Dallas Theater Win

Homegrown musical may be on the eve of greatness with New York coup

Locally written sci-fi musical On the Eve, which raked in critical accolades during its developmental stagings in Dallas, has scored a spot in the National Alliance of Musical Theatre's 2015 Festival of New Musicals, to be presented in New York City in October.

Chosen out of more than 200 submissions, On the Eve joins seven other new works, including one penned by pop star Duncan Sheik, whose Tony-winning 2006 musical Spring Awakening is returning to Broadway in the fall.

Written by Dallas actor Michael Federico and composed by Shawn and Seth Magill of local band Home by Hovercraft, On the Eve imagines a dystopian future where words are secret and sacred, and you can time-travel via hot-air balloon. (Marie Antoinette shows up too.) It first got a staged reading in 2011, then a workshop production at Fair Park in 2012. Theatre Three scooped it up for its mainstage season in 2014.

"Lee Trull and Kevin Moriarty from Dallas Theater Center approached us after they saw the show at Theatre Three in 2014, and offered to sponsor On the Eve for NAMT festival submission," says Shawn Magill, co-composer and Home by Hovercraft keyboardist. "We submitted last year and made it to the second round. This year DTC graciously offered to sponsor the show again and we re-submitted with minor revisions. We were extremely excited to find out we are in the finals, and are so grateful for the love and support from the Dallas theater community."

The NATM festival has served as a launching pad for many musicals, including Broadway hits Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Drowsy Chaperone. Commercial and regional producers from around the country will attend the showcase, giving On the Eve national exposure and a possible future life outside of Dallas.

When submitting the show for the festival, Federico outlined what he hoped NAMT's inclusion would do:

"While the show is represented clearly on the page, its aesthetic, at times dizzying pace and unique play between text and music truly come to life onstage... Even in small pieces, a live performance of the show paints a clear picture of the powerful effect it can have (and has had) on audiences of all types and ages — how, by the end, they might sing and dance and cheer and cry along with the performers. NAMT offers another vital step in the growth of On the Eve and enables us to show people even a glimpse of its full potential."

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Season announcement

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

Photo courtesy of Lively McCabe Entertainment

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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