Dallas Voice

According to its socials, Fort Worth’s Circle Theatre had a massive hit on its hand with its latest production of Rent. Sold out shows, positive reviews (including ours) and even accompanying programming that benefited LGBTQ+ organizations. Sounds like good times, right?

On the contrary.

In a letter today from Circle’s board, the theater announced it will not continue with the remaining shows this season.

“Sometimes, institutions need a moment to pause, reflect, and reset – and that’s exactly what this period is for us: a time to rest, reassess, and plan thoughtfully for the future,” the letter signed by the board and executive director stated.

Originally scheduled this season were the shows Jagged Little Pill, I’m Gonna Marry You, Tobey Maguire and The Leopard Play.

The letter announced two shows were still scheduled: Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Scrooge in Rouge.

This news follows another abrupt announcement from earlier this year. Former Artistic Director Ashley White abruptly announced her departure from Circle back in February.

From Circle Theatre:

Dallas Voice has reached out for further information or comment.

–Rich Lopez

With a 20-course tasting menu and an immersive, multi-room design, Punk Noir bucks the conventions of fine dining. Led by James Beard Award–winning Chef RJ Cooper, Punk Noir merges high end cuisine within is design-forward environment. The concept is owned by Dallas natives John McKeel and his sons, Cole and Clay McKeel.

“Punk Noir is a rebellion against the ordinary,” Cole McKeel said in Monday’s press release. “We wanted to create something different: cuisine that is refined and an experience that is energetic, immersive and unforgettable.”

Punk Noir, the tasting menu-only restaurant concept, will officially open its doors on Tuesday, June 2 in Dallas’ Design District at 139 Turtle Creek Blvd, Suite 130.

He continued, “It’s our love letter to Dallas, designed for those who crave something unique—where punk aesthetics and artistry ignite the senses and create a space to rebel in elegance.”

Punk Noir is the first Dallas restaurant venture of John McKeel and his sons, Cole and Clay McKeel. Inspired by extensive travels and dining experiences across the U.S., Europe and Japan, the McKeels sought to create an experience that delivers world-class cuisine without the pretense through a shared appreciation for hospitality, design and culture.

From Punk Noir’s publicity:

The design of Punk Noir is intentionally cinematic and slightly enigmatic, setting the tone from the moment guests arrive. Guests are first welcomed into a lounge space anchored by a striking graffiti mural from local contemporary artist Michael Shellis, creating an immediate sense of energy and immersion through layered street textures, bold imagery, and dynamic color. From there, a dramatic, oversized black-draped archway serves as a threshold into the communal dining room—an almost theatrical passage that signals the true beginning of the experience and evokes a sense of mystery and anticipation.

Spanning 7,800 square feet, Punk Noir is designed as a fully immersive journey. With only 26 seats per seating and two to three seatings nightly, the experience prioritizes intimacy and intention.

Guests will move through multiple environments over the course of the evening—from a dramatic communal dining room featuring projection-mapped visuals and graffiti art led by a “Mistress of Ceremonies,” to an open kitchen where Chef Cooper presents select courses, to an extravagant dining room adorned with chandeliers and Michael Shellis’s oversized canvas punk paintings—an homage to traditional fine dining with an irreverent edge. Guests may choose to conclude the evening in the dining room or transition to the Noir Lounge.

Chef Cooper’s is known for his avant-garde approach. A James Beard Award winner for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic, Cooper was behind a number of concepts including Rogue 24 in Washington, D.C., and Gypsy Soul, as well as Saint Stephen and Acqua in Nashville. His work has been recognized by TIME, The New York Times, Vogue, Bon Appétit and Food & Wine.

His system-driven methodology — built on fermentation, acidity and texture — has crafted a menu of tastings that feature blue crab with seaweed and calamansi, scallop with turmeric and Kaluga caviar, Peking duck and unexpected pairings such as onion with Amur caviar and a finisher of white chocolate with kombu.

Supporting the culinary program is Chef de Cuisine Jay Vopatek (formerly at Rye) and Pastry Chef Rachel Maykut (known for her work at Uchi).

The Noir Lounge, located at the front of the restaurant, with seating for 64 across both lounge and bar, offers craft cocktails alongside curated “mini tasting” menus for guests seeking a more flexible experience outside of the full tasting journey.

The cocktail tasting program is led by bar manager Shane Scully who reimagines signature cocktails.

Co-Owner Cole McKeel explained, “From effervescent builds and clarified expressions to frozen, aerated, gelled, and encapsulated formats, the progression blurs the line between drink and dish. The result is an immersive journey that encourages guests to engage with cocktails not just as something to sip, but as something to taste, interpret, and discover.”

Punk Noir will also focus on wines drawing from classic and emerging regions including Champagne, Burgundy and the Loire Valley in France, as well as Napa Valley and Sonoma in California, alongside selections from Italy and Spain. The curated list will be easy to navigate, with a range of sparkling, white, and red wines that emphasize balance and drinkability over label recognition.

“Punk Noir is irreverent fine dining,” owner John McKeel said. “We are here to challenge the norms of traditional dining and turn expectations on their head. This is an experience that is surprising, provocative, entertaining, and deeply delicious.”

The 20-course tasting menu is $295 per person with reservations open now.

–From staff reports

Rep. Jasmine Crockett will be at the Oak Lawn Branch of the the Dallas Public Library today (Monday, May 18 at 1:30 p.m.) to early vote with Colin Allred.

At 2:30 p.m. Crockett will be at MLK Recreation Center with District 100 state Rep. Venton Jones for a get out the vote rally. Crockett represented the district in the state Legislature before being elected to Congress. Jones has represented the West and South Dallas seat ever since.

Early voting for primary runoffs take place this week, May 18-22. Primary runoff day is next Tuesday, May 26. In Dallas County, you may vote in any Dallas County polling location in both early voting and on runoff day.

Three LGBTQ+ candidates are in Democratic Party runoffs — Rep. Julie Johnson, Rep. Venton Jones and Omar Narvaez.

Johnson is the incumbent congresswoman running in U.S. House District 30. She faces former Congressman Colin Allred.

In the race for Texas House District 100, incumbent Rep. Venton Jones is running against Amanda Richardson. Jones was elected Minority Whip in the last session and has been successful in getting legislation passed in a heavily Republican House.

Former Dallas City Councilman Omar Narvaez is running against Katelyn Logie for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 2.

— David Taffet

Dallas Assistant City Manager Liz Cedillo-Pereira and her staff today (Friday, May 15) delivered to Dallas City Council the following memorandum regarding community feedback in the aftermath of the removal of the rainbow crosswalks on the Cedar Springs Strip, the Black Lives Matter crosswalk in South Dallas and other “decorative” crosswalks.

Cities and towns across the state were forced to remove all non-standard crosswalks — including student created art in crosswalks near Hurst middle schools and the Buddy Holly crosswalk in Lubbock — late last year after Gov. Greg Abbott, in an attack on LGBTQ+ Texans poorly disguised as a “public safety” directive, threatened to withhold federal funds from cities who failed to comply with his order to remove them.

Here is Cedillo-Pereira’s memorandum in its entirety:

DATE: May 15, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
SUBJECT: Update on Community Engagement Following the Removal of Decorative Crosswalks

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide City Council with an update on the Community Identity Engagement Sessions led by the Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) that took place in April 2026 after the Texas Department of Transportation directive to eliminate decorative crosswalks. City staff would like to express gratitude to the Councilmembers and their staff who attended the engagement sessions and addressed resident concerns. During this engagement period, OAC staff also conducted a survey to receive additional feedback from concerned residents.

The recent Community Identity Engagement sessions gathered input from residents and showed a strong desire for public art that reflects the identity, resilience, and inclusiveness of our richly diverse communities, specifically those impacted by the directive, including Oak Lawn/Cedar Springs/South Dallas communities.

Participants highlighted themes of inspiration, happiness, culture, and connection, noting a preference for art that expresses shared values and lived experiences over figurative work. Across the survey, participants expressed a clear wish for a community where people feel safe, welcomed, and genuinely represented — particularly members of the historically marginalized LGBTQ+ population.

Community engagement information has been compiled by OAC and shared with Transportation and Public Works (TPW) for technical input. Survey results show that murals were identified as a preferred identity marker in roughly 67 percent of responses along with street banners or gateway signage.

Participants consistently described Oak Lawn/Cedar Spings as a uniquely vibrant, diverse, and accepting neighborhood with a long-standing cultural legacy, including important landmarks such as the M-Line Trolley and one of the nation’s few remaining LGBTQ+ districts.

A community art project is underway at the Oak Lawn Library Branch previously developed by community members in the neighborhood and funded by an external donor through a designated special library fund from the Benjamin and Selma Parrill Trust Fund for the benefit of the Oak Lawn Branch Library.

The project scope involves installation of a mural on the four exterior columns facing the library parking lot. An artist selection panel, made up of staff from the Library, OAC and District 14 Municipal Library Board Member, completed a selection process and recommended an artist in 2025. The selected artists, Will Heron in collaboration with Sam Lao, are well‑established local muralists.

Community members have also suggested painting the steps at the front entrance of the Oak Lawn Branch facing the road. Staff will work to ensure alignment with the branch mural as these concepts advance.

Participants in the community engagement and survey reflect strong community support for strengthening cultural identity, neighborhood visibility, and public engagement through historical recognition, wayfinding and branding, and a variety of public art strategies. Participants consistently highlight the value of cultural pride, tourism, and economic activity, alongside preferences for murals, banners, lighting, temporary installations, painted street furniture, and digital or augmented reality elements. Overall, the community expresses a clear desire for a cohesive, creative approach that blends heritage and visual vibrancy to enhance neighborhood identity and inspire residents and visitors.

Participants express a strong desire to celebrate cultural visibility, historical recognition, and shared identity through public art, wayfinding, and neighborhood branding. Participants consistently highlight the importance of honoring local heritage, supporting education through art and culture, and fostering tourism and economic activity. Frequently mentioned public realm features include murals, street banners, temporary installations, cultural plaques, lighting and streetscaping, painted street furniture, digital and augmented reality elements, and restoration initiatives. Overall, the community participants wish to preserve its resilience and history, celebrate its unique culture, feel represented and connected, and be inspired by creative expressions that reflect shared values and collective humanity.

Alongside community members and TPW, OAC plans to begin activating concepts as resources allow. We welcome continued feedback from the City Council. For additional information or to share your feedback, please contact Office of Arts and Culture Director Martine Philippe at martine.phillipe@dallas.gov by May 29, 2026.

Signed by:
M. Elizabeth (Liz) Cedillo-Pereira, J.D.
Assistant City Manager

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won a battle in his ongoing war against the happiness and wellbeing of transgender people, announcing today (Friday, May 15) that he has secured a settlement that requires Texas Children’s Hospital to create a “detransition clinic” AND pay the state $10 million, according to reports by The Texas Tribune.

