The Final Bow

Dallas' 7 creepiest live, onstage performances for Halloween 2024

Theatre Three presents Carrie the Musical

"Carrie" at Theatre Three will be a night you'll never forget.

Photo by Jeffrey Schmidt

It's spooky season in Dallas, but eerie entertainment doesn't just mean haunted houses (though we've got a list of those for you, too).

Halloween is trending big in 2024, and things are getting scary on stages around town. If you like ghoulish entertainment, this is your year.

Here's your round-up of creepy concerts, petrifying plays, blood-curdling ballet, and more.

Carrie the Musical, Theatre Three
Through November 3
Based on the novel by Stephen King and adapted from the cult classic film of the same name, Carrie the Musical features a powerful score and dramatic storytelling in its exploration of vengeance, empowerment, and the supernatural.

Dallas Theater Center presents "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors." Photo by Jordan Fraker

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Dallas Theater Center
Kalita Humphreys Theater, through November 3
This laugh-out-loud, gender-bending romp is what happens when you take Bram Stoker’s legendary story and put it into a blender with Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and The 39 Steps.

Sinisterhood Live, Texas Theatre
October 17
The popular Dallas-based podcast from best friends and comedians Christie Wallace and Heather McKinney caps off its Full Moon Energy Tour here at home. Go on a journey into lunar lore as the gals explore the darker side of the moon, learning what effects it has on humans, what lurks up there, and what people think really happened during the Apollo missions.

"Sugar Skull: A Dia de Muertos Musical Adventure." Photo courtesy of The Eisemann Center

Sugar Skull: A Dia de Muertos Musical Adventure, Eismann Center
October 20
A bilingual/bicultural journey for young audiences and families that uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores, who thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos.

Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics, Fever
Frontiers of Flight Museum, October 24
Under the gentle glow of candlelight, Listeso String Quartet performs a program that includes Michael Jackson's "Thriller," "Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist)," John Carpenter's "Halloween (Theme)," "Medley from The Nightmare Before Christmas," and more.

Dracula: Ballet with a Bite!, Ballet Ensemble of Texas
October 26, Coppell Arts Center
It's the traditional vampire story with a twist. Patrons can also experience “The Vein Drain” (a blood drive in collaboration with the Carter Blood Center), “Drinks with Dracula” prior to the performance, and a “Fiendish Frock Fashion Fantasy,” a costume parade for the audience at the performance.

National tour of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is coming to Bass Hall. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Beetlejuice, Broadway at the Bass
October 29-November 3, Bass Performance Hall
A bonus Fort Worth entry, but the Ghost with the Most would want you to make the drive to see him. Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

Theater News

Dallas' Second Thought Theatre gets collaborative for 2026 season

Amphibian Stage presents Bull in a China Shop

Photo by Evan Michael Woods

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The 2026 season for Second Thought Theatre in Dallas will be relatively small - only three productions are scheduled - but it will be full of collaborations designed to build on relationships with theater companies from across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Second Thought will open their season with a production that just started at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, Bull in a China Shop by Bryna Turner.

Inspired by the real letters between Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks spanning from 1899 to 1937, the story asks: what is revolution? What does it mean to be at odds with the world? How do we fulfill our potential? And how the hell do we grow old together? It’s a sharp, joyful play about chosen family and the way love becomes action.

The production, running at Amphibian Stage through March 1, will regroup for a month before starting its run at Second Thought, April 1-18.

“All of us at Second Thought have been fans of Amphibian Stage for years,” said Artistic Director Carson McCain in a statement. “Not only does our content align in mission and quality, but we align in the values of hospitality and artistry. Bull in a China Shop celebrates the queer joy that holds hands with the fight for the equality of women and the LGBTQ community.”

The second scheduled show, running September 16-October 3, will be Dance Nation by Clare Barron, on which Second Thought will collaborate with The University of Texas at Arlington.

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019, the play follows an adolescent dance troupe somewhere in middle America which is fighting for what will be the most important achievement of their entire lives - a national dance title.

A coming-of-age story centered around perfectionism, performance, and perception of self, the play is for anyone who’s wondered if they would have excelled on Dance Moms or buckled under the pressure to be on top of the pyramid.

The third and final show of season has not yet been announced, but it will involve a collaboration between Second Thought Theatre and Dallas’ Watering Hole Collective. It will run December 2-19.

The two companies say they have a shared belief in Dallas artists and Dallas audiences - and what’s possible when they build together.

“Both of our companies aren’t afraid of taking creative risks," said Co-Executive Directors Laura Salvie and Jenny Dang in a statement. "This collaboration is about pushing each other artistically and creating theatre that invites audiences in; not just to watch, but to think and feel together.”

In addition to the three productions, Second Thought is continuing their writers-in-development program, Thought Process. Celebrating its third year, it will welcome eight new playwrights, who will work together throughout the year to create innovative new works.

Season tickets, which are $75 for all three shows, are available online now at secondthoughttheatre.com. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.

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