Put Your Hands Together

Plano signs on to debut of Dallas-Fort Worth's first Deaf theater company

A rehearsal photo from Deaf Theatre Showcase: A Union of Hands and Voices.

Photo courtesy of NTPA Deaf Theatre

Following a 2022 summer pilot program of youth theater camps, North Texas Performing Arts is now opening its first full-length production by the new NTPA Deaf Theatre, June 30-July 2, 2023.

Titled Deaf Theatre Showcase: A Union of Hands and Voices, the inaugural show premieres at NTPA's Starcatchers Theatre in the Willow Bend Center for the Arts.

“Bringing live theater to the Deaf community in North Texas has long been a dream of many members of our board,” says Lisa McLerory, chairperson of the NTPA Deaf Theatre board. “Every member of our board is part of the Deaf community, either by being Deaf themselves or by being a parent of a Deaf child. We are passionate about the inclusivity of the Deaf community in the arts, and are thrilled to take this first step in making the arts more accessible in DFW.”

By extending its “Accessible Theater” initiative to the Deaf theater community, NTPA builds upon its vision that every child should have the opportunity to take the stage, promoting equal access to theater and the performing arts to Deaf and hard of hearing youth and adults, while encouraging diversity, equity, education, and social inclusiveness.

The inaugural production combines a cast of 33 Deaf and hearing actors ages 8 to adult in a revue inspired by popular Broadway hits.

The showcase highlights the diverse culture of the Deaf, styles of Deaf theater, and passion for this inclusive art form. Actors will share their life experiences following scenes using a variety of Deaf theater styles.

“We are committed to providing the opportunity for those in Deaf community to take the stage,” says NTPA chief executive officer Darrell Rodenbaugh. “We believe NTPA’s support combined with the program leadership, independence, and the unique perspective of this powerful NTPA Deaf Theatre board of directors will make this one of the leading Deaf theater programs in the country.”

NTPA Deaf Theatre is also offering a youth camp this summer that's tied into Showcase, which will be directed by NTPA Deaf Theatre program director Damond Sands.

The camp is a partnership among NTPA Deaf Theatre, Broadway Dallas, and the UTD Callier Center for Communications Disorders. Open to youth in grades 1-12 who are Deaf and their siblings, campers will participate in musical-themed activities centered around one of the core musical scenes featured in the mainstage production, Annie.

Activities include stage tours, set design, assistive technology trials, and costume/lighting/stage sound overviews.

The camp meets June 26-30 and includes free tickets for all campers to attend Deaf Theatre Showcase. Limited spots are available in the camp, and scholarships are available.

Tickets for Deaf Theatre Showcase: A Union of Hands and Voices are $12 in advance and $14 starting June 26.

Original script and direction are by Karen Snapp, music arrangements and orchestration by Rachel and John Morrow, assistant direction by Skye Harp, ASL coaching by Daymond Sands and Mack McGough, and vocal coaching by Wes Davis.

Upcoming NTPA Deaf Theatre programs include a holiday show (title to be announced soon), youth camps, and ASL interpreted performances of shows throughout the year.

For more information, tickets, and camp signups, go to ntpa.org/deaf.

Deaf Theatre health theater

All Eyes on Them

Dallas alt hip-hop group wins prestigious Tiny Desk Contest by NPR

Cure for Paranoia/Facebook

As winners of the Tiny Desk Contest, Cure for Paranoia will record their own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour.

Few live recording studios or musical web series have the cultural sway of NPR's Tiny Desk, and a Dallas band is poised to make an impactful debut: Cure For Paranoia, an alternative hip-hop project by rapper Cameron McCloud and producers Tomahawk Jonez and Jay Analo, has won the high-stakes annual Tiny Desk Contest for 2026.

They'll record their official Tiny Desk show "soon," the announcement by NPR says.

Winning the concert also means Cure for Paranoia is going on tour. The only Texas stop will be at Emo's Austin on June 24.

Tiny Desk is known for platforming both niche and majorly successful artists — NPR posted a new Foo Fighters set on YouTube on May 13 — for stripped-down sets that are literally played behind former All Things Considered director Bob Boilen's old desk. (Fun fact for Texans: Tiny Desk was created because folk artist Laura Gibson was disappointed with the sound at her South by Southwest show in Austin in 2008, and she wanted a redo.)

Most artists who appear on Tiny Desk more than 15 years later are already well-known, at least in their specific circles. But the Tiny Desk Contest, which launched in 2015, helps a growing group of newer, unsigned artists get their foot in the door. Contestants record one video of them performing a single song behind a desk, and a jury of radio staff and musicians chooses their favorite.

In their audition video, Cure for Paranoia gathered 11 musicians around a truly tiny desk and in front of downtown Dallas' iconic gigantic eyeball sculpture. They played the song "No Brainer," a frenetic track that starts with clever boasts and becomes a criticism of racism in the United States.

McCloud, a pre-school teacher, is known independently of Cure for Paranoia for rapping to his social media following about politics and current events. Some of those lyrics made it into "No Brainer." He says he started the group because he found that music was more helpful than medication for coping with bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia.

Alex Marrero, host of the Austin-based KUTX show Horizontes, was one of the judges this year. He was impressed with the visuals in Cure for Paranoia's audition.

“When this popped up, I immediately felt something different," he wrote in a blurb for the announcement. "It just jumped out. The visuals were super cool and creative, BUT I could still totally envision them bringing the heat behind the Desk.”

Madison McFerrin, jazz vocalist and daughter of the famous singer Bobby McFerrin, was one of the musical judges.

"Cure For Paranoia’s energy is infectious, fresh and distinctly theirs — exactly what you want in a Contest winner!" she wrote.

McCloud's post on Instagram announcing the group's win has only been up for three hours at the time of this article's publication, and it already has more than 8,000 likes. The YouTube audition has garnered 74,000 views.

music music video npr radio live music concerts