Arts & Letters Live Turns 25

Behold the stars on the bill for 25th season of Dallas Museum of Art series

Actress — and now memoirist — Mary-Louise Parker will kick off the 2016 season of DMA's Arts & Letters Live.

For its 25th anniversary season, Dallas Museum of Art's Arts & Letters Live series is stacking the roster with celeb names from the performing arts and literary worlds. New York Times bestselling authors, Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, Tony Award winners, and Emmy Award winners are all on the list.

"The star-studded line-up of literary icons and performers is bigger than ever, with an estimated 34 programs slated for January through June 2016," says Carolyn Bess, director of programming, in a release. "There’s something to suit everyone’s taste, no matter whether you prefer literary fiction, nonfiction, memoir, humor, poetry, music, art, or dance."

It all starts on January 11 at 7:30 pm with the "memoiristas," aka writer Mary Karr and actress Mary-Louise Parker, who will be discussing the popular Lit, which has been turned into a forthcoming Showtime series starring Parker as Karr. The pair will also talk about their two latest literary works — yes, Parker has published her first book, titled Dear Mr. You.

Perennial favorite humor essayist David Sedaris, actor Rainn Wilson (The Office), novelist Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love), Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, and Texas Monthly executive editor Skip Hollandsworth are just a few of the other speakers scheduled.

Bess also notes that two of the presentations will dovetail with the DMA's exhibitions and collections initiatives: Texas Ballet Theater's world premiere of a suite of new dances inspired by "Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots," and "a French Riviera fête focusing on the newly published connections between the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection and Coco Chanel, featuring curator Olivier Meslay and Chanel biographer Rhonda K. Garelick."

Most events will take place in the Horchow Auditorium at the DMA, but check the website for updates and pricing.

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Season Announcement

Kitchen Dog Theater unleashes immersive 2025 season in new Dallas space

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Safe at Home

Photo by Jordan Fraker

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Seven years after announcing it had purchased a building in the Design District, Kitchen Dog Theater is finally ready to move into its new home.

The third and final production of its 2025 season — the theater company's 34th — will take place all around the new "Doghouse." The other two productions will follow the immersive format at non-traditional performance spaces that was established last season.

With three fully produced events that each run the gambit from captivating and gutsy to heartfelt and hilarious, the monthly New Works Festival Staged Readings Series returns, as does the 23rd annual PUP Fest, nurturing high school talent from all over DFW.

First up is the area premiere of Will Eno's Wakey, Wakey, directed by KDT's artistic director Tina Parker and starring KDT co-artistic director Christopher Carlos.

"Is it now? I thought I had more time." These first words in Will Eno's play are spoken by Guy, a man who knows, like all of us on some level, that he is about to die. The play questions why we are here and the journeys that everyone takes to eventually get to the same place. Performances will take place at Expo Park, 840 Exposition Avenue, and run February 7-23, 2025.

Production No. 2 is full of mystery: The title and performance location will be announced soon and run in March/April 2025.

The Happiness Gymby Ken Weitzman closes out the season in August 2025 (exact dates TBA).

This regional premiere is a joyous, experiential event based on the science of well-being. Participants take part in a curated theatrical experience meant to boost their sense of happiness, joy, and feelings of connection. This one-of-a-kind project will be the soft opening to Kitchen Dog’s new theater and will take place all over the entire facility, giving patrons unparalleled access to KDT’s new home.

From March to July 2025, the 26th annual 2025 New Works Festival will showcase four-to-five staged readings of the newest and most exciting local and regional playwrights working in contemporary theater today. Each reading will feature some of DFW's most accomplished actors and directors and will take place at different venues across DFW.

For its 23rd annual event, PUP Fest will feature six staged readings of jury-selected plays written by DFW high school students, featuring student actors directed by area professional directors. PUP Fest is the culminating event of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Dallas ISD and Junior Players. Performance location is TBA, but the event will happen June 7, 2025.

For more information, visit kitchendogtheater.org or call 214-953-1055.

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