Audiocasts

In this two-part interview, Thomas Riccio talks to Tre Garrett, the new artistic director of Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth. They discuss Jubilee's mission and portraying the African-American experience on stage. The next production directed by Garrett, Charlayne Woodard's Pretty Fire, begins previews this Friday, Jan. 27, and opens on Feb. 3.

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. In the spring of 2010, he wrote a series of essays for TheaterJones about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those, which links to the others, is here. In 2011, he started his own theater company, Dead White Zombies.

With this series of interviews, Riccio is hoping to get at the idea of a Dallas or North Texas theater aesthetic. The others are below in our new AudioCasts section.

Click each link below and it will open a player in a new window, so you can listen while you do other stuff on the Internet (preferably on our site). And if you get a message that a plug-in is needed, it's because your browser needs a Flash plug-in. (Volume varies, so you'll have to adjust accordingly.)

In this two-part interview conducted by Thomas Riccio, Matthew Posey discusses his beginnings in Dallas, from working with Undermain Theatre to the Deep Ellum Theatre Garage, and on to his current Balanced Almond/Ochre House, which presents original works, mostly written by Posey.

Posey also talks about deconstruction and his outfit's current show, Ex Voto: The Immaculate Conceptions of Frida Kahlo. (You'll also hear a bit from Posey's dog, Walter.)

You can read a separate Q&A with Posey by Mark Lowry here. 

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. In the spring of 2010, he wrote a series of essays for TheaterJones about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those, which links to the others, is here. He also recently started his own theater company, Dead White Zombies.

With this series of interviews, Riccio is hoping to get at the idea of a Dallas or North Texas theater aesthetic. The others are below in our new AudioCasts section.

Click each link below and it will open a player in a new window, so you can listen while you do other stuff on the Internet (preferably on our site). And if you get a message that a plug-in is needed, it's because your browser needs a Flash plug-in. (Volume varies, so you'll have to adjust accordingly.)

If you want to know about the Dallas theater scene in the past 30 years, Raphael Parry is a good place to start. After working with the Alley Theatre in Houston, Parry moved to Dallas to pursue acting in the late '70s. In a production of Lysistrata, he met Katherine Owens, and the two founded Undermain Theatre, which at the time was one of several spots for experimental and avant-garde theater in Dallas. It still is, although there are fewer companies doing that kind of work than when Parry and Owens began.

Parry is now the artistic director of Shakespeare Dallas (which has a fall production of Hamlet currently open, in which Parry plays Polonius); and founded Project X: Theatre, which operates the Green Zone in the Design District, a space that also hosts independent companies like Upstart Productions.

In this two-part interview conducted by Thomas Riccio, Parry discusses his beginnings in Dallas, co-founding Undermain Theatre, and what he has noticed as the scene has grown and changed in the past three decades. He has some interesting insight about our can-do spirit and why some new theater companies start out strong and then lose their way. He also talks about upcoming projects, including a collaboration with Erik Ehn.

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. In the spring of 2010, he wrote a series of essays for TheaterJones about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those, which links to the others, is here. He also recently started his own theater company, Dead White Zombies.

With this series of interviews, Riccio is hoping to get at the idea of a Dallas or North Texas theater aesthetic. The others are below in our new AudioCasts section.

Click each link below and it will open a player in a new window, so you can listen while you do other stuff on the Internet (preferably on our site). And if you get a message that a plug-in is needed, it's because your browser needs a Flash plug-in.

In our sixth in a series of audio interviews with local artistic directors, Thomas Riccio talks to Stage West founder Jerry Russell and its artistic director, Jim Covault.

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. In the spring of 2010, he wrote a series of essays for TheaterJones about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those, which links to the others, is here. He also recently started his own theater company, Dead White Zombies.

Russell founded Stage West in 1977, and Covault became a regular soon after. They both direct and act on its stage, which has moved a few times in more than 30 years.

In this one, Riccio has a conversation with Russell and Covault about the theater's origins, the history, supporting Texas playwrights and the differences between Fort Worth and Dallas theater.

Listen below (it opens a new window for the player so you can continue to browse the Internet):

In our fifth in a series of audio interviews with local artistic directors, Thomas Riccio talks to Theatre Three's founder and artistic director Jac Alder.

