Promotion Time

Dallas' Lyric Stage names married duo as new artistic co-directors

Tricia and Scott Guenther.

Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage

It's promotion time at Lyric Stage, the Dallas-based not-for-profit professional musical theater company, where two staff members have been elevated to co-artistic directors. Husband-and-wife duo Tricia Guenther and Scott Guenther will assume the roles immediately, with Tricia also serving as patron services director and Scott also assuming the duties of managing director. The two will share artistic decisions with producer Catherine Carpenter Cox.

“I’m proud to announce the appointment of Tricia and Scott to newly defined roles at Lyric Stage to better serve the company, our actors and actresses, and those who attend our productions," says Cox on behalf of the Lyric Stage board. "Together, Tricia and Scott bring an unmatched set of skills and cooperation to the theater scene in Dallas. Their decades of experience will help address artistic and fiduciary responsibilities for a bright future at Lyric Stage.”

The duo replaces Andy Baldwin, who was appointed artistic director in 2022 and then left in August 2023. Baldwin replaced Christopher Deaton , who had served in the role since joining the company with Cox in 2019.

Scott has been with Lyric Stage since 2020, and serving as general manager since 2023. He has been an artist, designer, technical director, and business manager for theater and dance companies for more than three decades.

Tricia has been a choreographer for various dance companies and an artistic director of her studio for more than 30 years. She came to Lyric Stage in 2023, and will now handle the education and outreach aspects at Lyric, as well as oversee patron service roles and front-of-house operations.

“I was born to help people, and there is no better feeling than watching folks light up when they reach a milestone," says Tricia. "Through Lyric Stage, I can reach out to the community and help performers and other organizations that want to feel the same. We have a real chance to connect throughout the DFW community and enable even more people to make Lyric Stage a part of their family.”

“Lyric Stage is a great company with a proud history of doing wonderful work in North Texas," adds Scott. "Our goal is to honor that legacy and to modernize the company to allow for long-term growth and sustainability. Remembering our purpose, dedication to the development and preservation of the musical, and moving forward for a healthy future.”

Lyric Stage was established in 1993 with the mission of the development and preservation of musicals, and has produced more than 125 productions, including 21 world-premiere musicals and two Off-Broadway shows.

Its 31st season opens on November 29 with Plaid Tidings.

theater

Turning the Page

Indie bookstore to open in Grapevine with coffee and wine

Talking Animals

Talking Animals Books and cozy velvet chair.

A new independent bookstore is opening in Grapevine from a familiar name: Talking Animals Books, which which owners Valerie Walizadeh and Katy Lemieux opened in 2023 at 103 W. Worth St., is spinning off a second, bigger, more ambitious location this fall.

The offshoot will be at 909 S. Main St. in historic downtown Grapevine, in the “The 925” mixed-use development — taking over the space that was previously OG Cellars Winery on Main, which closed in June 2025.

The new location, which is about 2,800 square feet, will not only sell books but will also house a full-service coffee bar, wine tasting room, and event space. The original shop will remain open.

“We’ve grown alongside our readers,” Walizadeh says. “This new location is more than just a bookstore; it’s a place to gather, explore ideas, and now we can enjoy coffee and wine while surrounded by stories."

The coffee bar will serve espresso, teas, and pastries. The wine tasting offering will continue the legacy left by the previous tenant, Lemieux says.

"It'll include a mix of Texas wines, domestic cabernet, red blends, Oregon and Washington pinot noir, my favorite," Lemieux says. "Of course, a banger Prosecco and Pinot Grigio. I'm lucky that my brother-in-law is an elite wine distributor and can help us pull together a great mix of wines, by the glass and bottle, you may not find everywhere."

Lemieux says they will be serving wine, coffee, and other caffeinated drinks, like recharger iced energy drinks.

"Valerie went to the Texas Coffee School's 3 day seminar this weekend and got hardcore into the specifics of opening a coffee shop, so we are hitting the ground running," Lemieux says.

The larger space will allow for increased seating for author talks, book clubs, live music, and community gatherings. And there will be all the fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and titles by local authors that TAB fans have been enjoying for the past two years.

The original TAB went from the page to real life thanks to a Kickstarter campaign in 2022, where more than 350 donors raised $54,000 in less than two months.

They're once again taking that same approach, shooting for $100,000 through another Kickstarter campaign.

"We’re inviting our community once again to help us write the next chapter," Walizadeh says. "We are growing thanks to them!”

They're hoping to do a soft opening in October, with owners hinting at a ticketed event and movie screening for the 20th anniversary of the 2008 film Twilight.

grapevine talking animals books indie bookstore bookstores