Paxton, who suffers from one of the most severe cases of TDS (transgender derangement syndrome) ever reported, says this new “clinic” would offer medical care to patients “who were subjected to ‘gender-transition’ procedures,” and would do so free of charge to patients for its first year in operation.

The Tribune notes: “The settlement also requires the hospital to pay $10 million for billing Texas Medicaid for ‘illegal gender-transition interventions,’ including by using false diagnosis codes, and compels Texas Children’s to terminate and revoke the medical privileges of multiple physicians.”

Texas Children’s has issued a statement saying this was a “difficult” decision hospital officials reached to “close a legal chapter that has been ‘wrought with falsehoods and distractions.”

According to the statement, over the last three years they hospital has wasted time having to produce more than five million documents to both the state and the U.S. Department of Justice.” But, the statement continued, Texas Children’s has been “compliant with all laws.”

“To be clear,” the statement stressed, “we are settling to protect our resources from endless and costly litigation.”

Despite the scare tactics that Paxton and other right-wingers with TDS use to rile up their uneducated base voters, gender-affirming care for children under 18 rarely involves surgical procedures or any other irreversible treatments.

The medical community consensus, in fact, is that gender-affirming care is not only safe for transgender minor, it saves lives.

According to the American Medical Association, youth who received gender-affirming medications such as puberty blockers or hormones had 73 percent lower odds of suicidalityover a 12-month period compared to those who did not. And gender affirming care is associated with 60 percent lower odds of moderate to severe depression.

On the other hand, according to the AMA, medical experts say denying such care — the way Paxton and his crew are doing — is linked to increased risk of self-harm, substance use disorder and suicide.

(In other words, when the right-wingers tell you they are just doing what’s best for the children, they are lying.)

— Tammye Nash

Nicolas Garza, second from left, finishes his year as Boq in the national touring production of Wicked next month. The show runs through June 14 at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas. The Broadway Dallas production stars Jessie Davidson as Elphaba (Photo by Joan Marcus)

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com

The character of Boq in Wicked is certainly not a main player in the larger-than-life musical, but the Munchkin does play a pivotal role in the story of Oz. Still, that’s not the reason Nicolas Garza was drawn to what has become a dream role for the actor.

“I mean, I’m 5 feet, 6 inches, so how many roles call for that,” Garza said ahead of his evening performance at the Music Hall at Fair Park. “I mean, there’s Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, but I’m not quite there yet.”

Despite his humble words though, Garza turns in a lovely performance as the young student who loves Glinda but ultimately ends up in a loveless marriage with Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose. The actor delivers the role with a mix of earnestness and frustration that lead to the character’s pivotal turn.

Now, after a year of being with the show, Garza finishes his tenure as Boq during Broadway Dallas’ production of Wicked. The show is on stage at the Music Hall through June 14, but Garza ends his run in the show on June 7. So any repeat viewers may see two different versions of the character.

For the actor, it’s the end of an exciting year.

“This is sort of my Texas homecoming,” The San Antonio-area actor said. “I have family and friends coming in to see the first big thing I’m in.”\

But Wicked has been in Garza’s life much longer than the past year. The guy had known the songs since elementary school, and he saw the touring show in San Antonio way back when.

Garza grew up in Helotes where he started his theater journey in middle school. He’s very matter of fact about it all despite reaching this high level.

“I really wanted to ensure I had a class with my friends at this new school at the time. Then I went to UT for theater education,” he said.

For many performers, theater and queer identity are often linked through a process of shared discovery. However, Garza’s coming out followed a path that was far more low-key. After his parents attended one of his productions, the family gathered for dinner.

“I was talking to a boy in New York City and was going to visit and they had all these questions until finally, I was like ‘This is the situation.’ And they responded ‘Oh, we knew,’” he recalled.

Garza, who identifies as a gay, Polish-Mexican biracial Texan, says today that he’s been lucky to serve his identity by having played many queer roles. His role in Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance, an update of E.M. Forster’s Howards End reframed for the New York queer community, was perhaps the most significant to him. And there was his part in The Ugly Christmas Sweater Musical, as well as the queer-coded Franz in Rock of Ages.

Although Boq may be clearly for the girls, the character has given the 31-year-old gay actor an avenue to his own discoveries.]

“I think the universal aspect of this plot is that everyone wants to be loved, and Boq tries to make the best of it,” Garza said. “He leads with his heart and that’s been my takeaway — having an open heart and open soul like he does. And beyond that, just sharing this story with so many people.

“This journey has been so fulfilling. The universe said I was ready for this so I have all the gratitude.”

For tickets, visit BroadwayDallas.org.

Adrian Cardwell with Badge of Pride is collecting old photos from Dallas bars to help preserve Dallas LGBTQ+ history.

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com

If you’ve ever wanted to become a part of history, here’s your chance: Badge of Pride wants your Dallas bar pictures from 1945 to the present to scan, archive and maybe even include in an upcoming exhibit.

This isn’t the first public project of Badge of Pride. About 3,000 people walked through the organization’s LGBTQ+ history exhibit at the Irving Archives and Museum last summer. For most people, it was their first visit to the museum.

“People were so emotional,” said organizer and Badge of Pride founder Adrian Cardwell.

Many exhibit-goers told Cardwell they felt they were seen for the first time … in Irving … without protesters (even though they had prepared for protesters with Irving police).

Cardwell has been collecting local LGBTQ+ memorabilia for years, but one poster gave him an idea for his upcoming project.

“A number of years ago, I responded to an ad on Facebook Marketplace,” he said, and while he doesn’t remember what he had intended to buy, he does remember that he began talking to the seller and mentioned he was a collector of LGBTQ+ artifacts.

“He showed me a poster from JR’s from 1982,” Cardwell said. “It had sun damage and was rough for wear,” but Cardwell said he’d take it.

And, the seller said, he had boxes of albums and loose photos, too, if Cardwell wanted those.

When Cardwell was putting the pieces of last summer’s exhibit into his storage unit, he came across that poster and the boxes of photos. The pictures were taken at Dallas gay bars maybe 25 to 40 years ago. Many were of drag queens performing at the old Rose Room and at other venues.

And some of the photos were exhibition quality.

Next, Cardwell reached out to The Dallas Way, whose mission is to collect and preserve Dallas LGBTQ+ history. What about focusing on how the bars were the center of the LGBTQ+ community, he suggested.

Dallas Way President, Steve Atkinson thought that was a terrific idea.

“These pictures were on their way to the garbage bin and randomly came into my hands” Cardwell said, explaining what sparked the idea of an exhibit. “I thought, let’s scan them, get details about them and make them part of the permanent record.”

Cardwell said when he was coming out, the bars were the only place to meet other LGBTQ+ people. There weren’t community centers, and the organizations created by the LGBTQ+ community were laser-focused on care of people with HIV/AIDS. The bars were the only social outlet.

So preserving that legacy is important, and the plan was made to scan the photos and make them available for people to look at and identify who’s in them, where they were taken and approximately when they were taken.

\Then Cardwell decided to expand the project: What about all those bar pictures other people in the community have? How about setting up a place for people to bring their bar photos, scan them and add in the meta data?

Before scanning larger collections, like a file drawer of Dallas Voice bar photos or pictures from bar managers and owners, Cardwell wants to build a system, build parameters and create steps as they scan, identify and load the pictures onto the online Portal to Texas History housed at University of North Texas.

Assuming most pictures will be 4×6 inches, Cardwell said he has equipment that can scan a deck of photos quickly. The time-consuming chore will be digitizing the odd-shaped pics and then typing in the metadata for each and every picture.

To do this, Badge of Pride — working with The Dallas Way, Dallas Social Queer Organization and Coalition for Aging LGBT — has scheduled two digitizing events this summer. On June 2, Sister Helen Holy will host the event, and on July 23, Jenna Skyy will entertain as individuals have their photos scanned and provide the basic who-what-when-where info about each one.

Individuals who have photos they want to include should take them to Oak Lawn Place, Resource Center’s senior housing facility on Sadler Drive across Inwood Road from Inwood/Love Field Station, to have them scanned. But don’t worry about losing treasured images, when you’re done, you’ll leave with pictures in hand.

Some of the pictures collected will be included in a new exhibit that Cardwell is preparing to be shown as a pop-up exhibit at the next Outrageous Oral event that will be held at one of the bars on Cedar Springs in September.

For his exhibit in Irving last summer, Cardwell just this week received The Museum Impact Award by the American Alliance of Museums. He was also notified this week that he has won an Award of Excellence for his exhibit in the 32nd Annual Communicator Awards by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts in the Immersive and Experiential category.

That’s on top of two previous awards he won for the Irving exhibition: International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, 2025 Anthem Awards, Silver, and Texas Association of Museums, Mitchell A.Wilder Publication Design Award, Gold.

Pride 101 cohosts Angie Mabry, far left, and Mary Higbe, far right, welcomed panelists, from left, Shelly Skeen with Lambda Legal, Michael Tijerina with Collin County Stonewall Democrats, Real Mama Bears founder Liz Dyer and Kelli Rabalais of Camp Haven
(Photo by Franchesca Dárgìn)

Kelli Rabalais | Special Contributor
‘Pride 101’ Panelist

Guitars and Growlers in Richardson came alive with color, conversation and community on Saturday, May 2, as it hosted the very first Pride 101 event, an event designed to welcome, educate, and celebrate.

From the moment guests arrived, there was a noticeable sense of intention behind the gathering. Pride 101 wasn’t just another social event; it was built as a space where people at all stages of their LGBTQ+ journey, as well as allies, could come together to learn, connect and feel seen. Whether attendees were brand new to the community or longtime advocates, the atmosphere struck a balance between approachable and meaningful.

“We really enjoyed the Pride 101 event,” said attendee Mary Ann Reder. “It was such a pleasure to reconnect with other allies and talk about the work. We also really appreciated the opportunity to meet some new friends and learn about their great advocacy efforts.

“I know more than one person was inspired to action,” Reder said.

(Pride 101 gave attendees the chance to connect with new people and hear panelists speak on topics ranging from understanding inclusive language and identities to sharing personal experiences and resources. (Photo by Franchesca Dárgìn)

The event featured a mix of informal education and organic connection. Conversations flowed easily between strangers who quickly became acquaintances and, in many cases, friends. Topics ranged from understanding inclusive language and identities to sharing personal experiences and resources.

What stood out most, attendees said, was the tone — open, curious and free of judgment. Pride 101 lived up to its name by creating an entry point that felt accessible rather than overwhelming.

