Season Announcement

Uptown Players brings the fire to Dallas with premiere-packed 2023-24 season

Broadway Our Way returns in 2024.

Photo courtesy of Uptown Players

The key word for Uptown Players' 2023-24 season is "premiere:" both world and regional are on tap, along with the reimagining of an annual favorite and a classic work in the LGBTQ+ canon.

Beloved drag performer Jada Pinkett Fox (aka Lee Walter) starts it all off with a festive new revue called Jada Bells - A Holiday Extravaganza.

Jada will be joined by musical guests who'll each bring their own flair and style to create an unforgettable evening. Written and directed by BJ Cleveland, the show will transport you into a world of glitz and glam accompanied by classic holiday favorites and contemporary hits. It runs December 1-10, 2023, at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

The regional premiere of Fire and Airby acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally welcomes 2024, and will be presented at the 6th Floor Studio Theater at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

Set in 19th-century Russia, Fire and Air delves into the tempestuous relationship between two legendary figures in the world of ballet: impresario Sergei Diaghilev and dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Diaghilev, the founder of the renowned Ballets Russes, and Nijinsky, a groundbreaking male dancer, form a complex bond that intertwines artistic brilliance, personal desire, and the conflicts that arise from the pursuit of artistic excellence. It runs March 7-17, 2024.

Uptown Players' annual fundraiser, Broadway Our Way, showcases the incredible versatility and artistry of its talented ensemble. With a fresh and contemporary twist, the cast will breathe new life into showtunes, infusing them with their own unique interpretations, vocal styles, and personal elan. It runs May 2-5, 2024, at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

The regional premiere of the hit Broadway musical The Promis next, an uplifting and heartwarming story that celebrates love, acceptance, and the transformative power of standing up for what is right.

The musical follows high school student Emma, who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom. However, when the school's conservative PTA board cancels the prom to avoid controversy, a group of eccentric Broadway actors decides to rally behind Emma and travel to her small town to help her fight for inclusion. It runs July 12-28, 2024, at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Following a successful Broadway run in 2018 and subsequent film by Ryan Murphy, The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley now comes to Uptown Dallas.

Set in New York City, The Boys in the Band takes us into the apartment of Michael, a witty and sharp-tongued host who throws a birthday party for his friend Harold. As the evening unfolds, a group of diverse gay friends gathers, and the celebrations quickly become a rollercoaster of emotions, revealing hidden desires, unresolved conflicts, and the complexities of their individual journeys. It runs August 16-25, 2024, at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Season tickets start at $135 for four shows and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718 beginning June 30. Single tickets for all productions will go on sale September 12.

theater

Season Announcement

Kitchen Dog Theater unleashes immersive 2025 season in new Dallas space

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Safe at Home

Photo by Jordan Fraker

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Seven years after announcing it had purchased a building in the Design District, Kitchen Dog Theater is finally ready to move into its new home.

The third and final production of its 2025 season — the theater company's 34th — will take place all around the new "Doghouse." The other two productions will follow the immersive format at non-traditional performance spaces that was established last season.

With three fully produced events that each run the gambit from captivating and gutsy to heartfelt and hilarious, the monthly New Works Festival Staged Readings Series returns, as does the 23rd annual PUP Fest, nurturing high school talent from all over DFW.

First up is the area premiere of Will Eno's Wakey, Wakey, directed by KDT's artistic director Tina Parker and starring KDT co-artistic director Christopher Carlos.

"Is it now? I thought I had more time." These first words in Will Eno's play are spoken by Guy, a man who knows, like all of us on some level, that he is about to die. The play questions why we are here and the journeys that everyone takes to eventually get to the same place. Performances will take place at Expo Park, 840 Exposition Avenue, and run February 7-23, 2025.

Production No. 2 is full of mystery: The title and performance location will be announced soon and run in March/April 2025.

The Happiness Gymby Ken Weitzman closes out the season in August 2025 (exact dates TBA).

This regional premiere is a joyous, experiential event based on the science of well-being. Participants take part in a curated theatrical experience meant to boost their sense of happiness, joy, and feelings of connection. This one-of-a-kind project will be the soft opening to Kitchen Dog’s new theater and will take place all over the entire facility, giving patrons unparalleled access to KDT’s new home.

From March to July 2025, the 26th annual 2025 New Works Festival will showcase four-to-five staged readings of the newest and most exciting local and regional playwrights working in contemporary theater today. Each reading will feature some of DFW's most accomplished actors and directors and will take place at different venues across DFW.

For its 23rd annual event, PUP Fest will feature six staged readings of jury-selected plays written by DFW high school students, featuring student actors directed by area professional directors. PUP Fest is the culminating event of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Dallas ISD and Junior Players. Performance location is TBA, but the event will happen June 7, 2025.

For more information, visit kitchendogtheater.org or call 214-953-1055.

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