With only 11 shopping days before Christmas — not to mention just two days left for Hanukkah — now is the time to come up with that perfect gift. Thanks to Dallas Summer Musicals, CultureMap Dallas is giving readers early access to tickets for one of 2013's most buzzed-about shows, Wicked.
To gain access to the pre-sale, go to budurl.com/WickedPOPULAR, choose a date, enter the code "POPULAR" and select your seats. Individual tickets go on sale to the general public on January 7, so that gives you a three-week jump on securing the best seats. Wicked will run at Music Hall at Fair Park April 10-May 5, 2013.
Wicked, of course, is the musical that tells a story of Oz, set before and during the arrival of Dorothy, from the perspective of Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, aka the Good Witch of the North. The production won three Tony Awards when it first premiered in 2003 and continues on Broadway to this day.
"Mary Poppins" was the big summer musical of 2024.
Following the announcement last fall that going forward, WaterTower Theatre will occupy less space in the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre, the theater company has found a solution to its venue problem.
It's launching WaterTower Summer Musicals, to be performed at the Dallas College Brookhaven Campus Theatre in Farmers Branch.
An email to newsletter subscribers sent on January 1 — and a Facebook post from WTT on December 31, 2024 — states that the first production will be Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock, set for summer 2025. It will be directed by JC Schuster, music directed by Cody Dry, and choreographed by Alli Betsill.
Both communications include a video that begins with producing artistic director Shane Peterman on the Brookhaven stage, spotlighting the venue's 650 very nice-looking seats.
He and several WTT employees go on to note the success of WTT's last two summer productions, Mary Poppins and the world-premiere Goin' Hollywood, as well as Brookhaven's plentiful free parking and spacious lobby.
"And as for the Addison Theatre Center, don't worry," says Brian Gonzales, director of audience and benefactor development, in the video. "The Addison Theatre Center is still our home, and our partnership with the town of Addison is still as strong as ever. Think of Brookhaven as an extension of the WaterTower family, allowing us to bring the summer musicals to an even bigger stage."
Also found on WTT's website is a job posting for an associate producing artistic director — the same position that Elizabeth Kensek was abruptly terminated from in August 2024.
At the time, WTT explained her layoff this way: "...modifications at the Addison Theatre Centre, directed by the Town’s leadership, have led us to consolidate roles and departments for greater efficiency. This unfortunately resulted in some layoffs and structural shifts."
Applications for the position will be accepted through January 17.
WaterTower Theatre is currently presenting The Play That Goes Wrong, co-produced with Stage West in Fort Worth. The show has recently been extended through January 19, a week past its original closing date.