Attendee Heather Hunter said, “We attended Texas Pride 101 as allies looking to deepen our support, but we left with much more. Seeing how these diverse resources — from legal advocacy to youth retreats, political involvement and family support — can weave together to strengthen the community was a joyful experience.”

Hunter continued, “It was moving to see the real work being done by strong organizations. Positive change is a team effort, and we were inspired to get more involved. It was a beautiful, hopeful environment that provided the space we needed to learn how to be truly effective. We left feeling energized and are already looking forward to the next event.”

Tracy Bailey, who also attended the gathering, said, “I am thankful for events like Pride 101 where I learned valuable information on outreaches in my area, affirming language and which harmful legislation bills have been passed. The speakers were phenomenal and had a wealth of knowledge. I look forward to more events like this.”

Cohosts for the event Mary Higbe and Angie Mabry thanked the panelists who participated for their time and insight. Those panelists included Kelli Rabalais of Camp Haven, Shelly Skeen with Lambda Legal, Real Mama Bears founder Liz Dyer and Michael Tijerina with Collin County Stonewall Democrats.

They also thanked Guitars & Growlers Richardson “for the use of space and amazing staff, as well as The Girls Grazing Co. for a gorgeous grazing board.”

Known for its laid-back vibe, live music roots and strong sense of community, Guitars and Growlers provided a comfortable backdrop for the event. Guests mingled over drinks; laughter echoed across the space, and moments of genuine connection unfolded naturally throughout the night.

Organizers emphasized that Pride 101 is just the beginning, saying that the success of this inaugural event signals a “clear desire within the community for spaces that combine education with celebration — spaces where people can both learn and belong.”

As the event wrapped up, there was a shared sense that something meaningful had begun. Pride 101 wasn’t just an event; it was the foundation of a growing community effort to make inclusivity tangible, approachable, and rooted in real human connection. Higbie and Mabry said that plans for future gatherings are already being discussed, with hopes of expanding programming and continuing to foster connection.

Author Jonathan Norton, left, wrote Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem, and Dexter Singleton, right, directs the production now on stage at Dallas Theater Center. The show stars Trey Smith-Mills, second from left, as Redd Foxx and Edwin Green as Malcolm X. (Photo courtesy of Dallas Theater Center)

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com

Before they became historic icons, Little and Foxy were dishwashers in a Harlem restaurant. In their own world of dirty plates, leftover food and backed-up pipes, the two strangers forged a bond amid the dramatic goings-on in the outside world.

Inspired by true events, playwright Jonathan Norton pondered how those days in the summer of 1943 began to shape legends in the regional premiere of Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem, now playing at Dallas Theater Center under the direction of Dexter J. Singleton.

The play opened in previews on May 8 and runs through June 7 in the Studio Theatre space at the Wyly.

The premise of the story is right there in the title, and Norton’s play is a layered exploration of male friendships — particularly, in this case, Black straight male friendship. And it all came about accidentally. Or perhaps, fortuitously.

“I was going to write a play about Maya Angelou and Malcom X which I struggled really hard with,” Norton said. “In his autobiography, I read a passage where he talks about his time at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem, washing dishes with Redd Foxx, and I was like, ‘There’s a play in there somewhere.’

“That’s how it began, and I think what really fascinated me was exploring how each man was able to influence the other.”

Norton went on to add that he found more about that time and place in Redd Foxx’s biography that he could incorporate into his historical fiction.\

Malcolm X would go on to become a martyred pillar of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, while Foxx would find fame as a comedian and actor — most notably in the 1970s TV series Sanford and Son. In his play, Norton touches on nuances and even Easter eggs that would hint two men’s more famous lives to come.

Without getting caught up in his character’s legendary history, queer actor Trey Smith-Mills, who plays Foxy, found a deeper sensibility in the story.

“This is something you don’t always see — the way it tackles Black male relationships, vulnerability and intimacy,” said Smith-Mills. “This play is a bromance set in the 1940s, and you don’t see that set in the present day.

“I hope people take away the exploration of what it means to be friends and to hold each other up. And if I had to say what the bigger message is, it really is that idea of ‘Check in on a brother.’”

Norton notes that his own queerness allowed him to tap into Little and Foxy’s friendship in a specific way: “Of course, this is not a play with themes related to queerness in any way, and yet there is something about deep, passionate male friendships that’s interesting to me,” Norton said. “We’re accustomed to intimate relationships amongst women who have that permission. In queer communities, why can’t friendships be as deep but, at the same time, platonic?”

Instead of queer, hetero or nonbinary labels, the bottom line — for the play and to these friendships — is vulnerability.

“I just feel like there wouldn’t be a play here if we weren’t able to let those two characters, uh, be vulnerable with each other,” Smith-Mills said.
With all that being said, the play has a healthy mix of humor — and what’s a friendship without that?
“I mean, Jonathan wrote it so we knew it would also be hilarious,” the actor said.

Smith-Mills shares the stage with Edwin Green, and the two of them, like the two characters they portray, have built their own bond through this process of bringing Norton’s play to life.
Smith-Mills said, “Jonathan makes fun of me and Edwin all the time because, at first, we were opposites, and now, this play has really given us permission to explore this deep, passionate platonic friendship, allowing us to bond in many ways.”

Norton agreed: “I would see Edwin and Trey, and I’m like ‘Are they checking in again? Are they hugging again?’ But that would make me so excited because yeah, that is the point of the play.”

For tickets, visit DallasTheaterCenter.org.

Midnight Cowboy is a masterpiece of queer filmmaking

TERRY VANDIVORT | Contributing Writer
TV75218@aol.com

It’s 1969, and Midnight Cowboy is the buzz. The unsparing look at New York and its forbidden gay subculture make it irresistible — a must-see film.
Destiny: I see the film three weeks before my first trip to New York. 42nd Street calls me with its jaded hustlers leaning against walls, competing for the passing dollars. Their masculinity mesmerizes me. I need oxygen.

Midnight Cowboy begins with a series of short, active clips: Joe Buck, the uber juicy Jon Voight singing in the shower, zipping up his pants, packing and grabbing his cowhide suitcase. And, as he walks, “Everybody’s Talkin” kicks into gear.

This is my favorite film theme ever. It’s jaunty and full of promise, and it sends Joe onto his bus ride for New York to be a rich lady’s stud. His portable radio, ever at his ear, charts the journey.

Throughout this sequence, glimpses of Joe’s life appear. He was raised by his grandma, and they have an uncomfortably intimate relationship. Shortly before the bus ride, we flash back to a dim black-and-white scene of Joe and his girlfriend, “Crazy Annie,” who was gang-raped by a bunch of thugs.

This rape underlies Joe’s odyssey to New York, and, when he is eventually forced to hustle, it presents a real dilemma to his means of survival.

New York. Cheap hotel room. Pay TV. But his window overlooks Times Square, and Joe’s inherent optimism brightens at the possibilities.

This is as good as it’s going to get.

Walking the streets of the city, Joe runs across a man who is passed out — or dead — directly in front of Tiffany’s, and everyone just walks past. At first amused, Joe still knows this isn’t right. But, bewildered, he finally gives up and moves on.

I saw this scenario repeatedly on my trip, and I moved on. New York demands it.

On the move, searching, Joe meets the great Sylvia Miles walking her dog, and she invites him upstairs to her apartment. They both expect money. The placement and writing of this scene is creative perfection. After the roll in the hay, when Joe asks her for money, Sylvia becomes undone, goes ballistic and expertly manipulates him into pay her most of his money.

Joe’s fall into desperation and homelessness, and the city begins devouring him, encounter by encounter. Sitting in a diner, he is approached by street smart hustler Ratso Rizzo, who has spied him as a mark. Ratso, coughing almost constantly (eventually it is revealed he has tuberculosis) sets him up with a “pimp” named Daniels for a fee.

Daniels is played by comic actor, John McGiver who could and should have won the Oscar. He’s a terrifying religious fanatic with a lighted Jesus attached to his bathroom door. He tries to force Joe to his knees to worship. Joe escapes, but a series of events overtakes him.

With no money, he is locked out of his hotel room. He makes the decision to hustle on 42nd Street, and a young man follows him into a theater. It’s a doubly tragic scene: When the kid sits down, he puts his arm around Joe, leaning his head on his shoulder. The loneliness, the need to feel the warmth of another man’s body is awkward and heartbreaking, but when he goes down on Joe, our perspective becomes Joe’s reaction during the blowjob.

Cue flashbacks to sexually charged grandma and the gang rape alternating with the pain on Joe’s face, enduring what he must to survive. But the kid has no money, so Joe, furious, storms out with nothing for his trauma.

Wandering aimlessly, he spies Ratso in a diner and confronts him furiously, leading Ratso to insist Joe come stay with him. Reluctantly, Joe agrees. It’s a ramshackle, abandoned building, but here is where the story becomes a gloriously unlikely love affair between two men, love blossoming from their loneliness, homelessness and need for human contact. They work together to survive: stealing, picking pockets, giving blood. There’s typical family squabbling, much of it funny.

While in a diner, a couple (one of whom is Warhol superstar Viva) spot Joe and invite him to a party. He and Ratso attend.

It’s a major set-piece, ala The Factory, with drugs and sex and Warholian oddities are everywhere. Ratso stuffs food in his clothes; Joe is doing drugs and tripping out happily when he sees Shirley (Brenda Vacarro in a juicy role) who teases him but is fascinated by his innocence.

As they leave together, Ratso falls down the stairs, ominously sicker. But the rendezvous with Shirley nets much-needed money.

Joe gets food and medical supplies for Ratso. But when he gets home, Ratso tells him he can’t walk any more. It’s clear that if they’re going to get to Florida for Ratso, they need money now. So Joe goes for one last hustle which ends badly when the man who picks Joe up won’t give him enough money for the bus trip. So Joe assaults him and takes all his money.

Then the film cuts to the two guys on a bus to Miami. Ratso’s in bad shape, and Jon Voight’s face is etched in dread as he tries to make his friend comfortable, joking occasionally to stave off his fear. In Miami, Joe buys them some new tropical clothes and dresses Ratso. Minutes later, Joe says something to Ratso, but there’s no response. He tries to rouse him, but he’s dead.

So close.

Joe wraps his arm around Ratso’s shoulder. As the bus continues, the camera holds on Joe and Ratso, Voight’s face sunken into fear and loss of love. In total silence, Jon Voight shows the entire journey of the film.

The last shot, outside the bus window where Joe is holding Ratso, we see the reflection of Miami buildings and palm trees across the two friends. They make it to Miami, but Joe is once again alone. Full circle.

This masterpiece directed by queer visionary John Schlesinger achieved the almost impossible. It changed my life forever.

