Theater Critic Picks

Here are the 16 must-see shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for October

Travel back to the 1980s for "Reunion '85."

Photo courtesy of ATTPAC

Yes, I know, 13 shows would have been better but there's just too much great theater happening right now in DFW (plus, look forward to another theater round-up that's strictly spooky, coming soon).

From big musical tours like Company and Beetlejuice to local shows about wrestling, the Constitution, and the unusual folks you encounter during late-night grocery runs, there's a lot going on.

In order of start date, here are 16 local shows to watch this month:

Home
Jubilee Theatre, through October 27
Set in the rural South during the civil rights era, the play follows Cephus Miles, a young African American man who leaves his hometown in search of adventure and opportunity, only to discover that home is where the heart truly lies.

Company
Broadway at the Bass, October 1-6
It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, “Why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man, and isn’t it time to settle down and start a family?” As Bobbie searches for answers in this Stephen Sondheim and George Furth musical, she discovers why being single, being married, and being alive in the 21st-century could drive a person crazy.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
Circle Theatre, October 3-26
Macedonio Guerra (“Mace”), a Puerto Rican wrestling fanatic (and “jobber” in the ring), finds himself teamed up with Vigneshwar Paduar (“VP”), a Brooklynite of Indian descent. The two have found a unique bond and ambition to fight together, wrestling for fun and for funds. In an electrifying turn of events, they are picked up and cast as “terrorists” in the ring. The crowd revels in this narrative, forcing audience members to pick up the pieces.

Carrie the Musical
Theatre Three, October 3-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. A co-production with SMU Meadows School of the Arts.

Hazards
ATTPAC Elevator Project, October 11-13
Artists Sans Frontières unveils the harrowing journeys of refugees, asylum-seekers, and individuals forcibly displaced by conflict, violence, and natural disasters through filmic vignettes of compelling choreography, dynamic visual projection, and cinematic music composition.

Tales from Late Night Kroger
Pegasus Theatre, October 11-26
Based on a series of Facebook posts by the late Bruce R. Coleman, this play is about his encounters with a motley bunch of characters when he would shop late at night at the Oak Lawn Kroger.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Casa Mañana, October 11-27
The musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale includes music, an enchanted pumpkin, and a glass slipper or two. When her wicked stepmother forbids it, Cinderella must find a way to attend the ball and meet Prince Charming; luckily, her Fairy Godmother has plenty of spells up her sleeve.

The Amazing, Fabulous, and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia
Amphibian Stage, October 11-November 3
He’s got looks that kill, charm for days, and absolutely no grip on reality. Juan Garcia has returned to his hometown of Oaxaca, armed with grand tales and big dreams of becoming the city’s biggest celebrity. Watch as he weaves a tapestry of tall tales and misadventures, aiming to impress (and possibly confuse) everyone, particularly the lady of his misguided affections. As bills pile up and tired servants reach their limit, the stage is set for a comedy of errors that even Juan can’t lie his way out of.

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Dallas Theater Center, October 11-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.

Metamorphosis
Hip Pocket Theatre, October 11-November 3
The theater's season ends with a true classic from the mind of Franz Kafka. Break free from your stone-built sarcophagus, crawl amongst the carcasses, and watch restless dreams turn to waking nightmares.

Hang
Second Thought Theatre, October 16-November 2
A crime has been committed. The victim has a choice to make. The criminal is waiting. Hang is a shattering new play about one woman’s unspeakable decision.

What the Constitution Means to Me
Stage West, October 17-November 3
Earnest and polite high-schooler Heidi put herself through college by winning debates about the Constitution. Now an adult, she revisits her teenage self to trace the generational impact America’s founding document has had on her life. Civic duty is on full display as this witty and interactive new play builds to a live debate between Heidi and an actual teen, allowing “we the people” to decide how to move forward.

Patches: A Black Gay Man's Journey to the Moon
Bishop Arts Theatre Center, October 18-27
This captivating theatrical experience seamlessly blends poetry, music, performance, and storytelling to take audiences through a day-long date between two black men, exploring deep and heartfelt conversations about race, identity, sexual orientation, love, and intimacy.

