New and Now: Jaime Castañeda’s inaugural Dallas Theater Center season is packed with premieres

Jaime Castañeda is on the phone again. It’s early, but the new artistic director of Dallas Theater Center has been up since before dawn, already deep in conversation with playwrights, reading literally hundreds of scripts, and fine-tuning the details of his inaugural season. This is how he’s spent his days since taking the job in early 2026: chasing stories and shaping a lineup that entertains, yes, but also encourages conversation.

“New development junkie” is how he describes himself, and the 2026-27 season proves it. “I love creating worlds and moments from scratch,” the formerly LA-based theater maker says. “Most of the projects I now develop start from a question or conversation with another artist and usually it’s a playwright. Then we assemble the team and the story, step by step.” What has emerged this season are three world premieres, a regional debut, a Tony Award-winning epic, and the annual holiday classic A Christmas Carol. “These shows generally break the fourth wall,” Castañeda says. “They invite conversation in real time. The entire season is in direct relationship to our audience.”

For Castañeda, the season also represents a homecoming of sorts. He began his career in Dallas-Fort Worth, founding Firestarter Productions while still a student at Texas Christian University. He directed DTC’s production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity in 2012. “Growing up in Texas, Dallas Theater Center was one of the first places where I saw what professional theater and excellence looked like,” he reflects.

That passion is evident in Reykjavik86, Gabe McKinley’s world-premiere Cold War thriller that opens the season in September at the Wyly Theatre. Castañeda has been developing the play for years, watching it evolve through workshops and rewrites. “I’ll follow Gabe down any rabbit hole,” he says. The play is set in the 1986 nuclear summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, but Castañeda isn’t interested in a dry history lesson. “History plays always bring the ‘now’ into the ‘then,’” he says. “We hope to inject a little humor, a little optimism, a little music into the possible end of the world.”

Ngozi Anyanwu’s regional premiere The Monsters, in October, is a play about siblings, family, and the messy, beautiful process of reconnecting, all set within the full-contact world of mixed martial arts. “The heart of this story is about trying to reconnect with family,” explains Castañeda. “It’s also about trying to understand the adults we become from the children we once were.” He first encountered Anyanwu’s work years ago and has been eager to bring her voice to Dallas ever since.

Also about siblings and family is Ben Power’s adaptation of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy, the Tony Award-winning epic running at the Kalita Humphreys Theater in February 2027. The play spans 160 years, following three immigrant brothers as they build—and ultimately destroy—a financial empire. For Castañeda, it’s a fitting addition to a season that asks big questions. “The beauty in this play is that it’s both epic and small. It’s personal and global. It’s national and local. It’s a story about the story of money, and that’s a pretty good story.” He sees the production as perfectly suited to its venue, which famously possesses a turntable stage—something the Broadway production employed to impressive effect.

Then there’s the world-premiere Kill Local, the dark musical comedy based on the play by Mat Smart about a family of assassins. It’s Kill Bill meets Reservoir Dogs, hints Castañeda, who will also direct, but onstage and with music by indie rock artist and theater newcomer Liza Anne. “We’re building the moments and the story points with someone who brings a totally fresh perspective,” Castañeda says.

The Making of a Saint is also a world premiere. KJ Sanchez’s solo, self-directed performance about faith, doubt, and the search for meaning further highlights this season’s focus on personal storytelling. “KJ is giving us something profoundly personal, which draws me in. It’s honest and raw,” says Castañeda. “What does it mean to be a good person? How can we capture that or even model that behavior? I thought that was a worthy exploration for this moment.” It will run in the Wyly Theatre’s smaller, more flexible studio space.

Castañeda also values the enchantment and spectacle of theater, and knew he had to bring back the holiday favorite A Christmas Carol, which he says he’s very much looking forward to his children experiencing in December.

Castañeda’s appreciation for new work won’t stop with this season. When we first spoke to him in January, he had been hot on the trail of a certain new script. “If I remember correctly that project will be shared with Dallas at the start of our following season,” he says. “I’m still chasing it!” Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

—LINDSEY WILSON