Fort Worth's summer Shakespeare festival suffered several tragedies before its death earlier this decade, but finally, the Bard is back in Cowtown.

The new Trinity Shakespeare Festival is a product from Texas Christian University, and will use professional and student actors and designers. And for those of you who always question the wisdom of outdoor Shakespeare in the Texas summer, TSF will be performed indoors.

For the first season, Romeo and Juliet (directed by Alexander Burns) and Twelfth Night (directed by TSF artistic director T.J. Walsh) will be performed in rotating repertory, with preview performances on June 9 and 10. The shows run through June 28 in TCU's air-conditioned Buschman and Hays theaters. They'll use the same cast, so you can see the same actor playing Romeo one night and Sir Andrew Aguecheek the next, for instance.

"We hope to make the Trinity Shakespeare Festival as much a summer tradition in North Texas as Ranger games and sultry nights," Walsh said.

Pricing information has not been released, but the plan is to keep tickets "reasonable." For the first two years, the project is funded by a Vision in Action grant from TCU. The hope is for TSF to become self-sufficient by 2011.

Here is the cast list. The R&J roles have a single asterisk, Twelfth Night has two.

• Brent Alford as *Montague/Apothecary & **Sir Toby Belch
• Sydney Baumgart as *Servant/Musician & **Attendant to Olivia
• David Coffee as *Capulet & **Feste
• Eric Dobbins as *Balthasar & **Curio
• Desmond Ellington as *Paris/Abraham & **Captain/Priest
• Nelson Fleming as *Gregory/Musician/Watchman & **Valentine/2nd Officer
• David Fluitt as *Friar Lawrence & **Malvolio
• Daniel Fredrick as *Romeo & **Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Emily Gray as *Nurse & **Maria
• Susan Helvenston as *Lady Montague & **Viola
• C.J. Meeks as *Sampson/Watchman & **Fabian
• Andrew Milbourn as *Mercutio & **Sebastian
• Kelsey Milbourn as *Juliet & **Attendant to Olivia
• Bryan Pitts as *Prince & **Antonio
• Justin Rapp as *Benvolio & **1st Officer/Gentleman
• Jeffrey Schmidt as *Tybalt/Friar & **John Orsino
• Trisha Miller Smith as *Lady Capulet & **Oliva
• Alyssa Wall as *Servant/Musician/Page & **Attendant to Olivia

Larry Thompson, the executive director of the Northwest Tarrant Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Popcorn Players of Azle, Texas, was killed Saturday night (February 6) in a car accident in the 7100 block of Robertson Road in Fort Worth.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that a man suspected of driving drunk crashed head-on into Thompson's car. Police have not identified the DWI driver, who was taken to a Fort Worth hospital where he is under police guard.

Thompson, 63, died of "multiple blunt trauma," and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the newspaper report published Sunday.

The wreck occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m., Saturday, just after Thompson finished a performance of Popcorn Players' production of the comedy Leading Ladies. A note posted on that company's web site announced that all scheduled performances of the show, which was to run another week, have been canceled and tickets will be refunded.

Witnesses to the accident told police the suspect was driving a BMW when he lost control and swerved into oncoming traffic. The suspect crashed head-on into Thompson's BMW. Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect could face a charge of intoxication manslaughter, police told the newspaper.

Thompson held a bachelor of economics degree from Sewanee, The University of the South, with an MBA from New Mexico Highlands University. He had held several executive positions with the Harris Methodist hospital system in Fort Worth, starting in 1990. He served on the boards of the Azle Arts Association and the Northwest Tarrant YMCA.

NT Live will broadcast the National Theatre's massive production of Terry Pratchett’s Nation, adapted by Mark Ravenhill and directed by Melly Still, in movie theaters across the world.

The play was filmed live at the National Theatre in London and will screen in high-definition at the Angelika Film Centre/Dallas at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11; and at the Angelika Film Centre/Plano at 2 p.m. Feb. 14 and 7 p.m. Feb. 16.

Nation is set in a parallel world in 1860. Two teenagers, Mau and Daphne, are thrown together by a tsunami that has destroyed Mau’s village and left Daphne shipwrecked on his South Pacific island, thousands of miles from home. Mau wears next to nothing, Daphne a long white dress; neither speaks the other’s language; somehow they must learn to survive.

It's described as "an exhilarating adventure story of survival and self-discovery featuring live music, dance and extraordinary puppets, suitable for ages 10 and older."