From Staff and Wire Reports

The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation earlier this month into Smith College, an all-women’s institution in Massachusetts, for admitting transgender women. The probe by the department’s Office of Civil Rights will look at whether the college violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding discrimination based on sex in education. The move is the latest by the Trump administration to limit transgender rights in the U.S.

But according to People’s World, which describes itself as “a voice for progressive change and socialism in the United States,” Professor Carrie Bake with Smith College’s Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program argues that the Trump administration’s investigation is “premised upon a fundamental misreading of Title IX law.”

Noting that the DOE press release announcing the investigation “fails to make clear the nature of the alleged violation — likely because no violation actually occurred,” the People’s World report on Bake’s argument against the investigation points out that “Title IX does not include a single-sex exception, as Trump’s DOE claims.”

People’s World continues, “Title IX prohibits exclusionary discrimination on the basis of sex, but Trump’s DOE wages precisely the opposite complaint against Smith College: namely, that the school doesn’t discriminate on the basis of assigned sex in admissions. The allegation that Smith has thereby violated Title IX is patently incoherent.”

People’s World goes on to explain that “contrary to the language of the press release, there is no process by which private institutions of higher education ‘qualify’ as single-sex under Title IX. Public institutions that have ‘traditionally and continually’ admitted only a single sex from the time of their establishment are exempted from the anti-discrimination law [and] Title IX does not determine the conditions under which any institution, whether public or private, may identify itself as a women’s college or a men’s college. It merely permits the existence of sex-discriminatory admissions.”

Smith College, a private liberal arts school founded in 1871, has admitted trans women since 2015. The school’s admission policies drew attention in 2013 when a trans high school senior was denied acceptance because her gender identity did not match the one on her financial aid forms.

Its website now says that “any applicants who self-identify as women; cis, trans, and nonbinary women” are eligible to apply to the school. Advocates have supported the shift over the years, saying that women’s colleges were founded to educate those marginalized because of their gender.

According to the Department of Education in a news release, Title IX contains an exception that allows colleges to be all-male or all-female, but it only applies “on the basis of biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity.”

But, according to the People’s Voice report, Bake argues that “Trump’s DOE is either misunderstanding or intentionally misrepresenting what the law actually says,” and that the law “states that institutions that receive federal funding may provide sex-segregated facilities — not that they must. The same is true of athletics, as federally funded institutions are permitted, but not required, to maintain single-sex athletic programs.

The investigation into Smith College stems from a complaint filed with the Office of Civil Rights in June 2025 by the conservative legal group Defending Education, which claims to “oppose, among other things, discrimination on the basis of sex” in schools.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

There are no garbage people. There are, however, people who thrive on spreading hatred and discord. Those of us who embrace equal opportunity for all in our diverse society hold within us the power to defeat the mad, malignant president who is doing all he can to pull our nation apart.

I am recovering from a fall that fractured several ribs and broke my upper right arm. I mention this because one of the doctors who stopped in my hospital room asked me a few questions to test my cognitive ability.

I apparently aced the test, as Mr. Trump likes to say, though a cognitive test is not an IQ test. Hoping to earn extra points, I said, “I also know our government is led by a traitorous imbecile.”

I actually think we should be careful in using words like “traitor” and “terrorist,” though our 47th president’s usefulness to Vladimir Putin and his murderous penchant for bombing small fishing boats in the Caribbean (which he accuses of drug running while offering no evidence) might reasonably bring those terms into play.

If you are of the MAGA persuasion, you may simply assume that anyone Trump bombs must deserve it, just as his administration declared that American citizens shot to death by ICE agents in our city streets were domestic terrorists.

How can Trump’s diehard supporters continue cheering him on as he takes away their freedoms and healthcare? The answer is that he shares their hatreds. He has a gift for appealing to people’s lowest impulses, and they reward him for it.

Just as the Supreme Court’s gutting of Article 2 of the Voting Rights Act set off another round of mid-decade gerrymandering of congressional seats by Republicans in southern states, the epidemic of white Christian nationalism has many racists screaming to people of color, “We don’t want you here! Go back to your own country!”

When the targets of this hatefulness reply that they are already in their own country, the bigots scoff.

What convinces members of one shrinking demographic that this country belongs exclusively to them? It is akin to the attitude expressed by the late Sen. Hayakawa about the Panama Canal: “We stole it fair and square.”

It is also about cult worship. As their Dear Leader helps himself, they can enjoy it vicariously despite their own declining living standards.

But the people of color being erased will not sit quietly. Cruelty and willful blindness plant seeds for a hard reckoning to come.

In contrast, an example of planting positive seeds was seen recently when former President Obama and New York City Mayor Mamdani read to preschoolers and led a sing-along at a Bronx childcare center.

In the way he listens, leads and relates with people, Mamdani embodies a refutation of Islamophobic slanders. When we connect across our differences, we battle the Jim Crow mindset being pushed by supremacists who seek power by dividing us over scary “others.”

Voice actor Jesse Stewart of Dallas, who is a thoughtful Facebook contributor, writes, “Why follow the rules if the people writing them don’t? When … bad behavior is rewarded, the social contract is broken.”

There can be no greatness in a country where entire segments of the population are disenfranchised, where peaceful protest is labeled domestic terrorism.

Those trafficking in that cynical lie and seeking a return to Jim Crow need to be defeated electorally and held accountable for their betrayal of our nation’s founding creed of equality. We also need civic renewal in which we rededicate ourselves to meeting the challenges and opportunities of diversity instead of surrendering to white Christian nationalism.

Actor John Fugelsang says of right-wing Christians, “They like to fight for Jesus. They don’t like to listen to him…. His actual teachings are very inconvenient to the kind of America authoritarians want.”

Those of us, Christian or otherwise, who agree with Christ that we should feed the hungry and welcome the stranger need to stand up to the bullies.

One of the ironies of Trump’s political success is that he treats his own supporters like garbage. We cannot continue waiting for them to wake up to the fact that they are being suckered. Neither can we wait for perfect alternatives to present themselves before doing our civic duty and voting the scoundrels out.

People often say they are not responsible for the sins of their ancestors. Fine. Then let’s stop repeating them.

Richard Rosendall is a writer and activist who can be reached at RRosendall@me.com. Copyright © 2026 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

DIFFA Dallas 2026 Hotel Mystique

Cedar Springs Wine Walk

Black Tie Dinner kickoff

Archetypically, within any given adult lifespan, one’s gay porn career would follow a four-tier trajectory: Phase One, ages 18 to 27: “Bitch Sub Bottom;” Phase Two, ages 28 to 44: “Perv Muscle Top;” Phase Three, ages 45 to 59: “Daddy, please Sir!;” Phase Four, ages 60 to infinity: “Mr. Silver Fist.”

Scale the American presidency to a gay smut career, and we’re firmly in the grips now of Mister Fister: Well past his prime and he only does hate-fucks. His wife, our First Lady — on the Henry VIII Spousal Survival Wheel of Roulette — won the coveted Katherine Parr slot, managing to outlive his tom-cattin’ days. If only we civilians were so blessed. Unnervingly, his hush-toned moniker, The Antichrist, just will not die.

Exhaustion has its limits. One can’t exist in a perpetually-suspended state of eye-rolling psychosis waiting for the money shot. But one can’t fake it forever. Something has to give. When are we, as a nation, finally going to say to Trump’s 24/7 peep show arcade of never-ending “Breaking News” nut-busters, “Freak, enough already!”?

Will Vance ever muster up the kahunas to goosestep into the Oval Office to declare, “Mein Fuhrer, it was real. It was fun. But it sure wasn’t real fun. You’ve got a half-hour to vacate. How do you want them to see you exit: straitjacket or limousine? Your choice.”

With Trump drowning in Iran’s quicksand and gasoline skitters around $5 a gallon, the time’s ripe Vance show his true Stalinist mettle, replete with an amused little mustache tweak, lest all be lost to mundanity. He knows a coup is his only way up.

“Understand me, sir? We’re giving you two options: Exit with you dignity intact, blowing kisses from the chopper as you lift toward sunset behind the gates of Mar-a-Lago. Or we can hustle your big-boy-Pampers’ ass out the secret Monica Lewinsky side entrance toward a black Maria awaiting your prearranged arrival into the soundproof walls of Walter Reed National Military Psychiatric Center for the Criminally Insane.”

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, our federal government appears to have swallowed an entire cauldron of Jim Jones’s infamous Kool-Aid recipe: L’Orange’s surname is suddenly being branded onto everything — unprecedented, cult-glorified MAGA shams and scams, alike. The Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace (I kid you not) has already been inaugurated as the very first federal building ever named named for a sitting president. Unprecedented. Unholy. And with the unilateral blessing of the State Department, no less!

And what chutzpah, this renamed Donald J. Trump/John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts! Oh, and don’t forget all the modifications to Trump’s new Air Force One, a former Qatari 747, donated as a “gift” by Qatar’s royal family to America — uh huh — retrofitted to the tune of $400 million to waft L’Orange’s lard ass aloft by July 4th

And how could we even call ourselves glorious Americans, without a new fleet of “Trump-Class” Navy ships — the first of which will just so happen to be named the USS Defiant (again, no joking, kids), trumpeted by former Navy Secretary John Phelan as “the largest, deadliest, and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans.” Whew! Thank God, it’s deemed good-lookin’ — the one takeaway from Trump World being only surface matters.

And I’m sure you saw that Congress snuck in a proviso for taxpayers (not private donations as promised) to foot the bill for his new billion-dollar ballroom atop the rubble of the bulldozed East Wing? The same, no doubt, will be true of the new 250-feet tall Triumphal Arch (the world’s largest!). I seem to also recall a “Golden Dome” anti-missile defense shield to be erected over the entire lower 48. And The National Mall’s massive Lincoln Memorial Reflection Pool has just been drained and resurfaced “American flag blue” in time for the Fourth of July festivities.

But the winner of the most bizzarro of Trumpian fantasia dreams has to be our new National Garden of American Heroes, featuring statuary of 250 iconic Americans, which even Trump admits, “is really just for me.” Unsurprisingly, its size also keeps ballooning, becoming more costly by the day. Already, Congress has appropriated a staggering $40 million toward it. But one question remains: Exactly which 250 Americans shall make the final cut? And heroic according to whom?

Like, bitch, what happened to all your purported “private donations”? And just where is all this congressionally-appropriated money coming from anyhow? Hell, the Iran War, alone, devours a billion per day!

But never say Trump isn’t a welcoming host — for the right price: The now -familiar Trump Gold Card visa gives anybody who can pony up $1 million instant American citizenship, no questions asked. And I love my new patriotic passport design, bearing L’Orange’s scowling mug shot. Supreme Leader also graces the cover of my new national parks pass. Every scintilla of ethics, honesty, decorum and statesmanship has been led to slaughter.

