Season Announcement
Big names and bold premieres buoy Bishop Arts Theatre Center's 30th season
"Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer" is making its regional premiere.
Five productions are on tap for Bishop Arts Theatre Center's 2023-24 season, including an exciting collab with Dallas Theater Center.
“Our 2023-24 season marks our 30th anniversary season and we couldn’t be more excited about the partnerships and collaborations that will be manifested during our theater series,” says Teresa Coleman Wash, executive artistic director and founder.
The season will open in October 2023 with an adaptation of Othello by BATC’s playwright-in-residence, Franky D. Gonzalez, and starring the talented Denise Lee as Othello.
The play follows the tragedies surrounding Imani Othello, a passionate football fan on the coaching staff of the nation’s most beloved team, whose life is irrevocably changed when she is named head coach. It runs October 19-November 5, 2023.
Black Nativity, inspired by Langston Hughes' 1960 Broadway production, then returns for its 19th year.
The show will be once again re-imagined and co-directed by BATC’s associate artistic producer, Albert Wash II, and Zetra Goodlow. The dynamic duo directed this popular favorite two years ago to packed houses during the pandemic. It runs November 30-December 17, 2023.
Beginning in February 2024, BATC will continue its third-annual banned books festival based on Heather McGhee’s The Sum of Us.
The theater will produce a collection of short plays by six local playwrights, all inspired by McGhee's brilliant analysis and exploring the far-reaching costs of racism and the path to healing as a community. This performance is made possible in part by Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation. It runs February 29-March 17, 2024.
Liz Mikel, a Brierley Resident Acting Company member at Dallas Theater Center, returns to Dallas after a year performing in 1776 on Broadway to play the legendary 1960s civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer in this regional premiere, co-produced with DTC.
Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer by Cheryl West celebrates the woman whose courage, humor, and grit remind us that there’s courage in the face of fire, hope in tomorrow, and that we all have a stake in our country.
From her humble origins as the daughter of a Mississippi sharecropper to co-founding the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and demanding recognition at the National Democratic Convention, hers is a story of justice that will not be denied.
The final performance of the season is Amy Evans' groundbreaking new play Jet Fuel.
Inspired by the extraordinary tale of Olympic sprinter Caster Semenya, this captivating production casts a brilliant spotlight on the intricate intersections of gender, race identity, and the quest for fairness in the realm of athletics.
More than just a play, Jet Fuel serves as a catalyst for conversations that matter. It brings together people from all walks of life to celebrate diversity and inclusion while pondering the true essence of fairness in the world of elite athletes.
All performances during BATC's 30th anniversary season run for three consecutive weekends at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center at 215 S. Tyler St.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.bishopartstheatre.org or by calling the box office at 214-948-0716. Prices range from $18-$55, and seats are general admission. Discounts are available for seniors, students, and groups of 15 or more.
Former President George W. Bush painting in his Dallas studio.Photo courtesy of Crown Publishing