Festival of Independent Theatres: Dallas Event Also Features Talks

The Festival of Independent Theatres in Dallas, TX didn't start out as a showcase for women's theater, says Lawson Taitte.

"Women run five of the eight theatrical companies involved in this year's Festival," he said. "Female directors also outnumber the men six to two this year."

But the men retain their traditional hegemony in one department: Of the eight one-act plays that will rotate the next four weekends, only one was written by a woman.

Last year's winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, John Patrick Shanley, is represented by two different scripts, according to literature.

Famous names from the past turn up among the playwrights, too, according to Taitte.

The Festival has been one of the summer's theatrical highlights since its very first year, research shows.

The event kicked off July 14th and goes through Aug. 5th at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive in Dallas.

The first performance on the 14th featured Jane Anderson's "Tough Choices for the New Century" by Echo Theatre and Shanley's "The Dreamer Examines His Pillow" by Theater Fusion. On the 15th a reprise of "Tough Choices" and "The Dreamer" was performed, Tennessee Williams' "Something Unspoken" by Wingspan Theatre Company, and Matt Lyle's Sunny & Eddie Sitting in a Tree" by Bootstraps Comedy Theatre was presented.

On July 16th "Something" and "The Dreamer" will be shown at 2 p.m. and "Sunny" and "Tough" at 5 p.m.

July 20th features Archibald MacLeish's "Air Raid" by Core Performance Manufactory and Shanley's "Sailor's Song" by Act I Productions at 8 p.m.

On July 21st Charles Mee's "Summer Evening in Des Moines" by Second Thought Theatre and John Sayles' "New Hope for the Dead" by Theatre Quorum will be shown at 8 p.m.

"Sunny" and "Something" will be performed on July 22nd at 2 p.m., "The Dreamer" and "Tough Choices" at 5 p.m., and "Sailor's Song" and "Air Raid" will wrap it up at 8 p.m.

On July 23rd "New Hope" and "Tough Choices" will start at 2 p.m. with "The Dreamer" and "Summer Evening" at 5 pm.
July 26th will feature a talk by playwright Shanley at 7 p.m. with "Sailor's Song" and "The Dreamer" at 8 p.m.