According to a recent New York Times headline, “U.S. Debt Hits ‘Worrying’ Milestone, Washington Shrugs.” Seems our government learned only last week, “that it may have reached an unfortunate milestone: The size of its debt surpassed the nation’s total economic output.” And to think, such a revelation didn’t merit the paper’s cover?

This is what the march to autocracy looks like, folks: barely noticed until, suddenly, one day the Rubicon is crossed, and our bridge of hope back to a democratic republic has been dismantled behind us. We have become former again — formerly magnanimous, formerly giving, formerly great. There is no salvage.

The real reason Congress keeps handing L’Orange blank for his vanity projects is that he doesn’t have enough private donors to even remotely cover the billions-plus costs of his spendthrift scattergoods, what Lincoln called “flubdubs.” And congressionally-sanctioned flubdubs keep him distracted from further vaporizing our former “American Greatness” factors: Destroy, deploy, deny, defy.

I’ve a confession to make: I’ve started taking lessons at the local firing range. I don’t know why. I’ve never previously in my life felt any compunction to own a firearm. It’s hardly like my day-to-day activities place me in sketchy situations. I live high up in the sky, of a building with a lobby guard on duty 24/7. The only places I drive are within a half-mile radius of Uptown — my grocery store, the bank, pharmacy, restaurants and vet. Anywhere beyond Northwest Highway, and my car’s console flashes “Here Be Dragons! ALERT!” I reside in a land of aspirations won. The ugly mush of reality is kept far at bay. Current day, anyhow.

Remember what they say: Anarchy always lurks but seven meals away. Guaranteed.
—Howard Lewis Russell

Any comments, questions, observations or wisecracks, please feel free to direct them to yours truly. Summer is swiftly approaching, after all, and I’ve already begun sharpening my shade, tanly, here at AskHoward@DallasVoice.com.

Prism Health North Texas celebrates it’s 40th anniversary with Forty & Forward Friday, May 15 at The Empire Room. See listings for details.

………………..

May
May 15: Celebrate Julie Johnson’s Birthday
HRC DFW and Stonewall Democrats of Dallas host a happy hour celebrating Congresswoman Julie Johnson’s 60th birthday from 6-7:30 p.m.
at Alexandre’s, 4026 Cedar Springs Road. Donations accepted at
Secure.ActBlue.com/donate/JJ-BDAY-HRC.

May 15: ‘Forty & Forward’ Prism Health North Texas’ 40th anniversary
Prism Health North Texas celebrates the agency’s 40th anniversary with Forty & Forward, a high-energy, cocktail-style celebration featuring music and movement and memorable moments, from 7-10 p.m. at The Empire Room, 1225 N. Riverfront Blvd. Individual tickets are $140, and sponsorships start at $400, available at PHNTx40.org/events. Tickets include bites, cocktails and valet parking.

May 15-17: 42nd Annual Main Street Fest
The 42nd annual Main Street festival opens at 5 p.m. Friday on Grapevine’s historic Main Street, with food, shopping, a KidZone, live music, a carnival and midway, the Grapevine Art Project Market and more. Opens at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors 62 and older and children 12 and younger. Weekend passes are $20. Visit GrapevineTexasUSA.com for more information.

May 15: HRC DFW May Social
The HRC DFA May Social, a networking event sponsored by Unleashed LGBTQ, will be from 6-8 p.m. at The Ivy Tavern, 5334 Lemmon Ave.

May 16: Care on the Block
Prism Health North Texas continues its 40th anniversary celebration with Care on the Block, a free community event with family-friendly activities, community resources, health screenings, live music and entertainment, complimentary food and raffles and prizes. The event will be at the PHNTX’s South Dallas Health Center, 4922 Spring Ave., from 4-7 p.m. Visit PHNTX.org/events for more information.

May 16: Gaybingo: ‘Wigging Out’
Doors open for Gaybingo: Wigging Out at 5 p.m. in The Rose Room inside S4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road. Bingo starts at 6 p.m. Features $2,500 in cash prizes. Visit MyResourceCenter.org for ticket information.

May 16: TAG+ Learns — Financial Wisdom
Tyler Area Gays host a TAG+ Learns meeting focused on financial wisdom, from 1-2 p.m. in the Genecov room at the Chamber of Commerce Offices, 315 N. Broadway Ave. in Tyler. This is a free educational seminar. Visit TylerAreaGays.com for information.

May 16: ‘Symphonic Promenade: May I Have This Dance’
Oak Lawn Band presents its spring concert, Symphonic Promenade: May I Have This Dance, celebrating movement, music and community, with dance-inspired music from many cultures, genres and eras, from 4-7 p.m. at Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $30 for premium admission, $10 for balcony seaing and $40 for Premium Side Seats, all plus fees, available on the Oak Lawn Band website, OakLawnBand.org/MayDance.

May 16: Mocky Horror riffs ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’
Dallas’ live, interactive movie-mocking comedy show, Mocky Horror Show, performs a live riff of Ed Wood’s Plan Nine from Outer Space at 10 p.m. at Four Day Weekend, 5601 Sears St. Tickets are $10 per person, available at the door or online at EventBrite.com.

May 16-17: Las Colinas Home Tour
The Las Colinas Association presents the Las Colinas Home Tour Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. This is a self-guided tour through five private Las Colinas homes selected by a jury of architecture and design professionals. Tickets are $50 and process will benefit a charity of the homeowners’ choice, including Irving Schools Foundation, Irving Cares, Many Helping hands and University of Dallas Church of the Incarnation.

May 17: House of Honey
Shantaé Morgan hosts House of Honey, a Beyoncé-inspired drag brunch, with seatings at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., at Babel, 3180 Welborn St., in The Centrum, and featuring Alexa De La Cruz, Nippy Peakes, Demanda Refund and Emeka Bless. Tickets start at $25, available online at BlackTie.org, and tipping is encouraged. All proceeds benefit Black Tie Dinner.

May 19: LGBTQIA+ Caregiver Support Group
Up & Out, a welcoming support group for LGBTQIA+ caregivers currently caring for anyone age 50 and older, providing a safe space to get support, make new connections, talk about frustrations caregivers deal with, find ways to manage stress and gain new skills. This is a virtual event from 6-7:30 p.m. RSVP required at CSP@TheSeniorSource.org or by calling 214-823-5700.

May 19: Karaoke with DJ Treasure Troll
TAG+ — Tyler Area Gays — host Karaoke with DJ Treasure Troll at 7 p.m. at Sky Bar & Grill,
1721 S. Broadway Ave., Ste. D, in Tyler. Visit TylerAreaGays.org for information.

May 26: Hopeful Spaces
Hopeful Spaces, a virtual support group for parents, caregivers, and allies of LGBTQ+ youth, meets at 6 p.m. Register online at DallasHopeCharities.org/Events.

May 31: Pride in Dallas Picnic in the Park
Pride in Dallas, sponsor of Pride Parade each September on Cedar Springs Road, hosts a Pride Picnic in the Park from 1-5 p.m. at Reverchon Park, 3505 Maple Ave. This is a freee, community-focused event featuring a dog parade, local vendors, games, live music and more. For more information visit PrideInDallas.org.

June
June 5: MetroBall
MetroBall 19, the signature annual fundraising dance party for the Greg Doigener Memorial AIDS Fund, will be held at Station 4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road from 6:30-10 p.m., featuring performances by Cheyenne Jackson, Kameron Ross and Brian Mason. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door for general admission. VIP Packages start at $400 for four people. GDMAF.org/MetroBall for information and tickets.

Have an event coming up? Email your information to Nash@DallasVoice.com by Monday at 5 p.m. for that week’s issue.
Look for extended listings online at DallasVoice.com

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Stage Notes is a weekly aggregate post about theater, classical music, dance, comedy and stage news, events, reviews and other pertinent information. 

Opening this week:

Ochre House Theater: Immovable Beast, opened Wednesday-May 30, pictured.

The Firehouse Theatre: Sister Act, today-May 31. 

Amphibian Stage: Stand-up Comic Residency with Nore Davis, Friday and Saturday6.

Texas Ballet Theater: Swan Lake, Friday-Sunday at Bass Hall. 

Upright Theatre Co.: Camelot, Friday-June 14. 

Oak Lawn Band: May I Have This Dance? Spring Symphonic Concert, 3 p.m. Saturday at Moody Performance Hall. 

Mesquite Symphony Orchestra: Transcendence, 7 p.m. Saturday at Mesquite Arts Center. 

Dallas Chamber Symphony: Brahms: Symphony Nº 4, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Moody Performance Hall. 

WaterTower Theatre: Always…Patsy Cline, Tuesday-May 31.

Onstage now:

Art Centre Theatre:The Monkey’s Paw, through Saturday.

Circle Theatre: Rent, through Saturday, pictured.

Pocket Sandwich Theater: The Legend of DeadEye Mary, through May 16.

Allen Contemporary Theatre: Our Town, through Sunday. 

Art Centre Theatre: The Outsiders, through Sunday. 

Reid Cabaret Theatre: 100 Years of Sammy Davis Jr., through Sunday at Casa Manana.

Theatre Arlington: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, through Sunday.

Theatre Frisco: Sylvia, through Sunday. 

The Core Theatre: Everynight Live! Comedy, through May 31. 

Dallas Theater Center: Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem, through June 7. 

Broadway Dallas: Wicked, through June 14.

Avant Chamber Ballet announces its 2026/27 season

Avant Chamber Ballet’s (ACB) Artistic Director Katie Puder announced the company’s 15th season this week with the most performance dates in its history. The expanded season features two subscription series, both presented at Moody Performance Hall: the Classic Series and Family Series.

“Our new season is a journey through the past, present, and future of ballet with new works and timeless classics, ” she said in the press release. “We are particularly excited to expand our production of The Nutcracker to two weekends in collaboration with Dallas Chamber Symphony.”

The Classic Series includes the choice of three or four full productions. The Family Series features three matinee performances specifically designed for young audiences. Subscriptions are on sale now at AvantChamberBallet.org.

Performances include:

Oct. 30 and 31: Dracula. Featuring the dramatic score by Philip Glass, this ballet tells the classic story reimagined to reflect the minimalist score and our current times.

Nov. 28-Dec. 6:Paul Mejia’s The Nutcracker. This lush production features the professional dancers of ACB and a large children’s cast representing the best talent from local auditions with accompaniment by the Dallas Chamber Symphony.

Dec. 3 and 7: Nutcracker: Short and Suite. A 45-minute, sensory-friendly version of the holiday classic perfect for introducing young audiences. (Family Series)

Feb. 20: My First Swan Lake. This 45-minute version features the famous lakeside scenes, including the “Dance of the Little Swans” and the magical first meeting between the Prince and Odette, the Swan Queen. (Family Series)

Feb. 20 and 21: Love and Loss: Swan Lake Act 2 + Duets. The program will feature live orchestra conducted by Brad Cawyer and works by Christopher Wheeldon, Paul Mejia and Petipa.

