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    Theater Critic Picks

    Best of 2018-19 get standing O from Dallas-Fort Worth theater critics

    Lindsey Wilson
    Sep 11, 2019 | 8:55 am

    It was a strong season for women in Dallas-Fort Worth theater, not just acting-wise but also directing, music directing, writing, designing, leading, and playing musical instruments.

     

    That made it that much harder for the eight critics of the DFW Critics Forum to narrow down our choices for the best of 2018-19. There was much debating, much lobbying, only a little name-calling (kidding), but eventually we finalized our list.

     

    Not everyone's picks made it through the voting process, which needed either more than 50 percent of the votes or a unanimous decision if only two or three critics had seen the production. Look for personal favorites not included here to pop up in critics' end-of-year lists.

     

    Without further ado, here are the awards:

     

     Outstanding Direction:

     
       
    •  Tim Bond, Sweat, Dallas Theater Center
    •  
    •  Kelsey Leigh Ervi, Everything Is Wonderful, WaterTower Theatre
    •  
    •  Joel Ferrell, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Circle Theatre
    •  
    •  Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers, Artist Descending a Staircase, Amphibian Stage Productions
    •  
    •  Alex Organ, Incognito, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
    •  Mara Richards Bim and Tim Johnson, Crossing the Line, Cry Havoc Theater Company and Kitchen Dog Theater
    •  
    •  Christie Vela, What We Were, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
    •  Ashley H. White, Ghost Quartet, Imprint Theatreworks
    •  
     

     Outstanding New Play or Musical

     
       
    •  Crossing the Line, ensemble of Cry Havoc Theater Company
    •  
    •  penny candy, Jonathan Norton, Dallas Theater Center
    •  
    •  Jo & Louisa, Isabella Russell-Ides, WingSpan Theatre Company
    •  
    •  What We Were, Blake Hackler, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
     

     Outstanding Performance by an Actor

     
       
    •  Chad Cline, Raptured, Theatre Three
    •  
    •  Sonny Franks, The Cake, Uptown Players
    •  
    •  Blake Hackler, Twelfth Night, Dallas Theater Center; and Drunk Enough to Say I Love You & Here We Go, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
    •  David Meglino, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Imprint TheatreWorks; and Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, Uptown Players
    •  
    •  Steven Pounders, Everything Is Wonderful, WaterTower Theatre
    •  
    •  Christopher Llewyn Ramirez, Sweat and Twelfth Night, Dallas Theater Center
    •  
    •  Drew Wall, Incognito, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
     

     Outstanding Performance by an Actress

     
       
    •  Betty Buckley, Hello, Dolly!, Dallas Summer Musicals
    •  
    •  Sarah Gay, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Circle Theatre
    •  
    •  Ana Hagedorn, Steel Magnolias and The Wolves, Dallas Theater Center; and The Armor Plays: Cinched & Strapped, Theatre Three
    •  
    •  Lindsay Hayward, Fur, Teatro Dallas
    •  
    •  Jennifer Kuenzer, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Imprint Theatreworks
    •  
    •  Laura Lites, Disaster!, Uptown Players
    •  
    •  Shannon McGrann, The Cake, Uptown Players; Raptured, Theatre Three; Incognito, Second Thought Theatre; A Doll’s House, Part 2, Stage West
    •  
    •  Christine Sanders, Artist Descending a Staircase, Amphibian Stage Productions; and Obama-ology, Jubilee Theatre
    •  
    •  Lucy Shea, Bright Star, The Firehouse Theatre
    •  
    •  Sally Nystuen Vahle, Sweat and Steel Magnolias, Dallas Theater Center
    •  
     

     Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast

     
       
    •  Bright Star, The Firehouse Theatre
    •  
    •  Crossing the Line, Cry Havoc Theater Company
    •  
    •  Ghost Quartet, Imprint Theatreworks
    •  
    •  Incognito, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
    •  Men on Boats, Circle Theatre
    •  
    •  penny candy, Dallas Theater Center
    •  
    •  What We Were, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
    •  The Wolves, Dallas Theater Center
    •  
     

     Outstanding Touring Production

     
       
    •  Aladdin, Dallas Summer Musicals
    •  
    •  Hamilton, Dallas Summer Musicals
    •  
    •  Hello, Dolly!, Dallas Summer Musicals
    •  
    •  The Play That Goes Wrong, AT&T Performing Arts Center
    •  
    •  Unveiled, WaterTower Theatre
    •  
     

     Outstanding Design or Creative Contribution

     
       
