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Robyn's Desk

Excitement is never in short supply when a new theater season starts. This year is no exception! It is wonderful to walk down the halls of the Rosewood Center and take a peak at the progress of our fall shows, almost like taking a journey through time. One can hear the sounds of new concepts developing as the beloved Judy Blume book, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, turns into a play. From another direction comes sounds from across the border as CARA MIA THEATRE presents the Hispanic cultural take on the a classic Lewis Carroll tale, Alicia in Wonder Tierra. Next comes a leap through time travel when one hears the rehearsals for Night of the Living Dead, the 60s film comes to life for teens and adults. It’s an exciting, and sometimes spooky, time in our theater!

My delight does not stop there because at 4:30 each afternoon, a sea of smiling faces pours into the building as children, teens, and young adults come to attend their fall class sessions. Many of those faces are familiar as they choose to continue their theatrical studies, and other faces are new, excited about their journey into the world of creativity. As usual, the DCT academy opens new doors for hundreds of students, who find a nurturing place to explore their ideas and spread their wings.

This season, we are proud to be working with some of the areas finest artistic talent. Our Resident Design Director, Randel Wright, begins his first full year in that position. After the delights of his scenic creations last season with The Miracle Worker, James & the Giant Peach, and PINKERTON!!!, we look forward to all kinds of visual delights. In addition, we welcome the new involvement of UNT’s superb Barbara Cox, whose superb costume designs will grace our stages several times during the year. Director Cheryl Denson will bring her directing skill to DCT’s stage for our summer’s popular title: A Year With Frog & Toad.

Ringing in the New Year will be a very popular adaptation; Good Night Moon. This tale is a favorite among our younger audience members, and our hope is to ignite their imagination by bringing the story to life. We hope to find the child in everyone as this tale often brings back loving memories in even the most experienced audience member.

With the amazing response to Secret Life of Girls, I am pleased to be able to continue our exploration of young adult and teen issues. Our journey this year will take us into the secret and deadly realm of eating disorders and bullying with Linda Daugherty’s new play EAT!!! (It’s Not About Food). This powerful show will take a candid, and desperately needed, look at the influence the media and society make in young men and women’s lives in today’s pressurized world.

Pure enjoyment is in our season too, as Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts joins the season with not one, but two shows. Join us for the holidays with her puppet version of The Nutcracker, as the classic Tchaikovsky suite is brought to life. As a special treat, Kathy is bringing her antique Winnie-the-Pooh marionettes out of retirement for The House at Pooh Corner. These very unique marionettes bring quite an amazing history with them. Sue Hastings, of Hasting Marionettes in New York, built these particular marionettes in 1930. They were so spectacular, that Eleanor Roosevelt invited them to the White House in 1937 for a presidential family show. As time went on, the marionettes joined the TV generation in the 1950s as stars of the Trapper Rabbit and Mr. Frog Show. By the 1970s, a brilliant young artist named Kathy Burks wisely snatched them up for her collection when they became available. Here we are, over 30 years later with Kathy Burks still gracing the stage with her puppetry talent, and the beloved A.A. Milne character marionettes celebrating over 75 years of bringing joy to audiences around the country. Join us as the story of The House at Pooh Corner comes to life on our Studio Theatre stage beginning in February 2008.

I am happy to publicly announce our RATED GREAT CAPITAL CAMPAIGN to complete the exterior and equip the interior of our wonderful home space, the Rosewood Center for the Arts. We have been so fortunate to call the Rosewood Center our home, and with this campaign, our original concepts of a warm and welcoming professional family theater will be realized. Randel has just produced a beautiful rendering of the innovative and eye-catching design for our proposed new look that will be on display in the lobby during our season. Our goal is for travelers on the busy surrounding streets of Northwest Highway and Skillman to be attracted to our site, filled with curiosity about what delights are hiding inside the fascinating and innovative exterior of the ROSEWOOD CENTER FOR FAMILY ARTS.

The Rosewood Center for Family Arts and the Dallas Children’s Theater are alive with new and exciting events. The incoming energy from our board members, and the awesome energy of our Theater Company and staff are sure to be felt this year in Dallas and beyond. Our 07-08 Season is a year not to be missed!

As DALLAS CHILDREN’S THEATER enters its 24th year, we continue to be a vital player in the professional theater community as well as throughout the Metroplex. Our doors are open! We welcome you and your family and your friends and your associates. We do it all for you, so come in to the warmth and welcome of the Dallas Children’s Theater!