April 24: Broadway Babes. This will be a shortened version of the Classic Series production. (Family Series)

April 24 and 25: Ballet to Broadway. Bridging classical ballet with the energy of musical theater, the performance features Katie Puder’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” Christopher Wheeldon’s “Carousel” pas de deux  and more to be announced.

Theatre Three will reimagine Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with a glittery disco decadence

T3 will take audiences back to the ’70s with its new production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, running June 11-July 12 on the Norma Young Arena Stage. This fresh take is directed by Vonda K. Bowling, music directed by Cody Dry, and choreographed by Kelly McCain.

Based on the popular film, the story follows the rivalry between two con artists as they compete to swindle an unsuspecting heiress.

“This is Dirty Rotten Scoundrels like you’ve never seen it before,” Artistic Director Jeffrey Schmidt said in a press release. “A 1970s casino is the perfect backdrop for a story about illusion, ambition, and outlandish cons. It amplifies everything: the comedy, the characters, and the sheer fun of the piece.”

T3 announced the cast and creative teams which includes actors James Crawford, Parker Gray (pictured), Christina Austin Lopez, Ryan Michael Friedman, Mary Gilbreath Grimm, Sophie De Young, Mark Tam Quach.

Along with Bowling, Dry and McCain, the production team includes Stage Manager Noelle Smith, Lighting Designer Aaron Johansen, Costume Design by Breianna Bairrington, Sound Design by Brian McDonald, Scenic Design by Schmidt, Production Assistant Case Hubbard.

Tickets are on sale now at Theatre3Dallas.com or the box office.

David Lomelí named General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera

On behalf of The Dallas Opera’s Boad of Directors, Chair Quincy Roberts announced on Thursday the appointment of David Lomelí as the next Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, effective June 1, 2026.

“David Lomelí is the rare leader who understands that great opera companies must honor tradition while fearlessly building for the future. He brings international artistic credibility, strategic vision, and an extraordinary ability to connect with artists, patrons, audiences, and community leaders alike,” Roberts said in today’s press release.

He continued, “Throughout this search, David distinguished himself not only through his vision for the future of opera, but through his authenticity, collaborative leadership style, and deep understanding of The Dallas Opera’s artistic mission and community impact. We are confident that he is uniquely prepared to lead this company into an exciting new era of growth and international prominence.”

Lomelí returns to The Dallas Opera (TDO) in this new role after serving at the Santa Fe Opera as Chief Artistic Officer and Chief Artistic Advisor for five years, as well as at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Casting Director and Head of International Partnerships and Strategy. He previously served The Dallas Opera as the founding director of the Hart Institute for Women Conductors among other roles within the company.

“I am honored, and especially grateful to partner with a thoughtful and sensitive Board that understands both the immense challenges and extraordinary possibilities facing our art form today,” Lomelí stated in the release. “I look forward to listening, learning, and building together with our magnificent orchestra, chorus, artists, and deeply passionate staff, whose dedication and spirit are the heartbeat of this company. My goal is to serve this institution, this city, and this art form with humility, ambition, and a profound sense of responsibility as we shape the next chapter of The Dallas Opera together.”

His experience in managed million-dollar-plus budgets, developing international co-production partnerships that generated new revenue streams, and cultivating relationships with global corporate and cultural partners brings a distinct experience to TDO. He is a founding member of OPERA America’s Diversity Initiative and a frequent speaker on artistic leadership and talent development.

Lomelí succeeds Ian Derrer, who has served in the role for eight years; his tenure concludes on June 30, when he leaves to be General Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in Toronto. Derrer made the announcement that he would resign from TDO back in February.

Stage West reveals its new season of shows

Stage West announced last week the lineup for its 48th season, titled Beneath the Surface. The new season will feature six shows, one of which is a brand-new, as well as a co-production with Second Thought Theatre and Watering Hole Collective. There will also be an extra show not included in the season ticket, brought back by popular demand.

Executive Producer Dana Schultes said, “With Beneath the Surface, we’ve built a season that rewards curiosity. These are plays with humor, heart, provocation, and style. They entertain beautifully on the surface while inviting audiences into deeper questions underneath. This season is quintessential Stage West: smart, surprising, funny, moving and full of substance.”

Tickets and more information can be found at StageWest.org.

The season includes:

Oct. 22-Nov. 8: Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector. A virus has hit the elite Eureka Day elementary school. An outbreak is near. Now the school board must meet with the pack of parents to find an ethical solution. But when the ultra-progressive Eureka community cannot agree, this beacon of open-minded ideals quickly spirals into chaos. Truth is a weapon and facts are subjective in this regional premiere satire of national proportions.

Jan. 9-24: Camp Siegfried by Bess Wohl. In the golden summer of 1938, two teenagers meet at a real-life Long Island camp. She is lonely and unassuming, he is energetic and bright-eyed. As their innocent attraction deepens, it’s gradually poisoned by the camp’s ideology. Intrigue turns to indoctrination as the youths find themselves on a collision course toward extremism. A co-production with Second Thought Theatre in collaboration with Watering Hole Collective.

Jan. 28-Feb. 14: I, Will: A Late Romance by Scott Carter. Where there’s a Will, there’s a way. Shakespeare is stuck. His theater is shut down, a plague looms, his love life is a mess, and he has the worst case of writer’s block. What’s a Bard to do? Enter a sleazy brothel-owner with a proposition. As plans take motion and lovers plot, the idea for a new kind of play reveals itself. Inspired by real events, this comic-fantasy imagines the origin of Shakespeare’s final plays and proves that it’s never too late to start again.

This production is supported by Broadway Dallas through its Texas Born & Raised and was developed, in part, by the Baylor New Play Initiative.

March 10-27: Hedwig and the Angry Inch by John Cameron Mitchell, with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. From East Berlin to Junction City comes an electric tale of glitter, grit and gnosis. On a revenge tour across the nation, punk icon Hedwig Robinson – backed by her band, the Angry Inch – recounts her high-octane journey in search of her other half. With a pulsing rock score, this musical triumph is for anyone who has felt that life gave them an inch when they deserved a mile.

June 9-27: Godspeed by Terence Anthony. In the home of the brave, freedom must be claimed. It’s 1865 and slavery has been abolished. Godspeed is now free to return to Texas — with a revolver, one bullet and vengeance on her mind. Joined by a Mexican gunslinger and her drunk former enslaver, she sets off on a perilous frontier journey. But a new discovery makes her question if the vendetta she desires is the justice she seeks in this regional premiere.

Aug. 11-29: An Old-Fashioned Family Murder by Joe DiPietro. There’s been a murder at the Claythorne estate. The family all have alibis, but someone is lying. When a (junior) detective arrives on the scene it’s clear that everyone is a suspect. Between jealous sisters, a dim fiancé, a pompous author, and a sharp-eyed widow, motives abound and the culprit could be anyone. Murder’s a family affair in this clever, laugh-out-loud whodunnit parody.

Dec. 2-20: All Is Calm:  The Christmas Truce of 1914 by Peter Rothstein, vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte, Timothy C. Takach. On the front lines of World War I, a Christmas miracle happened. World War I. In the silent Christmas Eve night, a lone soldier steps into no man’s land to sing. At war with each other, would-be enemies come together to share a holiday of camaraderie and peace. Witness this forgotten historical event in this encore performance, as soldiers from both sides unite their voices in this a cappella musical, told in the words and songs of those who lived it.

–Rich Lopez

Congratulations to native Texan Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project and now a Time Magazine Time100 honoree.

“I’ve been recognized in TIME Magazine’s TIME100 Most Influential People in Philanthropy — and as I was processing the news, I thought of the kid from Robstown, Texas who had no idea any of this was possible.
This belongs to the young people we serve — every one of them who trusted us with their hardest moment. It belongs to a team that shows up every single day with everything they have. And it belongs to a board that never flinched.
Robstown — I carry you with me. Into every room. Always.”

Jaymes Black did everything to exude calm even as “it felt like the world around us was crumbling,” the Trevor Project CEO says.
It was June 2025, and the Trump administration announced it would end a partnership that gave LGBTQ+ callers a specific option, Press 3, to reach someone from the queer suicide prevention nonprofit the Trevor Project when using national mental-health crisis hotline 988. That decision came with a $25 million funding cut—more than a third of the group’s annual budget—and the loss of half of The Trevor Project’s call volume.
Black, who had led the organization for less than a year at the time, summoned a calm, “clear-eyed” approach to the crisis. “Did I personally panic in private at 3 a.m.? Yes,” they say. “Did I show that panic as I’m talking to my board and staff? No, I did not. I knew that I needed to stay focused and steady because everybody else was panicking.”
After laying off more than 200 employees, Black launched an “emergency lifeline campaign” to raise some $24 million, and pivoted to contracting with states and other groups to train hotline counselors on interacting with LGBTQ+ clients.
The pivot enabled Black to rehire some counselors, as has a surprise $45 million gift from MacKenzie Scott in January. That news challenged even Black’s cool demeanor. “I did fall out of my chair, actually, because I thought that I heard them incorrectly,” says Black. “After this really difficult political climate, and our survival organizations being under constant threat, here’s what we know: that one transformational gift, no matter how historic, does not end this crisis at scale.”

On Monday’s Morning Edition, NPR Music announced Dallas’ Cure For Paranoia (CFP), the hip-hop collective as the winner of the 12th annual Tiny Desk Contest. This has been a long time coming for the band. Founder and frontman, Cameron McCloud, shared that CFP has been looking for a win in this contest for years and now with this recognition, the band can expand its reach to the rest of the country.

Their sound — a self-described “pro-mental health” fusion of rap, hip-hop and soul — is defined by its vulnerability and high-energy delivery.

“Cure For Paranoia is destined to be a force in the music industry and their entry, aptly titled ‘No Brainer,’ sealed the deal as winners of the Contest. For four years, McCloud and the crew have wowed our judges with creativity and versatility and I can’t wait to see what they finally bring to the Tiny Desk,” Tiny Desk‘s Bobby Carter said in the release.

The band’s performance of “No Brainer” was selected from more than 6,000 submissions by independent artists across the country.

This year’s judging panel included Carter, Tiny Desk series producer and host; Robin Hilton, host and senior producer of Tiny Desk and All Songs Considered; Anamaria Sayre, Tiny Desk producer and host of Alt.Latino; Celia Gregory, morning host on WNXP in Nashville; Madison McFerrin, singer-songwriter and Tiny Desk alum; Tierra Whack, rapper and Tiny Desk alum; Alex Marrero of KUTX in Austin; Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee and Jessica Linker, Founder of Pitch Perfect PR.

