Theater Critic Picks

These are the 4 can't-miss shows in Dallas theater for August

Mousey was recorded at Ochre House Theatre in September 2018.

Photo by Justin O’Keith Higgs

We almost didn't get a theater preview this month, and that would have been a very hard blow to the performing arts world. But a handful of Dallas theaters came through, offering up live-streams of topical and new works and revisiting a classic from years past.

Here are four local shows to watch this month:

It's My Party
Echo Theatre, live-streaming August 16-22
The female-powered theater is presenting four live-streamed readings of this play by Ann Timmons, which tells the incredible true story of how women fought for the right to vote. Great timing, right? It also happens to be the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. Tickets are $12 per viewer, with a discount for three or more viewers. Once you purchase your tickets, you will be sent a link to view the live performance, which runs approximately 90 minutes. After the reading, viewers are encouraged to stick around for a talkback with the cast, creative team, and other audience members.

Curiouser: A Zoom Play
The Firehouse Theatre, live-streaming August 21-22
This modern adaption of Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is written as an actual Zoom call by Taylor Mercado Owen. Directed by Olivia Grace Murphy, this play will be performed and designed to work within the necessary current social distance restrictions. Tickets to stream are $10 for a single stream and $20 for a family stream. 4-PLUS, Flex-10, Flex-5, and Firehouse JR Flex-10 tickets may be redeemed to see Curiouser.

Raise You Up!
Imprint Theatreworks, live-streaming August 29
Directed by Ashley H. White and with musical direction by Vonda K. Bowling, this virtual variety show will feature appearances from more than 25 local and national performers as well as more information on what Imprint has in store for its 2020 digital season. The curtain will rise at 7 pm and tickets start at $12.

Mousey
Ochre House Theatre, streaming now
Next in this Expo Park treasure's catalog is Carla Parker's original work Mousey, which was performed in 2018. Filmed by videographer Scott Shaddock and presented on the Ochre House YouTube channel for free, it tells the story of how things have gone rotten in the world of toys. Mrs. Mousey begins to suspect that there is more to life than just being a toy and launches into the dangerous journey that questions the very existence of their innocent lives. Original music, dance, and spectacle create a riveting story of loss of innocence and awakening, asking, "If we aren't toys, then what are we?"

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