Once More With Feeling

Addison's WaterTower Theatre finds new stage for its summer musicals

"Mary Poppins" was the big summer musical of 2024.

Photo by Paris Marie Productions

Following the announcement last fall that going forward, WaterTower Theatre will occupy less space in the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre, the theater company has found a solution to its venue problem.

It's launching WaterTower Summer Musicals, to be performed at the Dallas College Brookhaven Campus Theatre in Farmers Branch.

An email to newsletter subscribers sent on January 1 — and a Facebook post from WTT on December 31, 2024 — states that the first production will be Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock, set for summer 2025. It will be directed by JC Schuster, music directed by Cody Dry, and choreographed by Alli Betsill.

Both communications include a video that begins with producing artistic director Shane Peterman on the Brookhaven stage, spotlighting the venue's 650 very nice-looking seats.

He and several WTT employees go on to note the success of WTT's last two summer productions, Mary Poppins and the world-premiere Goin' Hollywood, as well as Brookhaven's plentiful free parking and spacious lobby.

"And as for the Addison Theatre Center, don't worry," says Brian Gonzales, director of audience and benefactor development, in the video. "The Addison Theatre Center is still our home, and our partnership with the town of Addison is still as strong as ever. Think of Brookhaven as an extension of the WaterTower family, allowing us to bring the summer musicals to an even bigger stage."

Also found on WTT's website is a job posting for an associate producing artistic director — the same position that Elizabeth Kensek was abruptly terminated from in August 2024.

At the time, WTT explained her layoff this way: "...modifications at the Addison Theatre Centre, directed by the Town’s leadership, have led us to consolidate roles and departments for greater efficiency. This unfortunately resulted in some layoffs and structural shifts."

Applications for the position will be accepted through January 17.

WaterTower Theatre is currently presenting The Play That Goes Wrong, co-produced with Stage West in Fort Worth. The show has recently been extended through January 19, a week past its original closing date.

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Theater News

Dallas' Second Thought Theatre gets collaborative for 2026 season

Amphibian Stage presents Bull in a China Shop

Photo by Evan Michael Woods

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The 2026 season for Second Thought Theatre in Dallas will be relatively small - only three productions are scheduled - but it will be full of collaborations designed to build on relationships with theater companies from across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Second Thought will open their season with a production that just started at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, Bull in a China Shop by Bryna Turner.

Inspired by the real letters between Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks spanning from 1899 to 1937, the story asks: what is revolution? What does it mean to be at odds with the world? How do we fulfill our potential? And how the hell do we grow old together? It’s a sharp, joyful play about chosen family and the way love becomes action.

The production, running at Amphibian Stage through March 1, will regroup for a month before starting its run at Second Thought, April 1-18.

“All of us at Second Thought have been fans of Amphibian Stage for years,” said Artistic Director Carson McCain in a statement. “Not only does our content align in mission and quality, but we align in the values of hospitality and artistry. Bull in a China Shop celebrates the queer joy that holds hands with the fight for the equality of women and the LGBTQ community.”

The second scheduled show, running September 16-October 3, will be Dance Nation by Clare Barron, on which Second Thought will collaborate with The University of Texas at Arlington.

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019, the play follows an adolescent dance troupe somewhere in middle America which is fighting for what will be the most important achievement of their entire lives - a national dance title.

A coming-of-age story centered around perfectionism, performance, and perception of self, the play is for anyone who’s wondered if they would have excelled on Dance Moms or buckled under the pressure to be on top of the pyramid.

The third and final show of season has not yet been announced, but it will involve a collaboration between Second Thought Theatre and Dallas’ Watering Hole Collective. It will run December 2-19.

The two companies say they have a shared belief in Dallas artists and Dallas audiences - and what’s possible when they build together.

“Both of our companies aren’t afraid of taking creative risks," said Co-Executive Directors Laura Salvie and Jenny Dang in a statement. "This collaboration is about pushing each other artistically and creating theatre that invites audiences in; not just to watch, but to think and feel together.”

In addition to the three productions, Second Thought is continuing their writers-in-development program, Thought Process. Celebrating its third year, it will welcome eight new playwrights, who will work together throughout the year to create innovative new works.

Season tickets, which are $75 for all three shows, are available online now at secondthoughttheatre.com. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.

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