Illness has forced African American Repertory Theater to cancel its preview and opening weekend performances this week (that's February 4-7) of Having Our Say, The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. Lead actress and AART co-founder Irma P. Hall is unwell, says director William "Bill" Earl Ray, and "to allow sufficient time for recovery and to ensure a quality show," they are postponing the opening a week.

Tickets for this weekend's performances will be honored for any subsequent evenings, or refunds are available.

The play features Ms. Hall as one of two century-old sisters sharing stories and insights from their lives as they prepare a celebratory dinner.

Contact the box office at 972-572-0998.

Award-winning pianist, conductor and composer Marvin Hamlisch continues his longstanding relationship with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra by accepting the appointment as Principal Pops Conductor. Hamlisch, who is best-known for his mega-hit musical A Chorus Line, has received a Pulitzer Prize, three Oscars, three Golden Globe Awards, four Grammys, four Emmys and a Tony. He is also the composer of more than 40 motion picture scores, including his Oscar-winning score for The Way We Were.

"The combination of Marvin Hamlisch and Music Director Jaap van Zweden leading our organization in terms of programming and artistic vision is an unstoppable force," said Douglas Adams, president of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. "We could not be more thrilled to welcome Marvin to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra family."

Dallas has to share him, however. He holds this same position for the National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony and San Diego Symphony.  Of course, the pops assignment is not the same as being the musical director for a full regular season, so Dallas should get him a fair share.

"Music can make a difference. There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together," Hamlisch added. "Music is truly an international language, and I hope to contribute by widening communication as much as I can."

The 2010-'11 DSO Pops Series highlights include Liza Minnelli, Jim Brickman and Chris Botti. Audience members of "a certain age" will welcome an appearance by Frankie Valli, performing hits such as Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, and many more. Halloween weekend will see Psycho, arguably Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest film, shown on a screen with the score performed live by the DSO. Completing the season is "The Music of Billy Joel" with Michael Cavanaugh (star of the Broadway hit Movin’ Out), and the renowned world music ensemble, Pink Martini.

A complete listing of DSO Pops Series, as well as the Texas Instruments Classical Series concerts, is available to download at www.DallasSymphony.com.

The summertime Festival of Independent Theatres is always a highlight of the Dallas theater year. Now the deadline, 6 p.m., Saturday, March 5, is approaching for submissions from new indie companies for the 12th FIT, running July 16 to August 7.

(To be considered an independent theatre company, you must not have ownership or management control of a theatrical performance space, including educational institutions.)

Organizations must be based or perform the majority of the theatrical company's performances in the City of Dallas or Dallas County. And submitted scripts must be 50 minutes or shorter in length during performance. (The festival may require scripts be cut in order to reach the desired performance time. Like UIL competitions, the festival will bounce any company that goes beyond the 50-minute running time.)

Submitted scripts that have been produced within the past five years will not be considered. Produced staged readings will be considered, as long as they have not been performed as part of another festival.

At least one rep of each accepted company must attend a festival orientation meeting from 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, June 2.

Late submissions will not be considered. Submissions may be mailed or hand-delivered (during regular business hours) to: Bath House Cultural Center, Attn: Festival of Independent Theatres, 521 E. Lawther Drive, Dallas, TX 75218. (The Bath House is located on the banks of White Rock Lake, off Northcliffe Drive.)

Electronic submissions (via email or fax) will not be considered.

More info is available for downloading at the Bath House Cultural Center web site.

Fort Worth's Amphibian Stage Productions has snagged Broadway actress Glynis Bell to star as Peggy Guggenheim in its first staged reading of 2010, Lanie Robertson's play Woman Before a Glass, Feb. 8 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The show tells of the legendary art collector's rebellion in the art world and her keen eye for great art and artists.

Bell has appeared on Broadway in the 2000 revival of Amadeus, the 2003 revival of My Fair Lady, as well as others. She made her Great White Way debut in 1975's The Robber Bridegroom.

Woman Before a Glass will be directed by Andrew Volkoff, former Associate Director of Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts and Genesius Theatre Group in New York City.

And you can raise a glass to Amphibian the following night. On Feb. 9, founders and staffers Carman Lacivita, Jonathan Fielding and Elizabeth Mason will be the celebrity bartenders at Grace, 777 Main St. in downtown Fort Worth. They will bartend from 5-7 p.m., and then will be on hand for a special dinner at 7 p.m. For reservations to the dinner, call 817-877-3388.

Read Mark Lowry's feature on Amphibian Stage Productions, which is opening its 11th season this week, in the February issue of 360 West Magazine. The digital version is here (skip to page 71).