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. In the spring of 2010, he wrote a series of essays for TheaterJones about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those, which links to the others, is here. Riccio also has a new company himself, called Dead White Zombies, that will present his play blahblah at the Green Zone in May.

Alder and his late wife Norma Young co-founded Theatre Three in 1961. The theatre will celebrate its 50th anniversary season in 2011-'12, and recently announced most of that season, which includes the area premiere of the emo rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

With these interviews, Riccio is hoping to get at the idea of a Dallas or North Texas theater aesthetic. The first was with Terry Martin of WaterTower Theatre, the second with Katherine Owens of Undermain Theatre, the third with Tom Parr IV of Nouveau 47 Theatre, and the fourth with Joey Folsom and Elias Taylorson of Broken Gears Project Theatre. (We're working on archiving these so that previous podcasts will be available.)

In this one, Alder and Riccio have a conversation about the theater's origins, following in the footsteps of Margo Jones, the Dallas theater scene and the role of critics.

Listen below (it opens a new window for the player so you can continue to browse the Internet):

In the latest JonesCast, TheaterJones editor Mark Lowry talks with Michael Jenkins, President and Managing Director of Dallas Summer Musicals. The topic is the 2011 season, which begins March 15 with Tommy Tune: Steps in Time at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

As I've written about on this site, DSM's 2011 season isn't a strong one, and in the interview, we discuss that. We talk about the available touring product, how competition with AT&T Performing Arts Center has effected DSM, and what's ahead for the 2012 season, which will include many more tours of newer Broadway shows. He also discusses producing on Broadway, and might get in a mention of the Tony Awards he's won for that.

Here's the interview. Click the link and it will open up a separate window for the player, so you can do other things on the Internet while you listen.

In the third of a series of audio interviews with local directors, Thomas Riccio talks to Nouveau 47 Theatre's Tom Parr IV.

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. In the spring of 2010, he wrote a series of essays for TheaterJones about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those, which links to the others, is here.

Parr was a co-founder of Second Thought Theatre, briefly co-ran Risk Theater Initiative, and then returned to the scene with White Rock Pollution, which transformed into Nouveau 47 Theatre. The theater is housed in the Magnolia Lounge in Fair Park, the very spot of the groundbreaking theater started by regional theater pioneer Margo Jones, for whom our site is named.

Margo's organization was called Theatre '47, and opened in 1947. The name changed every year that she had the theater, through 1955. Nouveau 47 Theatre has been doing a series of Monday night events, but opens its first full production Feb. 16 with Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.

With these interviews (the first was with Terry Martin of WaterTower Theatre, the second with Katherine Owens of Undermain Theatre), Riccio is hoping to get at the idea of a Dallas theater aesthetic.

Enjoy.

Listen below (it opens a new window for the player so you can continue to browse the Internet):

In the second in a series of audio interviews with local directors, Thomas Riccio talks to Undermain Theatre's Katherine Owens.

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. In the spring of 2010, he wrote a series of essays for TheaterJones about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those is here.

Owens is co-founder and artistic director of one of Dallas' most respected arts groups, Undermain Theatre, which is currently staging a terrific production of David Rabe's The Dog Problem. Read our review here.

With these interviews (the first was with Terry Martin of WaterTower Theatre), Riccio is hoping to get at the idea of a Dallas aesthetic.

Here, Owens talks about the relationship of her theater and Deep Ellum, the concept of wabi-sabi, taking a trip to West Texas to find her theater roots, and Shakespeare.

Undermain will do a staged reading of Riccio's play Ilira in February.

Listen below (it opens a new window for the player so you can continue to browse the Internet):

In our first podcast on TheaterJones, and the first in a series of director audio interviews, Thomas Riccio talks to WaterTower Theatre's Terry Martin. 

Riccio is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, a playwright, director, world traveler and theater-maker. This spring, he wrote a series of essays for us about his experience with making theater in Ethiopia in 2009. The first of those is here.

Martin is artistic director of Addison's WaterTower Theatre, which is currently staging a breathtaking revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Martin not only directs it, but plays the Stage Manager. Read our review here.

In the interview, Martin talks about his theater, and the challenges of selecting a season. And he even has some interesting thoughts about the local press and critics.

Listen below (it opens a new window for the player so you can continue to browse the Internet):