Actor Spotlight

DFW actor Major Attaway has a love-hate relationship with high kicks

Major Attaway.

Photo courtesy of Disney Theatricals

You may not see Major Attaway onstage at Jubilee Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors, but you'll definitely hear him. Attaway is the voice of Audrey II, the carnivorous plant that brings fame and ultimately murder to Skid Row in the campy, fun musical.

His rich, rumbling voice has graced several stage across the area, and before Little Shop closes in Fort Worth on August 3, Attaway took the time to fill out our survey of serious, fun and sometimes ridiculous questions.

Name: Major Attaway

Role in Little Shop of Horrors: Audrey II

Previous work in the DFW area: Casa Mañana (Frosty the Snowman, Frosty); WaterTower (Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Tee-Tot); Uptown Players/Turtle Creek Chorale (Ragtime, Booker Washington); Kids Who Care (Peter Pan, Captain Hook); Theatre Arlington (Big River, Jim)

Hometown: Fort Worth

Where you currently reside: Fort Worth

First theater role: My first role ever was in Lost in Disney Land, a production my elementary school class co-wrote with my teacher. I played Billy the Bully. My first professional show was at Casa Mañana, Babe the Sheep Pig. I was a sheep rustler!

Moment you decided to pursue a career in theater: I knew I loved the theater early on, but when I saw my first Broadway show, I knew I was hooked for life. I sat on the aisle of the ninth row of the New Amsterdam Theatre while the cast of The Lion King took me to the Pride Lands.

Most challenging role you’ve played: Jarvis Blake in the one-man show Masked: The Untold Story of Jarvis Blake.

Special skills: Chicken leg trick — in goes the chicken, out comes the bone. Oh, and high kicks.

Something you’re REALLY bad at: Other than interviews?

Current pop culture obsession: Does Orange Is The New Black count?

Last book you read: Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All by Russell Simmons

Favorite movie(s): My favorite movie of all time is Houseguest starring Sinbad and Phil Hartman.

Favorite musician(s): Joe Williams, CeeLo Green, Gregory Porter, Outkast, Pentatonix, Luther Vandross, Earth Wind & Fire, Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, John Legend

Favorite song: "Mr. Wendell" by Arrested Development

Dream role: The Genie (Aladdin), Sweeney (Sweeney Todd), Martin Luther King Jr. (The Mountaintop), Othello (Othello). Also, Luther Vandross in the movie of his life. Someone get on that, please and thank you.

Favorite musical(s): Whichever one I am currently in!

Favorite actors/actresses: Keith David, James Earl Jones, Kevin Michael Richardson

Favorite food: Anything made with love or cheese.

Must-see TV show(s): OITNB, House of Cards and Animorphs

Something most people don’t know about you: At age 10 I was diagnosed with Blount’s disease, a growth disorder of the tibia (shin bone) that causes the lower leg to angle inward, resembling a bow. I had major surgery at age 13 at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas. They put an Ilizarov on my leg for nine months, which was designed to slowly straighten out my leg.

Although my leg is now straight, I still deal daily with edema and dead nerves. I can’t feel the top of my right foot, or right side of my right leg from the knee down.

Place in the world you’d most like to visit: Aruba (crystal-clear water), Greece (honeymoon), Switzerland (chocolate)

Pre-show warm-up: Depending on the show, if I really need help dropping myself into the world of the play, I might listen to the music my character would’ve listened to on that day in that time, current events or even a particular food. I also warm up the vocal chords, which will also be tailored to the type of music and level of intensity.

Favorite part about your current role: I can wear my pajamas to work.

Most challenging part about your current role: The hardest part is acting from offstage; I like to feel the energy of the audience.

Most embarrassing onstage mishap: I have many mishaps; all of them involve ripping the seat out of my pants. ALL OF THEM. I blame the high kicks.

Career you’d have if you weren’t a performer: I am a massage therapist now; I think I still would be. My father is an auctioneer, and my mother is a real estate agent. I would probably be doing a little of both of those as well.

Favorite post-show spot: Absolutely any place on Magnolia Avenue. I suppose I am partial to the Magnolia Cheese Company, Live Oak Lounge, The Usual, Avoca, Brewed, Nonna Tatta and Spiral Diner.