It has been two years since Teatro Dallas hosted its most recent International Theater Festival. The event was annual in the '90s, before its downtown Dallas building burned. Throughout the Aughts, Teatro brought in groups to perform at various spaces, but it was often difficult to secure VISAs in the years following 9/11 (the 2002 festival had to be canceled).

The last ITF was in early 2008 at various venues around town. Now, it's back for a 14th installment, with all performances at the Latino Cultural Center. This year's lineup includes groups from Spain, Mexico, Belgium and the United States.

The event runs Feb. 6-28, with each group performing on Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 3:15. Three of the shows are performed in their country's primary language (Spanish or French), with an English libretto provided.

Here's what's on deck:

• Mexico's Fenix Producciones performs Benito antes de Juárez by Edgar Chías. Benito Juarez was Mexico's president from 1859 to 1872. This piece concentrates on a defining moment in his life, when, at the age of 28 (in 1834), he was imprisoned for protesting the relocation of his people. Performed in Spanish. Feb. 6 and 7.
• Belgium's Theatre Universitaire Royal de Liege presents Franz Kafka's Communication á une académia (Communication to an Academy). It tells the story of an ape man who becomes the reason for a gathering of academicians, as they ponder what or who the beast is. Kafka, with his usual humor and irony, offers his reflections on the human condition. Performed in French. Feb 13 and 14.
• Spain's Teatro Abrego presents El Corazón de Antígona by Pati Domenech. This one-woman show explores the story of Sophocles' Antigone and offers insight on how to make contemporary Greek tragedy. Performed in Spanish. Feb. 20 & 21.
• Actor Teo Castellanos, who was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Miami, performs his one-man show NE 2nd Avenue. It is a compilation of types seen in Miami, conveying the textured mix in which distinct Cuban, Haitian, Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Jewish, gay and African-American influences emerge. Performed in English. Feb. 27 and 28 (presented in association with the South Dallas Cultural Center).
• There will also be an Intensive "Playback" workshop associated with the festival, featuring instructor Alejandro Moran, who has studied at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico, the École Jacques Lecoq in Paris and with Swiss pantomime troupe Mummenschanz. He is the founder and director of the Ollin Teatro Transformación, Playback. He studied at New York's Center for Playback Theatre with Jonathan Fox, the creator of the "playback" technique. His workshop is based on this technique that involves improvisation in an image-filled manner based in the participants' personal stories. The workshop is open to all experience levels. The workshop is 7-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, Feb. 1-5, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6. The price is $150.00 includes free entrance to see the groups from Mexico, Belgium and Spain, plus a discount for the group from the U.S. To register for this and other workshops call 214-689-6492. To learn more about this workshop, go here and click on the Education tab.

Tickets for the International Theater Festival are $15 for performance, and $20 on opening night of the festival (Feb. 6). You can purchase tickets online, here.

When Dallas actor and playwright Steve Lovett passed away unexpectedly last June from complications following heart surgery, the local theatrical community lost not only a beloved friend and colleague, but a musical theater advocate and historian as well.

Along with the shock and sadness of his death came the lingering question of what would become of his vast library of musical theater CDs and vintage vinyl recordings? Over the years, Steve amassed what is has to be one of the largest privately held collections.

Steve’s catalog included everything from the expected to the astonishingly rare; from the biggest Broadway hits to the most unheralded of obscurities. (The last CD he gifted me? Poop: The Musical.) Not content to merely have a recording of a particular show, he often had every recording of the show. And they didn’t sit on shelves, he actually listened to them, and even more spectacularly, he shared them. Actors around town knew they could count on Steve if they needed to find a particular song to work on for an audition or performance. He wouldn’t just let them listen to the recording, he’d burn them a CD or three.

A few years ago I was assigned "The Ladies Who Lunch" as my solo for Uptown Players’ annual fundraiser Broadway Our Way. I didn’t have a recording of the song and asked Steve if he had a copy. Did he ever. A couple of days later he presented me with a CD that had the song as recorded by Elaine Stritch, Julie Wilson, Cleo Laine, Anna Kendrick (from the Camp soundtrack), Barbra Streisand, Michael Ball and...Dame Edna.

Steve’s adventurous collection didn’t focus on the English language. Not in the least. He had recordings of musicals in every language imaginable: The Lion King in Japanese, Grease in Czech, Cabaret in Hebrew, Little Shop of Horrors in Icelandic, Chess in Hungarian, Rent in Norwegian. Just dying to hear Peter Pan in Chinese? Which dialect? Steve had it in Cantonese, Mandarin and Wu.

