New Year, New Stage

Irving theater company brings up the curtain on new performance space

MainStage Irving-Las Colinas presents Boeing Boeing

MainStage Irving-Las Colinas is about to open the play Boeing, Boeing.

Photo by Mike Morgan

MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, the city's main theater company since Lyric Stage moved to downtown Dallas in 2017, is growing. The nonprofit organization has leased a building at 222 E. Irving Blvd. in the Heritage District, what used to be the Texas Musicians Museum, and will rename it MainStage 222.

It will feature indoor and outdoor stages as well as rehearsal space, storage, and a scenic-building facility. MainStage 222 will also be offered as a rental facility for outside theaters, musicians, meetings, and events. The theater company will continue its traditional production series at the Irving Arts Center.

"MainStage Irving-Las Colinas' 50-plus-year success demonstrates the incredible amount of support Irving contributes to our thriving local arts scene," says Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer. "I'm thrilled to see this local organization not only make use of this terrific facility, but to see how they create new performance opportunities for our residents to enjoy and participate."

If you're in the mood to celebrate with the group, a ribbon-cutting and open-house event will take place on October 3 from 5:30-9 pm, with entertainment and light bites included.

"We are so excited to move in to our new home and make it a place for which the Irving community can enjoy a variety of great performances," says Clayton Cunningham, president of the MainStage board of directors. Board member and long-time Irving resident Tom Ortiz agrees: "I've lived in Irving all my life, and I can't wait to introduce our theater to more residents of our great city."

The 2019-20 season of MainStage Irving-Las Colinas at the Irving Arts Center includes Boeing, Boeing (July 19-August 3), The Royal Dilemma, a co-production with ThinkIndia Foundation (September 12-28, 2019), A Chorus Line (November 1-9, 2019, in Carpenter Hall), Have Yourself A Broadway Little Christmas (December 12-14, 2019), Pride & Prejudice (January 25-February 8, 2020), Inherit The Wind (March 20-April 4, 2020), Disaster! The Musical (May 8-23, 2020), and How The Other Half Loves (July 17-August 1, 2020).

Programming at the new MainStage 222 will be announced at a later date.

For tickets to and information about MainStage Irving-Las Colinas' productions, visit www.IrvingTheatre.com.

urban-renewal 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