, writer, director, and executive producer of some of television’s most successful series, he has captured the imagination of audiences across the globe while bringing the people, landscapes, traditions and enduring spirit of the West into millions of homes," she said. "And he does more than tell the Texas story — he lives it, as a native Texan, accomplished horseman and steward of two legendary Texas ranches."

Nau is the former chairman and CEO of Silver Eagle Beverages, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the U.S. Raynor said Nau's "commitment to preservation" extends further than his protection of Texas historic sites "to the stewardship and conservation of the land itself, including his bay area lodge in south Texas and his ranch in west Texas."

"[Nau's] leadership and lifelong dedication to history have earned him national recognition, but perhaps his greatest legacy is his determination to ensure that the stories and places that shaped Texas endure for generations to come," Raynor said.

A release estimates about 450 "business, political, and community leaders" attend the Texas Independence Day Dinner each year, and proceeds will benefit the Bullock Museum's educational programs and special projects.

The 2027 Texas Independence Day Dinner will take place March 2, 2027, at the Bullock Museum in Austin. A VIP reception will start at 6:30 pm, followed by a 7 pm reception, and 7:30 dinner and program.

Taylor Sheridan is gifting his creative archive to Texas State University.

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is a 2027 recipient of the History-Making Texan Award.

taylor sheridan galas awards ceremony texas texas historical commission bullock museum yellowstone awards