THEATER: Lively give and take benefits local productions
02:47 PM CST on Monday, December 19, 2005
By LAWSON TAITTE / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas is becoming one giant playground for theater artists – and the kids are learning to have fun together.
The fluid interchange of talent between one company and another, while not entirely new, has become surprisingly frequent in a
city where each theater company used to develop its own regulars and often felt like a secret society. The current mix feels
much healthier.
It enables individual directors, performers and designers to grow, and it enriches the work seen on each stage.
Here's a quick summary of who's who in this fertile en- tanglement.
All over town
Rene Moreno directed productions for nine different theaters last season and seems determined to tie or beat that record this
year.
If it's a set in a Dallas theater, Wade J. Giampa, Clare Floyd Devries or Randel Wright probably designed it.
Mr. Wright recently broke the local-designer barrier at the Dallas Theater Center with Crowns.
Jack Birdwell has played juicy roles at seven different theaters here in barely more than two years – including Undermain
Theatre's just-concluded Margo Veil and two different stints as the first title character in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Mark Oristano gets his share of acting work, but most Dallas companies call for him as company photographer even if they can't
give him a role.
Tristan Q. Decker does a lot of work at the University of Dallas, but his freelance lighting now brightens up lots of stages. His
sparkling design for Theatre Three's Metamorphoses, which required rented hardware, inspired the company to apply for grants
to put in a new lighting system.
Moving up in the world
Theater Center managing director Mark Hadley started out as a Theatre Three intern years ago.
After the demise of Plano Repertory Theatre, which he managed from both the business and artistic side, Ryan J. Pointer landed
on his feet as marketing director for the Theater Center.
M. Denise Lee started out in tiny roles, then acquired diva status at Uptown Players and WaterTower Theatre. She moved on up
in a big way, however, stealing the show in the Theater Center's Crowns .
You scratch my back
In early November, Matthew Gray directed Second Thought Theatre company member Steven Walters in Second Thought's
Humpty Dumpty.
Now Mr. Walters acts in The Gift of the Magi for Classical Acting Company, directed by Classical co-founder Mr. Gray.
Mr. Walters stars in playwright Lee Trull's Magi; last spring, actor Trull starred in playwright Walters' Apathy and Angst in
Amsterdam.
Elizabeth Van Winkle came into Theatre Quorum's Honour at the last minute because of an emergency call from TQ artistic
director Carl Savering; Mr. Savering will direct The Turn of the Screw, the first show by Ms. Van Winkle's new Theater Fusion, in
February.
Interlocking directorates
The Project X Web site looks like a class reunion for Undermain Theatre exes, such as Raphael Parry, Kateri Cale and Robert
McVay.
In addition, Project X overlaps heavily with Shakespeare Dallas, since Shakespeare's artistic director (Mr. Parry) and managing
director ( Sandra Greenway) are both Project X producers.
One of Theatre Quorum managing director Angela Wilson's day jobs is director of development at Kitchen Dog Theater.
Second Thought Theatre council member Barbara Bouman was company manager of the Dallas Theater Center until last year.
Nurturing presences
WaterTower Theatre's Terry Martin teaches a class in Meisner acting technique that has alums working all over town – and
many of them seem much the better for the experience.
Sue Loncar founded Contemporary Theatre of Dallas largely to provide work for middle-aged actresses.
But she has also discovered a covey of younger actresses (Elizabeth Van Winkle, Stephanie Young, Elise Reynard) who have
done stellar work all over town.
Uptown Players producers Jeff Rane and Craig Lynch used to be onstage stalwarts at theaters all over.
Now they're helping directors such as Bruce Coleman and Doug Miller fulfill their visions.
Divided loyalties
Cheryl Denson, a staple first at the Theater Center and then at Theatre Three, came out of semi-retirement to become Lyric
Stage's house director. Now she's the house favorite at Contemporary Theatre of Dallas as well and just made her debut
directing WaterTower's The Winter Wonderettes.
Contemporary's other most frequent hire as director, Susan Sargeant , divides her time about equally between that
establishment and WingSpan Theatre Company. Ms. Sargeant and Ms. Denson go way back, for that matter; Ms. Denson directed
Ms. Sargeant in one of WingSpan's first shows.
Stage West founder Jerry Russell retired, then resumed most of his former responsibilities when the company went through
difficulties. He's still acting all over (Lyric Stage, Dallas Theater Center and in Contemporary's just-concluded Waiting for Mr.
Green).
Robin Armstrong essentially serves as house director for both Theatre Britain and Act I Productions – and has a new gig in
charge of Pegasus Theatre's return to the stage with Mind Over Murder next month.
