That Yet We Sleep, We Dream

Feminine Dallas theater company cultivates new and local work in its first season

The season starts with a new Shakespeare adaptation.

The new women-led theater company Lily & Joan has unveiled its inaugural season with three works: a classic, a local-born play, and a world premiere musical.

Announced on December 17 at the female-focused troupe's Secret Garden Gala, held at House of Dirt, the season reflects the company's mission to intentionally and inclusively highlight the female perspective.

First up in April 2019 is a 90-minute adaptation of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, adapted by Lily & Joan co-founder Emily Faith. The intermission-less show will have an all female-identifying cast.

Next, in July 2019, is Marilyn Pursued by a Bear. Local playwright Nicole Neely describes the work as a companion piece to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale that "explores the devastation of thought spirals and false accusations" as well as highlights the endurance of female bonds.

The season finale is a world premiere musical inspired by the life of Joan of Arc, and the namesake of Lily & Joan. Featuring local musicians and visual artists, Joan will "fully immerse audiences in a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience" while taking on the stigma surrounding mental health as well as the loss of identity. The original musical by Faith and her co-founder Erika Larsen will be produced November 2019.

Venues for all three productions have yet to be announced.

"We are so empowered by our first season's lineup," says Faith. "Introducing ourselves with an all-female Midsummer, a local female playwright, and a world premiere musical inspired by the stories of Joan of Arc is exactly how we wanted to take our first steps into the Dallas-Fort Worth theater community."

Lily & Joan is based in Dallas' Bishop Arts District, and has vowed to donate half of each production's proceeds to local women's organizations. In addition to Faith and Larsen, its company members include Alle Mims, Amy Thornhill, Debbie Ruegsegger, Jād Brennon Saxton, Katie Brown, Sakyiwaa Baah, Haley Nelson, and Olivia Grace Murphy.

theater

SUMMERTIME blues

Dallas-Fort Worth arrives at surprising spot among top summer travel destinations

Cool Thursdays Concert Series at Dallas Arboretum

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum

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Dallas-Fort Worth recently racked up more than a dozen accolades at the 2023 Texas Travel Awards. But a new survey reveals it's not necessarily such a hot travel destination this summer.

DFW comes in at a middle-of-the-road No. 45 in WalletHub's recent 2023 Best Summer Travel Destinations report.

The report compared 100 of the largest metro areas in America across 41 metrics, including number of attractions.

DFW scored an overall rating of 52.56 out of 100. Broken down by category, the Metroplex ranked 86th in "Travel Costs & Hassles;" 32nd in "Local Costs;" 20th in "Attractions;" 41st in "Weather;" 27th in "Activities;" and 50th in "Safety."

Taking the top spot in Texas was San Antonio, at No. 11, with Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown at No. 14. Behind Austin and San Antonio in the 2023 rankings is El Paso (No. 18), then Houston (No. 38). After 45th ranked DFW came Corpus Christi (No. 62), and McAllen (No. 86).

Dr. Susan Weidmann, assistant professor in the department of recreational management and physical education at Appalachian State University, said in the report that summer 2023 is going to be a “good season for travel” despite recent economic downturns that have many worried about a recession.

“Coming out of Covid, I think many people have taken these last few years to really evaluate what they want out of life, and for those that love travel, I think they have probably put it at the top of their list of things to do,” she said. “As far as economics are concerned, many may have saved their traveling money from the last multiple years, so will have money to spend. That being said, after the airline chaos of last year, many people may be thinking about domestic travel over the long-haul, just to alleviate many of the concerns that airlines, especially in Europe, are still grappling with, such as reduced staffing leading to flight cancellations.”

Weidmann predicts the time period between July and early August will be the most popular season for National Parks, like Texas’ Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains.

Despite none of them being in Texas, the top 10 destinations in WalletHub’s report are all popular cities worth a glance in sun-friendly states like Hawaii, New York, and Florida.

The top 10 best summer destinations are:

No. 1 – Atlanta
No. 2 – Honolulu, Hawaii
No. 3 – Washington, D.C.
No. 4 – Wichita, Kansas
No. 5 – New York City
No. 6 – Chicago
No. 7 – Tampa, Florida
No. 8 – Orlando, Florida
No. 9 – Richmond, Virginia
No. 10 – Springfield, Missouri

travel summer reports wallethub