“Frontman Cameron McCloud is a next-level performer who writes the kind of songs that get stuck in your head and won’t let go. From the moment we hit ‘play’ on this year’s entry, they had us. A perfect mix of catharsis, humor, and humanity,” Hilton added.

See what each judge said about the band here.

Later this month, CFP will perform behind NPR’s iconic Tiny Desk in Washington, D.C.

“Ultimately, there is no greater platform for discovery and authenticity than the visibility provided by NPR,” McCloud stated in yesterday’s announcement. A pre-school teacher by day, McCloud posted a new rap every day on social media for all of 2025.

NPR’s Ailsa Chang spoke with McCloud about the win.

“I’m genuinely, genuinely still so in disbelief that it’s happening. And I’m genuinely not going to believe that we won until I’m standing behind that little desk,” he told Chang on Monday. Listen to the full interview here.

Following the studio performance, Cure For Paranoia will embark on the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour, taking their sounds to new audiences throughout the country. The 10-city tour includes stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.

To add, McCloud recently spoke with Dallas Voice about CFP’s upcoming appearance in Synergy by Pegasus Contemporary Ballet. The annual showcase pairs nationally acclaimed choreographers together with Dallas-based musicians to create three original world premiere collaborations performed live on stage. Choreographers Brooke Wendle and Peter Chursin teamed with CFP for the show. Wendle and Chursin will create a dance piece set to selections from CFP’s latest EP, Work of A.R.T. In PCB fashion, the piece will be accompanied by CFP playing live.

Synergy will be presented on June 5 and 6 at Moody Performance Hall. Look for that interview later this month.

Watch CFP’s contest-winning entry, “No Brainer” below:

–Rich Lopez

The Arts Community Alliance’s 2026 Silver Cup Luncheon, held May 8 at the Omni Dallas Hotel, brought together arts supporters, community leaders and cultural champions to honor two dedicated advocates for the arts, including an LGBTQ+ community advocate, and raise a record-breaking amount of funds for the mission of TACA.

The annual event recognizes “extraordinary individuals whose volunteerism and philanthropic leadership have had a transformative impact on the region’s arts and cultural landscape,” according to a press release about the event. This year’s presenting sponsor was Texas Instruments.

This year’s honorees were Nancy Carlson and Andy Smith, recognized “for their enduring commitment to fostering creativity, inclusivity and innovation in the arts,” the press release said. “Their exemplary service embodies the civic spirit that helps North Texas arts thrive.”

Co-chairs for the luncheon — which welcomed around 600 guests and generated more than $700,000 in funds raised, supported by a matching gift from Melinda and Jim Johnson — were Lynn McBee and Terri West.

Maura Sheffler, TACA’s Donna Wilhelm Family president and executive director, said, “As we honored Nancy Carlson and Andy Smith for their remarkable dedication to our cultural community, we were reminded that investment in the arts is truly an investment in the vibrancy, creativity and future of Dallas. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s luncheon our most successful yet.”

Proceeds from the event support TACA’s mission to champion artistic excellence, innovation and engagement in North Texas through funding, professional development and engagement opportunities for local arts organizations. Visit the TACA website for more information about the organization and the Silver Cup Awards.

— Tammye Nash

TheDallas Arts District, with the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center and Crow Museum of Asian Art, today announced its 9th annual PRIDE Block Party, one of four signature events of the Dallas Arts District Fest welcoming FIFA World Cup 26. This is a free event set for June 19, from 6 p.m.–midnight on Flora Street between Harwood and Olive and inside the Nasher, DMA and the Crow Museum.

PRIDE Block Party features multiple stages and three venues, and each year draws a crowd of thousands to the city’s arts district to celebrate the LQBTQ+ community with regional artists, live music, drag sets, DJs, dancing, poetry, gourmet food-fare, creative vendors, a community mural, family-friendly activities and more.

This year the Community Stage will feature performances from Bruce Wood Dance and Uptown Players, two-step and guided line dance with the Round-Up Saloon, a drag finale and more. The DMA will highlight Black queer culture in honor of Juneteenth, culminating with their annual Kiki Ball. Crow Museum features Filipino American spoken word artist Veronica Pamindanan hosting an open mic and readings from select poets. And the Nasher Sculpture Center will present a special edition of ’til Midnight with performers such as Cure for Paranoia and Bleach and Friends, alongside DJ sets and a screening of the 1995 cult classic, To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything! Jenny Newmar.

The full line up from each organization is available on the Dallas Arts District website.

This year, as the event falls on June 19th, PRIDE Block Party recognizes the national and historical importance of Juneteenth, a national holiday marking the news of emancipation reaching Galveston, Texas in 1865. “The intersection of these two moments, Pride and Juneteenth, is really moving,” says Jill Magnuson, Interim Director of the Dallas Arts District. “Together they underline the power of community and activism to uplift diversity, love, and freedom—a power so often expressed in the sharing of art and culture.”

Leading support for PRIDE Block Party comes from the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District with additional support from Crow Museum of Asian Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Nasher Sculpture Center, North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Texas Commission on the Arts, Office of Arts and Culture and the Dallas Voice.

— Tammye Nash

Liberty For All Training Co., founded by “gay, liberal, first-generation American” Ike Hajinazarian, is offering an LGBTQ+-specific firearms training class, “Gays with the Guns,” on Sunday, July 19, at 4 p.m. at RifleGear, 4001 State Hwy. 121 in The Colony.

The class offers members of the LGBTQ+ community the opportunity to “Learn to shoot in a safe, judgment-free environment with fellow gays and theys,” with “no pressure, no politics and no prejudice.”

Cost is $99 for person, or $179 for two. This is a two-hour course that includes 100 rounds of 9mm ammo, loaner eye and ear protection targets and range fees. The range offers a wide variety of firearm for rent for $10 each.

Those attending the session also get 35 percent off a future private lesson and a free Liberty For All Training PVC patch.

Spots in the session are limited. Register at L4ATraining.com.

— Tammye Nash

Tickets are on sale now for Raise Your Voice, the Women’ Chorus of Dallas’ annual concert and fundraiser. The concert will feature pop music for LGBTQIA artists and allies.

This year for the first time, WCD is presenting two shows, both at the Sammons City for the Arts, 3630 Harry Hines Blvd. The first show starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, and the second show starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Both shows include music, a live auction, a wine pull and more.

Tickets are $44.52 each, available at EventBrite.com.

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in the NBA, has died of brain cancer at the age of 47, according to reports by multiple news outlets.

Collins came out publicly as a gay man in a 2013 Sports Illustrated cover story, one year before retiring in 2014.  As ESPN reports, by coming out when he did, Collins not just the first openly gay player actively playing in the NBA, but “the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four main North American sports leagues.

Collins told ESPN last November that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive and very deadly form of brain cancer. Over this past winter, he went to Singapore to undergo an experimental treatment not yet approved in the U.S. ESPN noted today that those treatments allowed Collins to “return home, attend NBA All-Star Weekend events in Los Angeles and attend a game at his alma mater, Stanford.”

But the cancer recently returned, and Collins passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by family, according to a statement the family released through the NBA.

Also in that interview last November with ESPN, Collins said that when he came out in 2013, it wasn’t because of some looming scandal.  “This was like, I feel that I am good enough to play in the NBA, and, by the way, I’m gay. Just so everyone knows, cards on the table, this is where I am,” he said.

Collins also told ESPN that after he came out, then-President Barack Obama called him and “and he said, ‘Congratulations — what you have done today will have a positive impact on someone you might not ever meet in your lifetime.’ I think that’s a really cool thing, and I want to do that again as far as having an opportunity to help someone that I might not ever meet in my lifetime.’”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement saying Collins’ “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
And the National Basketball Players Association said Collins’ “courage shattered barriers, making him a global beacon of hope for the LGBTQ+ community.”

— Tammye Nash

Playwright Gracie Gardner’s intelligent voice continues to grow in Undermain Theatre’s world premiere of her play Saturn Return. Centered on four 20-somethings who reunite from high school at a friend’s funeral. In the aftermath, they battle and bicker throughout the one-act through a mix of sarcastic humor and biting jabs. Gardner’s Gen-Z characters are working out their grief and director Christina Cranshaw and the cast of five bring Gardner’s story to life through a distinct fervor that was harsh and humorous.

The play kinda asked what happens when theater kids grow up as each related their high school memories when all were close friends who worked together on stage productions. The fact was almost a non sequitur to the story that unfolded in the play’s present, but it’s a detail that worked in favor of the play’s interactions. Gardner’s touch of quirky theater snark punctuated the dialogue that many of the theater kids in my audience snickered at on opening night (and the one who guffawed right in my ear), but also played into the main-character energy each character had. 

Nadia DeWolf and Carson Wright were most central as Tori and Franklin. Tori’s now in the medical field with a chip on her shoulder and Franklin remained an actor and now navigates failed tv shows and auditions. 

As the abrasive Tori, DeWolf’s portrayal tapped into so many layers. She delivered Tori with such a hard exterior but there was evidence of the character’s vulnerability. A saddened look or exhausted eye roll said so much more about Tori. She volleyed dialogue easily with her castmates but mostly Wright. 

Wright is such a versatile actor but Franklin is the type of character he excels at. He took ingredients of confidence, doubt and a frenetic energy and created a person who was fully fleshed out. Franklin’s actions were impulsive and incredulous which Wright delivered with a slightly manic energy befitting the character. 

Mimi and Bucket, played by Cheyenne Haynes and Doak Rapp, make their entrance later in the production. As the bold and audacious Mimi, Haynes brought some diva energy that contrasted sharply with DeWolf’s Tori; her performance hinged on a subtle melodrama with her sharpness, yet she remained grounded in the character’s humanity. Rapp, portraying the anxious Bucket, opted for a more detached approach. Though expected to have answers, his enigmatic performance distanced him from the group, effectively highlighting his place within this chosen yet dysfunctional family.

Patrick Bynane disrupted the four as Mr. Littman, a former teacher, also attended the funeral. His first appearance onstage early on was literally golden. Later, Littman serves as a sounding board of sorts to the four and delivers his own sort of wisdom. Bynane’s vibe brought a needed counterbalance to the show and the four characters. 

The show moved at a brisk pace so that softer, tender moments of stillness or quiet landed with major impact. Cranshaw’s direction served each character well as they all had some sort of posturing to do. Each character’s role in the friend group was immediately evident. And she allowed the action and actors to unpack the story’s drama and comedy in ideal pieces that gave the show a pleasing balance. 

The scenic design by Leah Mazur was transformative. Recreating the exterior rear of a funeral parlor, Mazur displayed meticulous detail, from the functional-looking back door and dumpster to a floor blanketed in autumn leaves. A particularly brilliant touch was the “glass” window, which offered glimpses of characters before they officially entered the scene.

