Big names on the big screen

Long-running USA Film Festival drops info on 2023 edition in Dallas

The lineup for the 53rd Annual USA Film Festival has been revealed, showcasing 28 different screenings over the course of five days, April 19-23.

The free community arts program, taking place entirely at the Angelika Film Center, will feature a number of highlights despite its relatively small roster of films. Opening night will see the local premiere of Chevalier, starring rising star Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the son of a slave who rises to great heights in French society, as well as the documentary Judy Blume Forever, about the beloved children's book author.

Other notable films include Flamin' Hot, the directorial debut of Eva Longoria, about the man credited with inventing the popular Cheetos flavor; Little Richard: I Am Everything, a documentary about the influential pop singer; The Pod Generation, a sci-fi film about parenthood starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Emilia Clarke; and Master Gardener, the newest film from writer/director Paul Schrader starring Joel Edgerton and Sigourney Weaver.

The festival will also present its Great Director Tribute to Lasse Hallström in conjunction with a screening of his new film, Hilma. Hallström and stars Tora Hallström (Lasse's daughter) and Lena Olin will participate in a post-screening conversation with film historian Foster Hirsch.

In addition to the feature-length fiction and documentary films, the festival will showcase a variety of short-film programs, including ones devoted to narrative shorts, student shorts, high school shorts, and Texas shorts.

The full schedule can be found on the USA Film Festival website. All tickets are free, but quantities are limited, so advanced reservations are recommended.

Reservations can be made by calling 214-821-6300. USA Film Festival members will have the first crack at tickets starting April 7, and tickets will open up to the general public on April 13. Phone lines will be open from 10:30 am to 5 pm, Monday- Friday.

A limited number of tickets on the day of show will also be available at the Angelika Film Center upstairs sales desk beginning one hour prior to each showtime.

Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Chevalier will be one of the opening night films at the 2023 USA Film Festival, alongside...

New Theater

Premieres lead the way in Dallas Theater Center's 2026-27 season

Aigner Mizzelle and Okieriete Onaodowan in the off-Broadway production of The Monsters

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The Monsters, which started off-Broadway, will make its regional premiere as part of Dallas Theater Center's 2026-27 season.

The 2026-2027 season for Dallas Theater Center will feature six productions, including three world premieres, a regional premiere, a returning favorite, and a to-be-determined sixth production.

The inaugural season of incoming Enloe/Rose Artistic Director, Jaime Castañeda, will be marked by a renewed commitment to new work at Dallas Theater Center.

That starts with with the world premieres of three new shows:

The Cold War thriller Reykjavik86 by Gabe McKinley, which brings the 1986 nuclear summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev to life on stage. It will be the initial production of the season, running September 11-27, 2026 at Wyly Theatre.
The dark comedy musical Kill Local, with a book by Mat Smart and music and lyrics by Liza Anne, is about Sheila and her sister, Abigail, who work together for their mother’s small family business, which just so happens to be assassins. It features killer songs about blood ties, revenge, and how hard it is to get unstuck. It will run March 26-April 11, 2027 in the Wyly Studio Theatre
The Making of a Saint by KJ Sanchez is theatrical exploration of faith and family in which KJ, a documentary writer/performer, sets out to understand the story of Sister Blandina, whom KJ's brother is helping to canonize. It will be the final scheduled show of the season, running May 14-June 6, 2027 in the Wyly Studio Theatre.

Joining them will be the regional premiere of The Monsters by Ngozi Anyanwu, about a scrappy young fighter named Lil who is ready to enter the ring. She reconnects with her brother Big, an accomplished fighter in the local MMA scene and tries to earn his respect.

The production, which just finished a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run on March 22, runs October 9-November 1, 2026 in the Wyly Studio Theatre.

A yet-to-be-named fifth production, which will be announced on June 1, will run February 5-21, 2027 in the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

All of those productions will be part of the season subscriptions. Dallas Theater Center's annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol, running November 27-December 27, 2026 at Wyly Theatre, can be added on.

“New work is the engine of the American Theater, and Dallas Theater Center will be a laboratory for artists who have something urgent and honest to express today,” said Enloe/Rose Artistic Director Jaime Castañeda in a statement. "These plays are about the now, and they are events for the stage that are in direct conversation with the audience."

DTC’s Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company members will be featured throughout the 2025-26 season, including Christina Austin Lopez, Tiana Kaye Blair, Blake Hackler, Bob Hess, Liz Mikel, Alex Organ, Molly Searcy, Tiffany Solano, Sally Nysteun Vahle, Esteban Vilchez, Zachary J. Willis, and Bri Woods, who is the Linda and Bill Custard SMU Meadows Actor.

Subscriptions for the 2026-27 season are available now, and can be purchased online at DallasTheaterCenter.org or by calling the DTC Box Office at 214-522-8499.

theater performing-arts