Khan!!! The Musical! A Parody Trek-tacular
MusicalWriters.com, October 24-November 3
In 2366, Data the android presents his musical comedy version of The Wrath of Khan with a cast of virtual actors on the Holodeck. A campy show-within-a-show ensues where the bloodthirsty Khan vows revenge on a washed-up James T. Kirk, and Data, portraying multiple roles, learns a thing or two about life along the way.

Reunion '85
AT&T Performing Arts Center, October 23-27
Welcome to your reunion: Choose a name tag, grab a drink, and let the good times rock ‘n’ roll as you reunite with old "classmates" in a nostalgic celebration filled with comedy, scrunchies, dancing, shoulder pads, and a bodacious live band playing the gnarliest chart-topping hits of the 1980s.

Beetlejuice
Broadway at the Bass, October 29-November 3
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.

musicals national tour beetlejuice carrie dracula cinderella star trek theater

Season Announcement

Echo Theatre introduces Dallas audiences to a season of strangers in 2026

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

'The Roommate' was recently on Broadway.

It's a "Season of Strangers" for Echo Theatre this year, as the Southwest's premier company for promoting dramatic works by women+ focuses on how someone different than you can change your life.

The 28th season begins with the new musical Silhouettes by Jordan Ealey and Ari Afsar. This score-in-hand workshop was developed in the aftermath of the fall of Roe v. Wade, and examines a pivotal moment in American history through the intersecting lives of two women navigating the decision to have an abortion. Echo's managing and artistic director Kateri Cale directs, with Vonda K. Bowling as musical director.

In a joint statement, Ealey and Afsar say that Silhouettes was born from their need to process the emotional and political aftermath of Roe’s fall. “We continue to see that history is cyclical and equity is fleeting,” they say. “But when policy fails, art has the opportunity to step in. Silhouettes is a musical about choice, sisterhood, and intergenerational courage.”

They add that presenting the work in Dallas reflects their commitment to community-building in states like Texas, where bans and restrictions have made women and gender minorities particularly vulnerable. “We want this musical to be a safe and brave haven amid attempts to create a culture of fear and a reminder that people are not alone.”

It runs January 16-17, 2026, and admission is free, though a $20 donation is suggested.

The world premiere of You Must Wear A Hat by C. Meaker is next, and plugged-in Dallas theater fans might recognize the play from its reading at Kitchen Dog Theater in 2019.

Tuesday and Weeks make hats on the Great Barrier Reef, waiting for the world to end. It's described as "A play for two. And a rabbit."

C. “Meaks” Meaker (they/them) is a playwright, essayist, and teacher whose work often explores queerness, monstrosity, and the end of the world. Their plays have been performed and developed across the United States, including the Kennedy Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, Annex Theatre (Seattle), Hub Theater (D.C.), Fat Theater Project (Chicago), and About Face (Chicago). They’re a two-year finalist for the Dramatist Guild National Fellows program and a recent finalist for the Jerome Hill Theater Arts Fellow.

You Must Wear a Hat runs February 27-March 14, 2026.

The season closes with The Roommate by Jen Silverman. The play was on Broadway in 2024 starring marquee names Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone.

In it, a divorced Midwesterner takes a roommate from The Bronx. A relationship evolves and secrets unfold into a darkly comedic exploration of life choices. It runs June 19-July 4, 2026.

All shows this season will be performed at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Dr., in White Rock Lake Park.

Tickets range from Pay-What-You-Can to $40, with discounts available for students and seniors.

Additional events this season include Cake by the Lake on April 21, Echo's free birthday party fundraiser that also launches its reading series, Echo Reads.

Echo Reads runs April through September, presenting six plays in six month. All plays will be performed on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm, and then read the next day at different venues around the city.

Echo Offstage Podcasts is going monthly. The free podcast series interviews women+ who are making art and making a difference.

And Echo is already teasing its 29th season, which will begin in the fall of 2026 and run the more traditional September through August instead of the calendar year.

The season 29 opener is a co-production, the company mysteriously hints, involving three Dallas theaters, two shows, and an internationally known writer. We'll all just have to wait and see what this intriguing production might be.

echo theatre podcasts world premieres echo reads the roommate play theater