Art News

Watch out for Meow Wolf neon-suited 'mall walkers' crossing Dallas-Fort Worth

You'll be able to spot the Meow Wolf mall walkers by their neon track suits.

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The immersive art experience known as Meow Wolf is coming to DFW this summer, opening at Grapevine Mills Mall on July 14. If you've somehow been able to avoid this news — if you've ignored stories such as this or this or this — well, you won't be able to avoid it any longer because they're sending their performers out among us, onto the streets of Dallas-Fort Worth.

Meow Wolf is the art sensation founded in Santa Fe in 2008, now making their Texas debut with an installation in Grapevine. Dubbed "The Real Unreal," it promises a Technicolor wonderland with storytelling, technology, and immersive art - much of it created by local artists.

A trailer promoting the show depicts a trippy makeover of an American mall with fake stores, mannequins who come alive, and mall walkers wearing matching neon tracksuits who usher attendees into a procession through the mall and the Meow Wolf experience. (A spokesperson says that is just a trailer and does not depict the actual experience.)

As a hypey prelude, the event is sending those mall-walker performers out for "activations" across DFW from June 23-26. Activations will involve performers descending on popular venues, neighborhoods, and public spaces: playing games, doing aerobic workouts, and offering opportunities to win prizes including free tickets and swag.

You can catch them (or avoid them) and try to score freebies at the following locations:

Friday, June 23

Fort Worth Water Gardens. 1502 Commerce St., 3-5 pm
Fort Worth Stockyards. 131 E Exchange Ave., 5-9 pm

Saturday, June 24

Bishop Arts District. 3-5 pm
Texas Trust CU Theater (*Los Dos Carnales Concert). 1001 Texas Trust Way, Grand Prairie, 7-10 pm

Sunday, June 25

Klyde Warren Park. 2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy., 2-4 pm
Riders Field, Frisco (*Frisco Roughriders Game). 8300 Rough Riders Trl., 5-8 pm

Monday, June 26

Deep Ellum. 3-5 pm.
Globe Life Stadium (Texas Rangers’ Game). 734 Stadium Dr, Arlington, 6-9 pm

*The starred locations are at events that require tickets to the respective venue.

Fear the Dragon

Dallas theater will host a 6-hour live Dungeons & Dragons session

Photo courtesy of Shawn Gann

Theatre Three will present a Dungeons & Dragons fundraiser led by Shawn Gann on January 3.

The role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons seems to be all the rage in Dallas these days, and joining the fun will be local theater company Theatre Three, who will present a six-hour live Dungeons & Dragons session on Saturday, January 3.

The one-day-only event will feature a variety of well-known voice actors, guided by master storyteller Shawn Gann (Dragon Ball Super, One Piece, Star Wars, Ultraman, and Borderlands) as Dungeon Master.

Audience members will be able to watch the campaign unfold from beginning to end, or come and go as they please, as the players navigate the perils and pitfalls along the way as they complete their quest using their strength, smarts, and if need be, casting a spell or two.

Other participants will include Hayden Daviau, Caitlin Glass, Parker Davis Gray, Lydia Mackay, and Alejandro Saab, each of whom have extensive voice acting credits on their resumes.

The live campaign joins other ongoing or upcoming D&D-themed events in the area like Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest (taking place through at least February 1 in Plano) and Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern (taking place at Wyly Theatre, January 20-February 1).

The six-hour event — taking place from 3-10 pm, with a one-hour break for dinner — will feature snacks, drinks, and more in Theatre Three's lobby. There are also several restaurants and bars within walking distance for audience members to enjoy.

Tickets for the fundraising event for Theatre Three are on sale now at givebutter.com/60DRCN, ranging from $75-$100.

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