Smashing Philanthropy

Dallas Theater Center lures wicked hot Smash star to headline 2015 gala

Dallas Theater Center has announced its headliners for Centerstage 2015, and anyone who misses Smash is sure to want a seat. Blonde bombshell Megan Hilty, who played Ivy Lynn on the NBC musical drama, will share the spotlight with performer Seth Rudetsky for the May 9 fundraising gala at Wyly Theatre.

In addition to her work on Smash, Hilty earned acclaim as Glinda in Wicked and as Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical. Recently she starred alongside Sean Hayes in NBC’s 2014 comedy Sean Saves the World. On June 8 she will appear in a one-night-only concert of Smash’s original musical Bombshell in New York for the Actors Fund.

Rudetsky, the afternoon host on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s On Broadway as well as the host of Seth Speaks on Sirius/XM Stars, has played piano for more than a dozen Broadway shows, including Ragtime, Les Miz and Phantom. He was the artistic producer/music director for the first five annual Actors Fund fall concerts, including Dreamgirls with Audra McDonald and Hair with Jennifer Hudson.

In addition to talent, these two have a sense of humor.

“I’m so excited to play Dallas,” Hilty said in a release. “The last time I was there, I was 12 and bought cowboy boots and a bunch of fake hair. I’m running low on both of those things, so I can’t wait to go back! Oh yeah — it’ll be fun to sing too!”

“Megan Hilty is a rare combination of beautiful and funny and an amazing singer,” Rudetsky added. “Even though I’m jealous of her, I can’t wait to perform our show in Dallas. I’ve done Dallas shows before and that town loves theater!”

Centerstage 2015 supports DTC’s innovative artistic programming as well as its award-winning education programs like Project Discovery. The gala begins with cocktails at 6:30 pm, followed by dinner and a special performance from Hilty and Rudetsky. DJ Lucy Wrubel is spinning at the after party, naturally.

Individual tickets are $1,000; underwriting levels start at $2,500. For more information, email Robin.Rose@DallasTheaterCenter.org or call 214-252-3915.

Studies Show, Study Here

Texas hot spot hooks No. 1 ranking as best college city in America

UT Austin

UT Austin/Facebook

Austin is best in the U.S.

It might be a bit reductive to call Austin a college town, but that's what makes it so good. It certainly benefits from the creativity and industry of college living, but there's a lot more to do than go to gentrified lunches and cool, underground shows.

Recognizing this special balance, financial website WalletHub has declared Austin the No. 1 college city in the United States for 2023, beating out some obvious contenders like Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.

In addition to being the best city overall, Austin also tops the large cities list, and is one of only two Texas locales represented in the top 10 of any category; the other is College Station, No. 6 on the small list.

The most represented state, perhaps not surprisingly, is Florida, with four cities in the overall top 10. The top 10 college cities for 2023, according to WalletHub, are:

1. Austin
2. Ann Arbor, Michigan
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Gainesville, Florida
5. Tampa, Florida
6. Rexburg, Idaho
7. Provo, Utah
8. Scottsdale, Arizona
9. Miami
10. Raleigh, North Carolina

And how did Austin make the grade? WalletHub looked at key metrics across three categories to determine the rankings.

Austin scored best, No. 12, in the “social environment” category, determined by metrics like students per capita; breweries, cafés, and food trucks per capita; and safety issues like vaccination and crime statistics.

Its ranking at No. 21 in the “academic & economic opportunities" category puts it in the 95th percentile, even above Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, famous for their Ivy League prevalence.

And perhaps unsurprising to those who currently reside in Austin, the Capital City ranked worst in "wallet friendliness,” at No. 204 out of 415.

Elsewhere in Texas, El Paso did well on the overall list at No. 36, followed by Houston (No. 64), Dallas (99), Fort Worth (153), and San Antonio (169).

Dallas landed well down the list in every category: wallet friendliness (226), academic & economic opportunities (168), and social environment (147).

Fort Worth fell even farther down the list in the same categories: wallet friendliness (242), academic & economic opportunities (201), and social environment (149).

Notably, cities that tend to fall lower in similar studies ranked relatively well among college towns.

city life education health universities ut austin

Loading...