Playing With Words

JOHN DeMERS·
For lovers of Shakespeare and Molière, Ibsen and Chekhov, Miller and Williams, declaring our time a new Golden Age of the playwright might seem delusional, or at best, a flourish of hyperbole from some theater’s marketing department. But if you ask the artistic directors of some of the most respected ensembles in Texas, they’ll assure you such claims are hardly ridiculous.
Theater

The Lone Star State en Pointe

Nichelle Suzanne·
No, ballet wasn’t born in Texas. But, in accord with the proverbial Law of Attraction, it got here as fast as it could. Since the arrival of a troupe of traveling Russians during a time when even Hollywood movies were still, literally, finding their voice, the art and practice of ballet has been nurtured by Texans, who support not one, but three multi-million-dollar-budget ballet companies, and a host of smaller, but no less notable, organizations.
DanceLone Star Stories

Undermain at 30

Lauren Smart·
The logo of the Undermain Theatre adorns a sandwich board at the edge of the Deep Ellum neighborhood in Dallas. The lone black and yellow marker beckons curious theatergoers to venture below Main Street for shows they can't see anywhere else. Undermain Theatre celebrates its 30th year with a lineup of three brand new plays, continuing its lifelong commitment to presenting original plays that challenge audiences. Whether it's an edgy new work by David Rabe or a scintillating production of August Strindberg or Harold Pinter, the consistently high quality of work at the Undermain Theatre is unrivaled in the local scene.
Dallas/Ft WorthTheater

No Limits in the Book of Mormon

Lauren Smart·
A centerpiece of the first act of The Book of Mormon is the song, "Hasa Diga Eebowai." This Ugandan phrase punctuates the show's irreverent version of "Hakuna Matata," in which a tribe sings about AIDS, Africa, and telling God where he can stick his lightning bolts.
Theater

Space Painting

DANIELLE GEORGIOU·
Jessica Lang paints movements in broad strokes, making her one of the most visually exciting choreographers in the dance world. Houston's Society of Performing Arts presents Jessica Lang Dance (JLD) on Sept. 20, following the TITAS presentation in Dallas on Sept. 14.
Dallas/Ft WorthDanceHouston

Energy Dance

Nancy Wozny·
Forklift Dance Works founder Allison Orr, formerly fearful of heights, can now climb a power pole. Don't expect her to fix your electricity when it goes out, but she knows way more about energy than your average choreographer.
AustinDance

Open Season

Nancy Zastudil·
Some people say ideas are a dime a dozen. The Idea Fund says they are $3,500 each and, with help from a special initiative of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, it is putting that money directly into the hands of Texas artists. As a result, some of the state's most provocative or otherwise unexpected imaginings are being made real.
CultureDanceFilmMusicTheaterVisual Art

Performania

Nancy Wozny·
Musings & Mumblings on Time-Based Art   IMAGE: Brock England and Nathan Jerkins in Hidden Room Theatre’s award-...
Theater

Insider Notes: September 2013

Nancy Wozny·
WELL, HELLO TEXAS. If you are from Houston or Dallas, I hope you are happy to find us back on the stands under the big Texas umbrella. If you are from elsewhere, you might be wondering…Arts + Culture who? Great question. We started in Dallas/Fort Worth, expanded to Houston, and combined forces in quest of understanding what the rest of this great state was up to, art-wise. And here we are, in our inaugural issue of Arts + Culture Texas.
Editor's Remarksinsider notes