Theater Critic Picks

These are the 13 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for November

Your calendar may say November, but 'tis already the holiday season. Don't believe it? Take a gander at all the Christmas-themed shows below that populate this month's list of must-see theater.

Here are the 13 shows to see, in order by start date:

Of Thee I Sing
Lyric Stage, November 3-6
It couldn't be better timing for Lyric Stage to mount this political satire, which was the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Though it was penned in 1931, George and Ira Gershwin's send-up of a presidential campaign still points out the absurdity and ridiculousness of politics. And if you can believe it, this also will be Lyric's first-ever Gershwin show — a shocker for a company known for its full orchestra and music-forward philosophy.

Chicago
ICT Mainstage, November 4-19
Running right next door in the Irving Arts Center is another early-20th century musical that's oddly appropriate for today's celebrity-obsessed climate: Chicago. It's the 20th anniversary of the Broadway revival (which is still going strong), so ICT is doing it up big with B.J. Cleveland at the helm and North Texas' most lithe and limber dancer-singers.

Angels in America Millennium Approaches
Uptown Players, November 4-20
Tony Kushner's two-part examination of the 1980s AIDS epidemic is arguably one of the most important pieces of American art — ever. It's also an intimidating production for any theater company to tackle because of its metaphorical and symbolic storytelling. But it's a natural fit for Uptown Players, which has made it its mission for the last 16 years to present theater that explores acceptance, prejudice, diversity, and relationships.

Million Dollar Quartet
Casa Mañana, November 5-13
It might feel like Johnny Cash just jumped over to Fort Worth for a spell after singing in Addison, but in this behind-the-scenes jukebox musical, the Man in Black is an actual character, and he's joined by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins for a dramatized re-creation of an actual recording session in 1956.

Julius Caesar
Shakespeare in the Bar, November 7 & 14
Tickets for the two performances of this barely rehearsed, immersive Shakespeare play where everybody drinks when an actor forgets a line sold out in an hour an a half. They must be good or something. You can still try your luck at 5 pm the day of each show (the first is at the Wild Detectives, the second at the Ginger Man) for one of the 50 walk-up tickets.

10 Out of 12
Undermain Theatre, November 9-December 3
The audience usually only gets to see the end result, but in this immersive play by Anne Washburn, you'll be right in the middle of the most intense, exhilarating, frustrating, and frantic part of each show: tech. Director Blake Hackler is putting you literally in the action, so hopefully this doesn't align with any fears about audience participation.

Day Light
Theatre Three, November 17-December 11
Acting artistic director Bruce R. Coleman is also a playwright, and this is the professional world premiere of his new work about familial secrets and confrontations. In 1867. The play also won the grand prize at Stage West's ninth annual Southwest Playwriting Competition.

Murder for Two
Stage West, November 17-December 18
Mark Schenfisch and Teddy Warren are about to be two of the hardest-working performers in DFW — or at least the most tired. They play all the characters in this "killer" musical comedy, about the murder of a celebrated novelist and the small-town policeman who's eager to question all the suspects and solve the case.

Feathers and Teeth
Kitchen Dog Theater, November 18-December 17
The plays KDT chooses are usually anything but straightforward, and this regional premiere by Charise Castro Smith sounds right up the Dogs' alley. In the horror comedy starring Matt Lyle, Morgan Lauré, Parker Gray, and Dakota Ratliff, the monster living in a teenage girl's home isn't what — or whom — you'd expect.

Nuestra Pastorela
Cara Mía Theatre Co., November 19-December 11
Cara Mia is bringing back its zany take on the Mexican shepherd's tale, with slapstick comedy and clowning putting a light spin on the journey to Bethlehem. The holiday tale was penned by artistic director David Lozano and Jeffry Farrell, and it's directed by movement and physicality guru Jeffrey Colangelo.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical
Performing Arts Fort Worth, November 22-23
Dallas Summer Musicals, November 25-27
The family-friendly tour returns, making quick stops in DFW both before and after Thanksgiving. Puppets help bring the beloved stop-motion film to life onstage, but it's the human performances (especially Kyle Montgomery as the wannabe dentist Hermie the Elf) that make this musical so darn delightful.

A Christmas Carol
Dallas Theater Center, November 23-December 28
Part of the fun of DTC's yearly tradition is seeing how they shuffle the actors, putting resident company members into roles you may not initially predict. This year, Sally Vahle is donning Scrooge's nightshirt and going on the ghostly journey through Christmases past, present, and future, and it's about time we had a female in this part.

A Christmas Carol: The Radio Show
Theatre Too, November 25-December 11
Those who might have missed B.J. Cleveland play every single role in this vocal and physically demanding one-man rendition of Dickens' classic will get another chance, as he's reprising it downstairs at Theatre Three. And don't say Santa never brought you anything nice.

Uptown Players presents Angels in America Millennium Approaches.

Photo by Mike Morgan

Uptown Players presents Angels in America Millennium Approaches.

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Elon News

Dallas bookstore and publisher gets federal arts funding axed

Deep Vellum

Stack of books at Deep Vellum

A Dallas arts organization got its budget chopped by the federal government: Deep Vellum, the bookstore and publisher at 3000 Commerce St., lost a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant due to federal government budget cuts.

According to owner Will Evans, the award, which is granted annually, has been terminated as of May 31. The bookstore had received $20,000 for the past six years.

Deep Ellum started as a publisher in 2013 and opened their bookstore in Deep Ellum in 2015. Since then, they have become a center for literature lovers. Evans is a translator whose mission has been to translate the world’s best novels into English for American audiences.

Evans was notified on May 2 via an email that was reportedly sent to grant recipients nationwide. The note read:

"The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."

The new priorities included projects that elevate the Nation's HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.

The Grants and Public Affairs departments at NEA did not respond to a request for comment. On Monday May 5, the Literary Staff was laid off, and the agency is facing possible elimination entirely, as part of the 2026 Discretionary Budget Request presented to Congress on May 2.

This year's grant to Deep Vellum was earmarked to fund the translation, publishing, and marketing costs of four books:

Carapace Dancer by Natalia Toledo, translated from Zapotec, published trilingually with Spanish and English translations alongside the original, translated by Clare Sullivan
Juvenilia by Hera Lindsay Bird of New Zealand, making her US debut, illustrated by Dallas artist Gino Dal Cin
Schattenfroh by Michael Lentz, translated from the German by Max Lawton, a 1001-page masterpiece and English-language debut
The Ruins by Ye Hui, translated from Chinese by Dong Li, the English-language debut from one of China's most distinguished and independent poets

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1965 as a funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide anxd a catalyst of public and private support for the arts with the goal of advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, according to their website.

In their last stats document updated in November 2024, their FY’24 budget was outlined as $207M (representing 0.03 percent of the total federal budget), with 80 percent of their budget supporting grants and awards to organizations and individuals across the country. They typically offer over 2,000 grants each year.

"It’s been a strange few days for us, and for countless other nonprofit publishers, magazines, and arts organizations," Evans said.

Despite the cut, Deep Vellum plans to continue to promote literacy through unique books translated to the English language.

“This is not going to imperil our future but it’s something we need to consider as we move forward. These books are extraordinary, and they add so much for readers and culture. We just need to find additional revenue to fund them," Evans said.

Evans was first to reveal the funding cut but a number of organizations across Dallas and Texas have seen similar cuts including Ballet North Texas, Flamenco Fever, Dallas Theater Center, and Bishop Arts Theatre Center, as well as a number of groups in Austin.

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