Two world premieres and a celebration of previous New Works stand-outs highlight Kitchen Dog Theater's 2021-22 season, which will be staged at the Trinity River Arts Center.
First up is a show that was originally scheduled for last season but, well, coronavirus and all. It's the world premiere of Good Latimer by Angela Hanks, a Brooklyn-based playwright who was raised in Dallas. Directed by KDT co-artistic director Christopher Carlos, the play follows Dallasites Ravinia and Good as they reach a crossroad in their 35-year relationship.
Ravinia has had a sudden epiphany: she is no longer in love with Good. And Good? Far from accepting his fate, he is determined to win her back, even if it means overcoming a sky that rains armadillos, a rare North Texas earthquake, and Dallas' maddeningly ever-evolving landscape. It runs October 7-24, 2021.
Next up is the regional premiere of a recent Broadway hit: Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mac. KDT artistic company member Tim Johnson directs the comedy, which is set just after the blood-soaked conclusion of William Shakespeare’s first — and goriest — tragedy.
During the fall of the Roman Empire, the years of bloody battle are over. The civil war has ended. The country has been stolen by madmen, and there are casualties everywhere. And two very lowly servants are charged with cleaning up the bodies. It’s the year 400 AD, but it feels like the end of the world. It runs February 17-March 6, 2022.
For its 24th annual New Works Festival, Kitchen Dog has made a killer "mix tape" of festivals past, complete with commissions, staged readings of the hottest new plays around, and the 21st anniversary of DPAC PUP Fest. The events include:
2022 NWF Mainstage world premiere of High Five, directed by KDT co-artistic director Tina Parker. This evening of five short plays that will each shine a spotlight on one of the five senses: taste, touch, vision, hearing, and smell. It runs June 9-26, 2022.
The 2022 NWF Staged Reading Series will take place in June 2022, featuring exciting new plays selected from four of the past NWF top-ranked playwrights from DFW and beyond. In addition, the Staged Reading Series will include a commissioned new play by a Kitchen Dog Theater artistic company member.
The DPAC PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest is also in June 2022, showcasing six staged readings of jury-selected plays by DFW high school students with student actors and professional directors. PUP Fest is the culminating event of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Junior Players and Dallas ISD.
A KDT season subscription is $60 for adults and $45 for students/seniors (65-plus). This includes three mainstage productions and all the annual New Works Festival events. Visit kitchendogtheater.org or call 214-953-1055 to purchase.
KDT will also offer a streaming option for all three mainstage performances, for those who are uncomfortable returning to in-person events.
