WaterTower Theatre
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WaterTower Theatre, formed in 1996, is the resident theatre company of the Addison Theatre Centre, Addison, Texas, in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. WaterTower is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the American theatre (see member theatres) and is also a member of the Dallas Theatre League.
History
In its 11-year history, WaterTower Theatre has presented over 76 productions of plays and musicals. It has produced 5 world premieres including the musicals Song of Motherhood and Blind Lemon: Prince of Country Blues, and the plays Free Fall (with Sandy Duncan), Baptized to the Bone by Dave Johnson, and A Country Life, Producing Artistic Director Terry Martin’s southern adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. The Theatre has also mounted over a dozen regional premiere productions.
Performance Venues
The Theatre’s venue, the Addison Theatre Centre, is a 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) state-of-the-art, custom-designed space, including the flexible Main Stage (seating approximately 200) and the Studio Theatre (seating approximately 70). WaterTower and the Addison Theatre Center were profiled in the “American Stages” series produced by National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, in a segment on “Theater Shape and Design.” Productions are also staged in the Stone Cottage (seating approximately 50) adjacent to the Theatre Centre.
Current Season
WaterTower Theatre’s 2007-2008 season includes:
Main Stage
- The Great American Trailer Park Musical (September - October 2007)
- Rockin’ Christmas Party (November - December 2007)
- As You Like It by William Shakespeare (January – February 2008)
- The Foreigner, by Larry Shue (April 2008)
- Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage (May – June 2008
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Burt Shevelove & Larry Gelbart (July – August 2008)
Studio Theatre/Discover Series
- The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane (October - November 2007)
- Almost, Maine by John Cariani (February - March 2008)
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and Jeffrey Hatcher (January – February 2008)
Out of the Loop Fringe Festival
Since 2001, the Theatre has sponsored its annual Out of the Loop Festival, a 10-day celebration of theatre, dance, comedy, music and art, which seeks to present new work by local and national writers. The Festival features productions by WaterTower Theatre as well as other arts organizations from the local area and throughout the U.S., utilizing the Theatre's three performances spaces simultaneously. In recent years, the festival has been held in March.[1]
Awards and recognitions
Since 1999, WaterTower Theatre productions and artists have been honored 34 times and have received over 125 nominations at the annual Leon Rabin Awards presented by the Dallas Theatre League. Productions awarded Best Play: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2002), The Old Settler (2003). Productions awarded Best Musical: Sweeney Todd (2002), Urinetown: The Musical (2006). WaterTower’s world premiere productions of Blind Lemon: Prince of Country Blues (2001) and A Country Life (2005) earned Leon Rabin Awards for Best New Work. Productions named in the annual Theater Top Ten by the Dallas Morning News include: Sweeney Todd (2001), The Old Settler (2003), The Spitfire Grill, and A Country Life (2004), Lisa Loomer's Living Out (2005), Urinetown: The Musical (2006), and The Great American Trailer Park Musical (2007).
In June 2007, WaterTower was featured in D Magazine as "The Best Theater in Dallas."[2] Among other prior honors, WaterTower was named Best Local Theatre by D Magazine in 2005 and the Dallas Observer in 2002. The Out of the Loop Festival was named Best Inaugural Festival by D Magazine in 2002 and in 2004 was awarded a special citation from the Dallas/Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum for providing performance opportunities to new works and new production companies.
References
- ^ Lowry, Mark. "2012 Out of the Loop Lineup Announced", TheaterJones.com, January 18, 2012
- ^ "The Best Theatre in Dallas" by Glen Arbery - D Magazine, June 2007.