Theater Critic Picks

These are the 15 must-see shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for June

"Scenes from The Odyssey" runs in repertory with "Twelfth Night" at Shakespeare Dallas.

Photo by Jordan Fraker

Whether you're ready to spread out a blanket and watch theater under the stars, or escape indoors to that sweet, sweet air conditioning, there are plenty of choices for your viewing pleasure in June.

In order of start date, here are 15 local shows to watch this month:

Thoughts of a Colored Man
Jubilee Theatre, through June 30
This play explores the lives, pressures, and passions of seven contemporary Black men who live in one Brooklyn neighborhood. The characters — never named — are identified by traits they embody: Lust, Love, Anger, Passion, Wisdom, Depression, and Happiness.

Rhapsody featuring Cyndi Lauper
Turtle Creek Chorale, June 1
Grammy Award winner and punk-glamor icon Cyndi Lauper is headline Turtle Creek Chorale’s annual benefit gala. The evening offers an opening reception, seated dinner, luxury live auction, and an exclusive private concert by Lauper with full band and featuring a selection of her greatest hits.

Grease
Casa Mañana, June 1-9
Six queen Adrianna Hicks stars in everyone’s favorite rock-and-roll musical, which features the electrifying hits “You’re the One That I Want,” “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” and more. Fall back in love with the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies and see why Grease is still the word.

Love & Vinyl
Kitchen Dog Theater, June 6-23
This new play by Bob Bartlett is about browsing for records and romance in the digital age. Best friends Bogie and Zane visit their local record store and leave with so much more than a stack of vinyl in this salty/sweet, smart romcom. This production continues Kitchen Dog Theater's season of putting on productions in atypical spaces, and takes place in an actual record store (Good Records).

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear
Stage West, June 6-23
The as-yet-undiscovered genius Vincent Van Gogh presents a most peculiar case to noted detective Sherlock Holmes, his partner Dr. Watson, and his paramour Irene Adler. The trio embark on a rousing caper and find themselves confronting the daughter of Professor Moriarty. With a helping hand from Oscar Wilde, the world's greatest detective attempts to uncover a Post-Impressionist conspiracy. This zany mystery adventure, making its regional premiere, is the opening gambit in a Baker Street trilogy.

Hundred Days
Circle Theatre, June 6-July 6
What would you do if you only had a hundred days to live? To love? This whirlwind rock journey featuring a book by Sarah Gancher and music and lyrics by Abigail & Shaun Bengsons pulls the audience into a world where the thrill of the unknown collides with the poignant beauty of a love story; all intertwined with an intoxicating score.

Hamilton
Broadway at the Bass, June 11-23
Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theater, a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.

SparkFest
Amphibian Stage, June 13-26
The annual performing arts festival SparkFest shifts its focus to celebrate the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) community and showcases and develops new plays, offering Fort Worth a unique glimpse into the future of performing arts. The festival will again host a National acting competition, drawing inspiration from the renowned Van Cliburn Festival, offering a substantial $18,000 in cash prizes for the finalists.

Pirates of Penzance
Theatre Three, June 13-July 14
Gilbert and Sullivan's hilarious, hopeful musical follows young love-struck Frederic, who has mistakenly been apprenticed to a raucous band of pirates. A smash hit on Broadway in the 1980s, the comical operetta is a colorful, playful romp about love, honor, and cleverness.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Hip Pocket Theatre, June 14-July 7
Love, enchantment, and hilarity ensue under the Texas sky, where audiences can experience Shakespeare’s classic in the magical setting of Hip Pocket Theatre.

Twelfth Nightand Scenes From The Odyssey
Shakespeare Dallas, June 14-July 21
The classic Shakespeare romantic comedy, now set in the 1930s, is a classic case of mistaken identity. When Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are shipwrecked on the African coast and believe the other to be drowned, Viola disguises herself as a young man and, under the name of Cesario, gets a job as a servant for the Duke, Orsino.

The second is a show about a modern young woman struggling to understand Robert Fitzgerald's translation of Homer’s The Odyssey when suddenly a Greek muse appears, and the young woman becomes the goddess Athena and a tireless advocate for Odysseus in his struggle to get home. The production highlights the epic story of Odysseus' 10-year journey with characters such as Circe, the Cyclops, Poseidon, Calypso, the Sirens, and more. The two plays will be performed in repertory.

Hairspray
Broadway Dallas, June 18-30
In 1960s Baltimore, 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Hairspray features hit songs like “Welcome to the '60s,” “Good Morning Baltimore,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”

Lyric Under the Stars
Lyric Stage, June 22 & 29
This new series features Lyric Stage actors singing their favorite songs, everything from show tunes to popular music, all with live music. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs and a cooler with snacks and drinks for a night of music and fun.

Wink
Second Thought Theatre, June 26-July 13
Sofie is an unhappy housewife. Gregor is her bread-winning husband. Dr. Franz is their psychiatrist. Wink is the cat. And Gregor has just skinned the cat. Violent desires, domestic terrorism, and feline vengeance at any cost make Wink a dark comedy about the thin, thin line between savagery and civilization.

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Elon News

Dallas bookstore and publisher gets federal arts funding axed

Deep Vellum

Stack of books at Deep Vellum

A Dallas arts organization got its budget chopped by the federal government: Deep Vellum, the bookstore and publisher at 3000 Commerce St., lost a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant due to federal government budget cuts.

According to owner Will Evans, the award, which is granted annually, has been terminated as of May 31. The bookstore had received $20,000 for the past six years.

Deep Ellum started as a publisher in 2013 and opened their bookstore in Deep Ellum in 2015. Since then, they have become a center for literature lovers. Evans is a translator whose mission has been to translate the world’s best novels into English for American audiences.

Evans was notified on May 2 via an email that was reportedly sent to grant recipients nationwide. The note read:

"The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."

The new priorities included projects that elevate the Nation's HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.

The Grants and Public Affairs departments at NEA did not respond to a request for comment. On Monday May 5, the Literary Staff was laid off, and the agency is facing possible elimination entirely, as part of the 2026 Discretionary Budget Request presented to Congress on May 2.

This year's grant to Deep Vellum was earmarked to fund the translation, publishing, and marketing costs of four books:

Carapace Dancer by Natalia Toledo, translated from Zapotec, published trilingually with Spanish and English translations alongside the original, translated by Clare Sullivan
Juvenilia by Hera Lindsay Bird of New Zealand, making her US debut, illustrated by Dallas artist Gino Dal Cin
Schattenfroh by Michael Lentz, translated from the German by Max Lawton, a 1001-page masterpiece and English-language debut
The Ruins by Ye Hui, translated from Chinese by Dong Li, the English-language debut from one of China's most distinguished and independent poets

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1965 as a funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide anxd a catalyst of public and private support for the arts with the goal of advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, according to their website.

In their last stats document updated in November 2024, their FY’24 budget was outlined as $207M (representing 0.03 percent of the total federal budget), with 80 percent of their budget supporting grants and awards to organizations and individuals across the country. They typically offer over 2,000 grants each year.

"It’s been a strange few days for us, and for countless other nonprofit publishers, magazines, and arts organizations," Evans said.

Despite the cut, Deep Vellum plans to continue to promote literacy through unique books translated to the English language.

“This is not going to imperil our future but it’s something we need to consider as we move forward. These books are extraordinary, and they add so much for readers and culture. We just need to find additional revenue to fund them," Evans said.

Evans was first to reveal the funding cut but a number of organizations across Dallas and Texas have seen similar cuts including Ballet North Texas, Flamenco Fever, Dallas Theater Center, and Bishop Arts Theatre Center, as well as a number of groups in Austin.

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