You’re just not gonna find this stuff on iTunes.

It’s not known exactly how many recordings are in the collection. Thousands, to put it modestly. So without Steve to nurture the collection, what would become of it? His sister Karen had plans to donate it but wanted it to be kept intact and wanted it to be used and enjoyed. Endeavors to place the collection in appropriate hands led to disappointment. Eventually it was warehoused through the generosity of the Dallas Theater Center in one of their production and storage facilities in the industrial district.

But how to make it accessible? Dallas actor/director/producer LisaAnne Haram had an idea. She is on staff at the Society for Theatrical Artists' Guidance and Enhancement (S.T.A.G.E.) and wondered if it might become home to the collection? Space is limited in the theatrical institution’s modest digs along the Stemmons corridor, but Haram and S.T.A.G.E. operations manager Jeff Fenter decided to make it work.

So on a frigid, rainy, gray day in late January, LisaAnne enlisted the aid of Steve’s pals and local show folk Kevin Keating and Andi Allen and, along with graciously efficient assistance from DTC staff, transported all 62 boxes to their cozy new home in the S.T.A.G.E. library.

The collection is still in boxes and will need some special attention before it is available for use. But it is safe. It is intact. And it will be used and enjoyed.

And that’s gotta be music to Steve’s angelic ears. 

Want to offer some TLC to Steve’s treasured collection? Contact S.T.A.G.E at www.stage-online.org.

If the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is a cage fight, the Gilmore Artist Award is a surprise tap on the shoulder. Every four years, the Gilmore prize is awarded to a pianist who doesn’t even know that he or she entered a contest. The judges scour the country, listening to pianists play recitals and concerti without the artists even knowing they are there. Then, in secret, a vote is taken and the results announced. It's a surprise to all, especially the winner. Along with the prestige comes $300,000, of which $50,000 can be used for anything. The remainder must be used to further the recipient’s career. Nice surprise, huh?

This year, the winner was Russian-born pianist Kirill Gerstein, who becomes the sixth recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award. Mr. Gerstein, 30, has performed in recital and with orchestras almost everywhere. His 2010 appearances include the Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, St. Louis and Milwaukee symphonies, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Cleveland Orchestra—all debuts. The Gilmore is not his first win. In 2001, he took a first place prize in the Arthur Rubenstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 2002, he won the mini-Gilmore, a $25,000 grant to an emerging artist.

The Gilmore was founded in 1989 by Irving Gilmore, the owner is a department store in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In addition to the prize, the Gilmore Foundation presents a festival in May, and Mr. Gerstein will be the headliner.

Mr. Gerstein is a "man bites dog" story in that he started out in jazz and then moved to classical. Usually, it is the other way around. He taught himself to play jazz by listening to his parents’ extensive record collection. At 14, he moved to the U.S. to continue his studies in jazz piano as the youngest student ever to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Following two summers with Boston University’s Young Artist Program, Mr. Gerstein switched, to focus on classical piano at New York City’s Manhattan School of Music. He earned both his Bachelor's and Master's of Music degrees there by the age of 20, and then returned to Europe to continue his studies in Madrid and Budapest. Now an American citizen, Mr. Gerstein divides his time between the United States and Germany, where he has been a professor of piano at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart since 2006.

We eagerly await his invitation to play North Texas.

A new reality TV show being shopped at the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) at its annual Las Vegas trade show focuses on the Fort Worth Opera. Titled Lone Star Opera, it offers a behind-the-scenes look at how an opera gets on the stage.

The show isn't even on cable yet, but it's already won the Non-Fiction Emerging Producer Award at the 2010 NATPE convention.

The Fort Worth Opera seems like a good choice for reality fodder because it presents three operas, in rotating repertory, in a three-week summer festival (the reality show covers five weeks, including rehearsals). The program was unscripted and chronicles the lives of all concerned for that very short and hectic period of time. Three casts, chorus, orchestra, sets, makeup, wigs, costumes, lighting, super titles, multiple rehearsal spaces and divas all have cameras looking over their shoulders on the show.

Says FW Opera General Director Darren K. Woods: "Most people have ideas about opera singers and companies that are so far from reality. Not only is this series a lot of fun—it’s funny, tense, sad at times—it is also surprising and very interesting."

The show will be marketed by CABLEready, an independent program representation firm. That firm also represents Inside the Actors Studio and Medical Detectives, among others.

