Artful anniversary

Dallas Contemporary toasts 40th anniversary with red-hot Ruby Gala

After four decades, Dallas Contemporary is still red hot. So it was fitting that the Dallas museum should celebrate its 40th anniversary with a party dubbed the "Ruby Gala."

Presented by Headington Companies, the intimate evening saw the museum transformed into a red-lit, ruby-hued space. The gallery space went scarlet for the sit-down dinner, with fabric-draped walls, vibrant floral arrangements, and a magnificent, multitiered birthday cake.

After taking their arrival photos on the red carpet, guests — including Joyce Goss, Kenny Goss, Bill Hutchinson, Brianna Ramirez, Jessica Ayers, Josh Ayers, Gonzalo Bueno, Michael McCray, Gayle Halperin, Philip Clemmons, Max Trowbridge, and Ben Trowbridge — enjoyed a cocktail reception as they perused the silent auction artworks powered by Paddle 8. The party continued with a dinner created by The Joule that included whipped ricotta toast, an heirloom tomato and peach salad, and smoked filet of beef.

Partygoers — many of whom donned shades of red for the occasion — sipped wine and champagne along with craft cocktails by Midnight Rambler and Roxor Artisan Gin.

In the audience, artists Richard Phillips, Joseph Havel, Carlos Rolon (DZINE) and Keer Tanchak mingled with guests. After opening remarks from Dallas Contemporary executive director Peter Doroshenko and event co-chair Laree Hulshoff, guests paused to recognize longtime board member and honorary chair Jo Marie Lilly.

Then it was time for the featured entertainment. Singer-songwriter Erykah Badu took the stage for a powerful musical performance that concluded with her R&B hit single “Tyrone.”

Bidding was fast and furious in a live auction that included art donations, a luxury trip package to Tulum, and a suite at the upcoming Andrea Bocelli concert. As guests finished their chocolate mousse cake, auctioneers Ed Beardsley and Roberta Kramer with Heritage Auctions hit the stage, rallying guests to flash their paddles.

Once the auction had concluded, guests enjoyed an after-party with dancing to the sounds of Medicine Machine Revival.

Funds raised through the event support the artistic and educational mission of the museum and its programming. Dallas Contemporary is a non-collecting art museum presenting new and fresh ideas from regional, national and international artists. The Design District space offers temporary exhibitions, important lectures, and learning programs.

Joyce Goss, Kenny Goss

Photo by Tamytha Cameron Smith

Joyce Goss, Kenny Goss

galleries galas

Theater News

Dallas' Kitchen Dog Theater unveils powerful 2026-2027 season lineup

Photo by Cameron Cobb

Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas will put on three mainstage productions for their 2026-2027 season.

Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas has revealed the lineup for the 2026-2027 season, featuring a slate of plays that boasts power players like kings, prime ministers, space force commanders, and would-be presidents.

According to a release, the theater company's 36th season — their "most powerful yet" — will consist of three mainstage productions at its new permanent home in the Design District, as well as the annual New Works Festival, featuring a readings series and the 26th annual D-PAC PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest.

The season will start with The Absentee by Julia Doolittle, running September 10-October 4, 2026. The play was the winner of the 2019-2020 Woodward/Newman Drama Award.

Far out in the Milky Way, “Beacons” serve as lighthouses for warping spaceships around the galaxy. When a U.S. Space Force ship explodes in the galaxy, the Operator finds herself alone in deep space, with only her ship’s AI for companionship. That is, until a persistent canvasser calls, desperate to convince her to vote absentee in the 2088 election.

As the Operator waits for the clean up to be over, she finds she has to come to terms with her isolation, grief, and her political voice.

The season's second production comes four months later, with Equivocation by Bill Cain, running February 4-28, 2027. In 1605 England, a terrorist plots to assassinate King James I and blow Parliament to kingdom come. Shagspeare (after a contemporary spelling of the Bard's name) is commissioned by the prime minister, to write the “true historie” of the plot. And it must have witches — the king wants witches.

But as Shag and the acting company of the Globe investigate the plot, they discover that the king's version of the story might, in fact, be a coverup. Shag and his actors are confronted with the ultimate moral and artistic dilemma. Speak truth to power and perhaps lose their heads? Or take the money and lie? Is there a third option? Equivocation?

A high-stakes political thriller with contemporary resonances, Equivocation gallops from the great Globe to the Tower of London to the halls of Parliament to the heart of Judith, Shag's younger daughter, who finds herself unexpectedly at the very heart of the political, dramatic and — ultimately — human mystery.

The final mainstage production of the season comes at the 2027 New Works Festival with Black Republican by KDT Artistic Company Member Jamal Gibran Sterling, running June 3-27, 2027.

Originally featured as a Staged Reading in the 2026 New Works Festival, the ambitious first play by Sterling centers on a Black Republican candidate on the national stage who finds his campaign threatened by an activist who challenges everything he claims to stand for. Their battle exposes uncomfortable truths about race, politics, and the stories we tell ourselves.

In addition to Black Republican, the 2027 New Works Festival will showcase four staged readings of some of the newest and most exciting Texas-based playwrights. Each reading will feature accomplished Dallas-Fort Worth actors and directors to highlight the breadth of talent in the area.

The final part of the festival is D-PAC PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest, featuring six staged readings of jury-selected plays written by Dallas-Fort Worth high school students and featuring student actors directed by area professionals. PUP Fest is the culmination of Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective (D-PAC), a partnership with Dallas ISD and Junior Players.

Kitchen Dog Theater offers two season subscription packages for their inaugural season in their new facility. The Kitchen Dog package includes a ticket to all three mainstage productions for any performance date for $90+ $8 fees for adults and $75 +$8 fees for students and seniors (ages 65+). The Saver Dog package includes a ticket to all three mainstage productions for Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. It is $60 + $8 fees for adults and $45 + $8 fees for students and seniors.

Both packages grant full access to the Staged Reading Series and PUP Fest. Subscribers also receive premium reserved seating for in-person performances, as well as subscriber-only discounts on additional single tickets, 2026 special events, and KDT merchandise.

Subscription packages are on sale now, and single tickets for each show will go on sale on Monday, August 24, at kitchendogtheater.org.

design district kitchen dog theater new works festival performing-arts plays theater