    •  Vonda K. Bowling, music direction, The Ballad of Little Jo, WaterTower Theatre
    •  
    •  Aimee Hurst Bozarth, pianist and musical associate, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Circle Theatre
    •  
    •  Design team, Artist Descending a Staircase, Amphibian Stage Productions
    •  
    •  Design team, Everything Is Wonderful, WaterTower Theatre
    •  
    •  John M. Flores, sound design, What We Were, Second Thought Theatre
    •  
    •  Olivia de Guzman, music, and Justin Locklear, lyrics, Doom McCoy and the Death Nugget, Ochre House Theater
    •  
    •  Rusty Jones, scenic design, Babette’s Feast, Amphibian Stage Productions
    •  
    •  Justin Locklear, score, Elwood, and puppet design, Doom McCoy and the Death Nugget, Ochre House Theater
    •  
    •  Kelly McCain, choreography, Bright Star, The Firehouse Theatre
    •  
    •  Adam C. Wright, music direction, Ghost Quartet, Imprint Theatreworks
    •  
     

     Special Citations

     
       
    • To Katherine Owens (1957-2019), co-founding artistic director of Undermain Theatre, for groundbreaking work in experimental theater and excellence in producing modern classics, staging 35 world premieres in 35 years, and seeding the ground for the birth of exciting new companies in North Texas over the past three decades.
    •  
    • To Cora Cardona, founder and former artistic director of Teatro Dallas, for introducing North Texas audiences to writers from the Spanish-speaking world, giving emerging theater artists a home, creating the International Theater Festival, and keeping alive the legacy of Teatro Dallas.
    •  
    • To Joanie Schultz for her brief but significant contributions during her tenure as artistic director of WaterTower Theatre (December 2016–December 2018), including championing female directors, playwrights of color, and other inclusive initiatives; encouraging new works; and reinvigorating the DFW theater scene.
    •  
    • To Mara Richards Bim, Tim Johnson, Cry Havoc Theater Company, and Kitchen Dog Theater for creating Crossing the Line, a thorough and compelling look at the immigration controversy devised through extensive research that included a trip to the border to gather facts and opinions from a wide range of sources. Bim and Johnson edited hundreds of pages of interview transcripts into a narrative that delved deeply into the immigration issue.
    •  
     

     Participating Critics

     
       
    •  Lindsey Wilson, CultureMap
    •  
    •  Janice L. Franklin, TheaterJones.com
    •  
    •  Jan Farrington, TheaterJones.com
    •  
    •  Martha Heimberg, TheaterJones.com and Dallas Weekly
    •  
    •  Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice
    •  
    •  Mark Lowry, TheaterJones.com
    •  
    •  Manny Mendoza, Dallas Morning News
    •  
    •  Jill Sweeney, TheaterJones.com
    •  
     

    Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum is an organization of professional, paid critics that recognizes outstanding theatrical contributions in North Texas. Members see 40 or more productions per season (Sept. 1-Aug. 31) and are not practicing theater artists.

    Circle Theatre's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street secured awards for director, actress, and creative contribution.

    Circle Theatre presents Sweeney Todd
      
    Photo by Tim Long
    Circle Theatre's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street secured awards for director, actress, and creative contribution.
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    Theater Critic Picks

    From Wilde to 'The Wiz': 8 unmissable July shows in North Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 2, 2025 | 10:18 am
    Second Thought Theatre presents Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Photo courtesy of Second Thought Theatre
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    Your instinct during the summer might be to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, and there are plenty of options to do exactly this month. But we would be remiss if we didn't remind you about a North Texas tradition: Shakespeare under the stars. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and watch The Bard (and this year Oscar Wilde) at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater with Shakespeare Dallas. Both shows opened in June, but continue through most of July.

    Here are eight shows local shows, listed in order of start date:

    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 18 extended to July 26
    This witty romantic comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895, tells the story of two men who assume the identities of a fictional man named Ernest. This leads them to each fall in love and encounter an assortment of comical problems along the way.

    Othello
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 20
    In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly but brilliant enemy. This production is set in an alternate-history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power.

    King Kirby
    American Chronicle Theatre Co., July 4-12
    This is the story of Jack "King of Comics" Kirby. The play follows him from the tough Jewish ghetto of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, to the harrowing battlefields of Normandy during WWII, to tense Senate hearings in the 1950s. Watch as he creates some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture: Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the New Gods, and countless others.

    Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Second Thought Theatre, July 9-26
    Written by Second Though Theatre artistic associate Jenny Ledel in her playwriting premiere, the play takes place in the near future, as Jane takes advantage of a new AI technology that would extend her lifespan ... even if she's not around to see it for herself.

    The Wiz
    Broadway at the Bass, July 15-20
    This all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical returns “home” in an all-new pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. The groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway, from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

    Noises Off
    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 18-August 2
    This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Playwright Michael Frayn gives a window into the inner workings of theatre behind-the-scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance.

    Everybody's Talking About Jamie
    Uptown Players, July 18-August 3
    Inspired by true events, this musical tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations.

    Shucked
    Broadway at the Bass, July 29-August 3
    This Tony Award-winning musical comedy features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy an appetite for great musical theater.

    broadway at the bassmusicalsnational tourplayssecond thought theatreuptown playersshakespeare under starsshakespeare in the parktheater
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