Check out the offerings for the Fort Worth Opera's upcoming season—which includes two classics and a world premiere—at www.fwopera.org.

Shakespeare Dallas has announced its 2010 season, which includes a title it has not staged in its entire 39 years: Cymbeline. This summer, that show will run in rotating repertory with The Comedy of Errors. Its fall production will be Two Gentlemen of Verona.

A few years ago, the company started an initiative to look at the lesser-known plays through its spring "Shakespeare Unplugged" reading series.

In a news release, Executive and Artistic Director Raphael Parry says "As we enter a new decade, Shakespeare Dallas is as focused as ever on introducing Shakespeare to different audiences, knocking down barriers both economically and socially. We are excited to be exploring works like Cymbeline, a dark fairy tale rarely produced and never before seen on the Shakespeare Dallas stage."

Without further ado, here's the full lineup for the year. Exact dates will be announced later.

• Shakespeare Dallas presents its educational tour "Shakespeare on the Go!" to elementary schools in Dallas, and "Shakespeare & the Written Word" to junior high and high schools. February.
• Shakespeare Unplugged: Staged reading of Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer at the Bath House Cultural Center; and readings of the Shakespeare poem Venus and Adonis and Erik Ehn's Boy in co-productions with Project X: Theatre at the Green Zone. Project X has been touting the world premiere of Boy for a few years, so look for the full production to happen, well, some time after the reading. These readings happen in April and May.
• Summer festival at Samuell-Grand Park: Cymbeline, directed by René Moreno, and The Comedy of Errors, directed by Matt Tomlanovich. June and July.
• As usual, the summer festival is followed by the Junior Players doing a teen production of a Shakespeare title. This year, it's Romeo and Juliet. July.
• Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Raphael Parry, at Samuell-Grand Park and Addison Circle Park. September and October.

Ticket prices and dates will be announced later. For more information, visit www.shakespearedallas.org.

Dallas Theater Center collected a total of $42,124.20 in donations for the local organization North Texas Food Bank during the run of its annual production of A Christmas Carol. Following 2008’s collection of $39,573.33 for the Food Bank, DTC patrons gave more money in 2009 over the course of a run with fewer performances.

“DTC is committed to engaging our community not only from the stage of the theater, but in every way possible, including collaborating with other organizations to raise awareness about the issues in our city that need attention and to take action to make a positive impact in those areas,” says DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty. “North Texas Food Bank meets a vital need in our community, and DTC is proud to join the fight against hunger.”

Following each performance of A Christmas Carol, cast members emphasized the need for charitable donations to organizations such as the North Texas Food Bank this time of year and collected money in the lobby from gracious and generous patrons. In the last week of the run alone patrons gave $14,564.78.

Cast and production crew from A Christmas Carol also volunteered their time at the NTFB warehouse during the busy holiday season in November.

The North Texas Food Bank helps feed more than 53,000 families a month in 13 North Texas counties, with each dollar providing four meals. DTC patrons’ contributions will more than 168,000 meals for North Texas families in need.

“We are grateful for the Dallas Theater Center’s partnership and audience support during the holidays. The holiday season is our busiest, so this donation could not have come at a greater time,” said Paul Wunderlich, NTFB chief operating officer.

The North Texas Food Bank needs donations of money and time all year 'round. To help, click here for info.

Fort Worth's Circle Theatre has announced its 2010 season, its 29th.

Circle is known for staging the second, third or fourth productions of new plays, which are sometimes hard for playwrights to score after their work has premiered elsewhere in the country. The lineup for this year doesn't stray from that mission. Four of the five shows are area premieres, and the other—The Great American Trailer Park Musical—is a Tarrant County premiere.

And, as themes sometimes emerge in seasons, Circle's 29th has a recurring topic: Classical music. The first show, Michael Hollinger's Opus, deals with the members of a string quartet who are trying to cope with a missing musician and his younger replacement. The fourth show, Itamar Moses' Bach at Leipzig, concerns six musicians (including Johann Sebastian Bach) who are competing for a coveted organist post in 1722 Germany. In a way, the middle show fits in this cycle, too. Bruce Graham's Something Intangible is a fictional account of two brothers in 1940 thinking up a new Hollywood movie innovation, loosely inspired by the making of the classical musical-loving Disney film Fantasia.

