With a name like Oral Fixation, it's easy to turn heads. But Dallas' live storytelling series is doing more than that: It's selling out shows.
Founded by Nicole Stewart and husband Anton Schlesinger in 2011, Oral Fixation is coming off a wildly successful third season. And the show has big plans for the future. After consistently selling out its new space at the Wyly Theatre, Oral Fixation has set its sights on a second show in the suburbs.
"If we get a good response to the show, that will certainly encourage us to do this more frequently," says founder Nicole Stewart.
To test the waters, Oral Fixation will host its "Best of Season 3" show at the Wyly on September 15 and WaterTower Theatre in Addison on September 16. The very same cast, which was voted on by fans, will deliver their true-life stories on back-to-back nights for the first time in Oral Fixation's history.
"If we get a good response to the show, that will certainly encourage us to do this more frequently," Stewart says.
As far as selecting Addison for the inaugural encore performance, Stewart says the decision was predicated on feedback from commuters who wanted the show to be earlier in the day so they wouldn't have to go back and forth from downtown to the suburbs.
"We decided to meet them halfway — literally," she says. "Addison is an extremely happening place right now with great food and nightlife. I'm excited to offer this new opportunity to people in North Dallas."
Stewart is also open to the idea of expanding even further into the depths of DFW, with possible venues in Oak Cliff and Fort Worth. "If what we are hearing is true, then there are different audiences in these neighborhoods, and if the demand is there, we are happy to meet it," she says.
The fourth season will start October 13; just five days later, Oral Fixation storytellers from "Best of Season 3" will perform as part of the
Dallas VideoFest at the Angelika Film Center. Under the direction of Bart Weiss, each storyteller has been partnered with an independent filmmaker to create an original video that will play during a reading on October 18.
It's another first for the 3-year-old storytelling show, one Stewart is particularly excited — and nervous — about. "It's a little nerve-wracking for me because I won't have any control over the product," she says. "But Bart has a great understanding about how video can support storytelling."
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Tickets for the September 15 and 16 Oral Fixation performances are $25 and can be purchased online or in person at the box offices for AT&T Performing Arts Center and WaterTower Theatre.
Oral Fixation begins its fourth season in October.
Photo courtesy of Oral Fixation
Oral Fixation begins its fourth season in October.