Favorite thing about Dallas-Fort Worth: This may sound clichéd, but it is the constant growth. The space and cost of living make this a great place to create. In DFW, it is possible to solidify multiple streams of income as an artist, which can prepare you for other markets. The work is here; you just have to be aggressive.

Most memorable theater moment: Coming to life as Frosty the Snowman at Casa Mañana. I have played quite a few entities up until this moment, but never have I been someone who is iconic to all ages. I played Frosty as myself in a tailored three-piece suit, so I didn’t miss a reaction. Bringing Frosty to life took my breath away every time.

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Theater News

Dallas' Kitchen Dog Theater unveils powerful 2026-2027 season lineup

Photo by Cameron Cobb

Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas will put on three mainstage productions for their 2026-2027 season.

Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas has revealed the lineup for the 2026-2027 season, featuring a slate of plays that boasts power players like kings, prime ministers, space force commanders, and would-be presidents.

According to a release, the theater company's 36th season — their "most powerful yet" — will consist of three mainstage productions at its new permanent home in the Design District, as well as the annual New Works Festival, featuring a readings series and the 26th annual D-PAC PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest.

The season will start with The Absentee by Julia Doolittle, running September 10-October 4, 2026. The play was the winner of the 2019-2020 Woodward/Newman Drama Award.

Far out in the Milky Way, “Beacons” serve as lighthouses for warping spaceships around the galaxy. When a U.S. Space Force ship explodes in the galaxy, the Operator finds herself alone in deep space, with only her ship’s AI for companionship. That is, until a persistent canvasser calls, desperate to convince her to vote absentee in the 2088 election.

As the Operator waits for the clean up to be over, she finds she has to come to terms with her isolation, grief, and her political voice.

The season's second production comes four months later, with Equivocation by Bill Cain, running February 4-28, 2027. In 1605 England, a terrorist plots to assassinate King James I and blow Parliament to kingdom come. Shagspeare (after a contemporary spelling of the Bard's name) is commissioned by the prime minister, to write the “true historie” of the plot. And it must have witches — the king wants witches.

But as Shag and the acting company of the Globe investigate the plot, they discover that the king's version of the story might, in fact, be a coverup. Shag and his actors are confronted with the ultimate moral and artistic dilemma. Speak truth to power and perhaps lose their heads? Or take the money and lie? Is there a third option? Equivocation?

A high-stakes political thriller with contemporary resonances, Equivocation gallops from the great Globe to the Tower of London to the halls of Parliament to the heart of Judith, Shag's younger daughter, who finds herself unexpectedly at the very heart of the political, dramatic and — ultimately — human mystery.

The final mainstage production of the season comes at the 2027 New Works Festival with Black Republican by KDT Artistic Company Member Jamal Gibran Sterling, running June 3-27, 2027.

Originally featured as a Staged Reading in the 2026 New Works Festival, the ambitious first play by Sterling centers on a Black Republican candidate on the national stage who finds his campaign threatened by an activist who challenges everything he claims to stand for. Their battle exposes uncomfortable truths about race, politics, and the stories we tell ourselves.

In addition to Black Republican, the 2027 New Works Festival will showcase four staged readings of some of the newest and most exciting Texas-based playwrights. Each reading will feature accomplished Dallas-Fort Worth actors and directors to highlight the breadth of talent in the area.

The final part of the festival is D-PAC PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest, featuring six staged readings of jury-selected plays written by Dallas-Fort Worth high school students and featuring student actors directed by area professionals. PUP Fest is the culmination of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Dallas ISD and Junior Players.

Kitchen Dog Theater offers two season subscription packages for their inaugural season in their new facility. The Kitchen Dog package includes a ticket to all three mainstage productions for any performance date for $90+ $8 fees for adults and $75 +$8 fees for students and seniors (ages 65+). The Saver Dog package includes a ticket to all three mainstage productions for Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. It is $60 + $8 fees for adults and $45 + $8 fees for students and seniors.

Both packages grant full access to the Staged Reading Series and PUP Fest. Subscribers also receive premium reserved seating for in-person performances, as well as subscriber-only discounts on additional single tickets, 2026 special events, and KDT merchandise.

Subscription packages are on sale now, and single tickets for each show will go on sale on Monday, August 24, at kitchendogtheater.org.

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