Here's a breakdown of the season:

• Opus by Michael Hollinger, the author of Circle's 2009 acclaimed hit Incorruptible. Feb. 11-March 13 Description: Talent and temperament collide in a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s finest string quartets. The famous ensemble begins to unravel when their most gifted member goes missing and a young woman is hired to take his place. Directed by Alan Shorter, with the stellar cast of Meg Bauman, Jakie Cabe, David H.M. Lambert, Mark Shum and Elias Taylorson.
• The Great American Trailer Park Musical by David Nehls and Betsy Kelso. April 29-May 29 Description: This R-rated musical is peppered with murderous ex-boyfriends, Costco, the Ice Capades and a stripper on the run who comes between a Dr. Phil-loving agoraphobic housewife and her tollbooth collector husband. This title was a hit for WaterTower Theatre in 2007. Circle's production will be directed by Chris Robinson, with musical direction by Hans Grim. For audition info, go here. Oh, and the banjos with this one almost cancel out the violins in the other shows.
• Something Intangible by Philadelphia-based playwright Bruce Graham, the writer of previous Circle shows Desperate Affection, Moon Over the Brewery and Waiting for Goldman. June 24-July 24 Description: It’s Hollywood, 1940. Two brothers struggle to run a studio on the brink of a major movie innovation. One is a visionary and the other a "numbers man." If they don’t kill each other first, together, they will create something intangible. Circle's production will be the second full staging of this title in the country. Directed by Matthew Gray.
• Bach at Leipzig by Itamar Moses, Aug. 19-Sept. 18 Description: In 1722, six of the finest musicians of the age gather to audition for the coveted post of organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. The position they are competing for may be housed in a cathedral, but nothing is sacred in this battle of egos and ambition. Directed by Robin Armstrong.
• Bright Ideas by Eric Coble. Oct. 21-Nov. 20 Description: Joshua raced from the delivery room to place their newborn child on the waiting list for one of the best preschools in the country. As the child's fourth birthday approaches, they’ve made it to the top. What will the Bradleys have to do to make sure he gets in? Directed by Robin Armstrong.

Season tickets are $120, or $110 if purchased by Feb. 10. Corporate packages, with four season tickets per package, are $460. For tickets and more info, call 817-877-3040 or visit www.circletheatre.com.

Who says bad reviews don't help theaters? After years of beating the no-budget Dallas Hub Theater like a dusty rug, I am heartened by this missive from Hub founder and "chief executive artist-producer" Tim Shane. He writes:

One of the drawbacks of living the dream and being the CHEAP is all the other things that come with having your own space. Inspections, court appearances, compliance, etc....

Yesterday I was back in court representing myself and the Hub against the City of Dallas in a Personal Property Tax suit. The city has come down to the Hub a few times looking at our "assets" (yeah, that's in quotes for a reason), and just usually just apologizes.

I think they must have used the [Dallas Theater Center] as a model or something, because they were saying that we owed $36,000 on our equipment and such and not only did I provide our exemptions, but the city put forward "How can you possibly operate on such a low budget?" and I submitted into evidence my copy of the Best Of Dallas "Money Pit" article [from Dallas Observer].

And here's the link to that story that I wrote for last year's Best of Dallas issue.

In brief, I chose the Hub as a feature topic in the Best of Dallas collection because Shane runs his theater not just on a shoestring, but on the little frazzled plastic tip on the end of the shoestring. Some budgets for productions don't hit three figures. He recycles everything and if he can't beg or borrow it, he doesn't use it.

So, way to go, Tim Shane. And if the City of Dallas folks don't believe you, make 'em come see a show. And don't comp the tickets.

Joanne Kaufman has an interesting story in the January 13 The Wall Street Journal about what sounds like a helpful tool for actors who need to learn their lines as spoken in a specific accent. The service is UseMyAccent.com, which allows actors to hear their exact lines by "Readers" in any number of English accents.

The "Readers" are paid to speak specific lines in their native accent, and the actors receive MP3 files with those lines read in the accent/dialect. Membership on the site is free, but actors do pay a "modest fee" if they need to use the service.

In the article, Erin Cronican, a New York actor and career coach, was quoted as saying:

"While performers can hire a dialect coach, it's an expensive proposition. They can also listen to dialect tapes and CDs, but they have to try to marry the recording to what they have to read for an audition. It's taking general knowledge and applying it to a specific text. But because UseMyAccent is providing a customized service, I get to listen and hear how a native speaker would do my lines."

Apparently, more than 100 people from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Alaska, Nebraska, New Jersey, Arkansas, Connecticut and California have registered as readers on UseMyAccent.com.

Will someone from Texas please sign up as a reader so that Texas characters, in non-Texan productions, don't sound like Alabamans?