Gracie Gardner’s gift for language was fully on display with her resolute dialogue propelling the narrative. While the characters spent their time arguing, debating and engaging in raw human impulses, the core message felt deeper. Saturn Return served as a poignant exploration of adulthood. The transition into a full- functioning grown-up is simultaneously inevitable and fulfilling but with that comes a profound sense of loss.

Performances continue through May 24.

–Rich Lopez

The New York Times is reporting that a single infusion could suppress HIV for years.

This gene therapy uses the same technology that has been developing for the past 10 years to treat some cancers by modifying a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and kill malignant cells. In a new study, two people have remained at undetectable levels of HIV two years after an infusion. The goal is for the therapy to last a lifetime, but is years away from being widely available.

This treatment is different from the injectables currently available to treat HIV. Those medications suppress the virus for several months keeping it at undetectable levels. But without an injection every two months, the virus can come roaring back. The current goal with that treatment is to get a shot once a year.

This new treatment seems to eliminate the virus and is being called a possible cure. The injection seemed to work best on people who had just recently been exposed to the HIV virus.

Researchers said that because HIV mutates easily, the altered T cells that are injected back into the patient should be designed to attack the part of the HIV cell that doesn’t mutate.

— David Taffet

Here’s our roundup of movie/series trailers that have hit the web since the last Trailer Tuesday. Watch these sneak peeks of films — mainstream, indie and queer (if we’re lucky) — coming soon (or recently premiered) to theaters or a streaming platform near you.

Listed in order of premiere date.

Playing Around: Season 1

Fun, heartfelt, and steamy, the first season of this, coming-of-age LGBTQ+ comedy by first-time director James Camargo de Alba follows Germán Andrés (played by James Camargo de Alba), who is 29, gay, works at a call center, lives with his mother, and has never had a stable partner. As he approaches 30, the pressure to “settle down” pushes him to look for love before his birthday—preferably before turning 30 becomes a full-blown crisis. But in an age of polyamory, ghosting, and commitment phobia, finding the perfect match feels almost impossible. This is the North American release of Colombian series.

Available now on video-on-demand and streaming and arriving on DVD, June 25.

Elle

This new series follows Elle Woods before she was ever a Harvard student. This is 1995 and Elle Woods is navigating high school’s tricky friendships, romances and fashions. The cast includes Lexi Minetree as Elle, June Diane Raphael as Eva, Elle’s mother and Tom Everett Scott as her father Wyatt.

The series premieres July 1 on Prime Video.

The End of Oak Street

And if you haven’t gotten enough Anne Hathaway who stars in four previous trailers we’ve posted, here’s another.

After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.

Starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.

Only in theaters and IMAX Aug. 14.

–Rich Lopez

NYU Langone hospital today notified its patients that hospital has received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Texas, demanding that the hospital “provide information pertaining to patients under the age of 18 who received gender affirming care at NYULH between 2020-2026, as well as the names of NYULH providers and others who were involved in offering such care at NYULH in that timeframe.

Hospital officials cited the New York State Shield Law, explaining that the law requires that any entity in the state of New York  which receives such a request “for information regarding legally protected health activity, such as the provision of reproductive health care or gender-affirming care” to “make a reasonable attempt” to notify individuals whose records are affected by the request. The hospital has to try and notify those individuals “at least 30 days before complying with or providing information” in response.

“We understand that these developments may be concerning to our patients, providers and others,” NYULH officials said in the notice to patients. “Please know that NYU Langone takes the privacy of your protected health information very seriously, and we are evaluating our response to this subpoena.”

Hospital officials said updates to the situation will be posted on the NYULH website, and that anyone with questions or concerns can email TYHPSubpoena@nyulangone.org.

Tyler Hack, executive director of the Christopher Street Project which works to elect champions of transgender rights to public office (including Texas Congresswoman Julie Johnson who CSP lists as a Trans Right Champion), said in a statement today, “We will not allow anti-trans extremists to turn our hospitals into hunting grounds. Playing political games to weaponize Americans’ private healthcare information is not just an attack on trans people — it is an attack on every single American who benefits from basic patient-provider privacy.”
Hack also stressed that NYU Langone has “a moral and legal obligation to stand up to this power grab and hold the line to protect their patients.”

“The New York Shield Law exists for this exact moment,” Hack continued.” The law requires that every New Yorker, trans or not, receive essential healthcare. NYU must follow New York state law and protect patients, providers, and the integrity of medical care. Trans kids deserve healthcare.”

The U.S. Attorney General for the Northern District of Texas is Ryan Raybould. His office is based in Dallas and, according to the agency’s website, his purpose is to prosecute federal crimes and represent federal agencies in matters in North Texas.

No word yet on Raybould and his office are demanding private medical records from a hospital in New York. But in case someone wanted to call and ask them that question, the phone number for the Dallas office is 214-659-8600, for the Fort Worth office is 817-252-5200, for the Lubbock office is 806-472-7351.

— Tammye Nash

GRAMMY-nominated singer Adam Lambert has announced his sixth studio album Adam will drop on July 10 via his own label. The album will feature a dozen new original inspired by ’90s alt and electronica styles. He previewed the album with the single “Eat U Alive” which came out Friday.

“‘Eat U Alive’ is the perfect primer into my next musical chapter,” said Lambert in a press release. “I wanted to create songs that fit into a world reminiscent of the music that made a formative impact on me in the 90s and early 00’s. Nine Inch Nails, Björk, Prince, Muse, Goldfrapp, Daft Punk, George Michael, Massive Attack and the Crystal Method are just a few who inspired the sound. The album explores both the light and shade of life and the razor’s edge that separates a positive experience from a negative one.”

He continued, “I hope these songs connect with anyone who has been through the confusing but necessary process of self-acceptance. There was a real liberation in acknowledging my own weaknesses and strengths. Accepting the bad and the good all together. Revolutionary for someone who always thought of himself as a perfectionist and Idealist.”

Monday morning, he announced four live shows celebrating the release but none are in Dallas.

Listen to “Eat U Alive” below:

–Rich Lopez

The Other Art Fair returned to Dallas on Thursday with its largest and most ambitious edition to date. This year, the fair showcases 135 independent artists — the most ever presented in the Dallas market. The fair brings together a curated blend of Dallas and Texas-based artists with national and international talent. The fair transforms Dallas Market Hall into a marketplace where artists in all mediums sell directly to collectors, first-time buyers and art lovers of all levels.

“Dallas continues to prove itself as one of the most exciting art cities in the country, and this year’s fair reflects that energy in a big way,” Nicole Garton, Global Fair Director of The Other Art Fair said in the show’s announcement. “With our largest Dallas edition ever and a lineup that puts local and Texas artists alongside national and international voices, this fair is about celebrating the creative momentum happening right here—and inviting collectors to experience it up close.”

Presented by Saatchi Art, this year’s fair invites visitors to step into “Main Character Energy” through immersive installations, live performances and interactive artist-led experiences at Dallas Market Hall.

Highlights include Front, Back and Side to Side (The Remix), a large-scale immersive installation that draws inspiration from DIY and breakdancing culture, encouraging visitors to move through the work. 

The Faux-To Booth offers hand-drawn portraitsand aura portrait sessions created on the spot by exhibiting artist Mad Watson, who translates individual energy into abstract watercolor works. 

Blending art and technology, New Landscapes, a live neurofeedback installation by Alicia Parham, allows guests to see their brainwaves visualized in real time, offering a rare glimpse into the connection between neuroscience and artistic practice, with the added opportunity for visitors to commission a one-of-a-kind artwork generated from their own brainwave data. 

Additional programming includes a Surrealist-inspired Exquisite Corpse drawing activation benefiting local nonprofit Big Thought, a crossword-style scavenger and a special exhibition presented by Black Sheep Art Culture Inc., spotlighting underrepresented artists.

Live musical showcases will feature DJ Good Energy Bee who takes the stage for Friday Late from 7-10 p.m. On Saturday, Battle Ground DTX activates the Front, Back and Side to Side (The Remix) installation through dance performances.

A very short list of queer artists featured at this year’s fair include (but not limited to):

• K. Dewayne Mercer
• Christopher Sonny Martinez 

Martinez is also the recipient of this year’s The New Futures award. The program is for first-time exhibiting artists and and an extension of TOAF’s mission to break down traditional barriers of the contemporary art world.

Each recipient is awarded a free exhibition space at TOAF along with access to opportunities designed to jumpstart their career.

Recipients are selected in collaboration with art world experts and local creative partners to bring their respective talents and differing perspectives.

TOAF runs through Sunday at Market Hall. For tickets and information, visit TheOtherArtFair.com.

–Rich Lopez

The Multi-platinum, BRIT Award-winning, and GRAMMY®-nominated global pop star MIKA heads to Dallas for a headlining concert at The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum on Saturday. This will be his next stop on his recently launched The Spinning Out Tour which he kicked off April 29. A new album and tour has MIKA busy these days, but like his music, he does it all with a sense of grace, style and upbeat positivity.

The tour supports MIKA’s first English-language studio album since 2019, Hyperlove.

The album touches on vintage production while exploring the modern world and human connection. From a queer artist, this can easily refer to gay men and Grindr. No? Just us?Well, connection is connection and where MIKA finds it is at his live shows.

“The people are there collectively in this sort of celebration,” he said via Zoom. “When we are all there together in that way, there’s this power of connection that is beautiful.”

There is much about Hyperlove that feels affirming. Gone are the exuberant stylings of his smash debut 20 years ago, he 2006 album Life in Cartoon Motion that featured his No. 1 hit “Grace Kelly.”

This album marks a distinct sophistication but MIKA hasn’t lost his vibrancy and energy of his early days. But his tempered tunes have a sharpened sensibility and melodic wit. He can still bring a smile to listeners, but like his audience, he’s grown in those decades since his debut.

Hyperlove reunites the singer with Nick Littlemore, (Empire of the Sun and PNAU), producer of MIKA’s The Origin of Love. And for an added queer bonus, Adding another distinctive layer, filmmaker, icon and the Pope of Trash John Waters appears as a guest narrator across the album.

And like any grown queer man, he has an affection for his pets — most famously for his golden retrievers.

The album’s first single is a tribute to his dog Melachi.

“It was time. She has been with me for so long and that love is just something quite special. You see it in their eyes and you’re undone,” he said.

So pet lovers be warned for Saturday’s show for any sappy tears shed while dancing along to the song.

DJ Sliver opens the show. Doors at 7 p.m.

–Rich Lopez

Former AIDS Arms CEO Raeline Nobles gets started on the demolition work at the agency’s South Dallas clinic as the evolution from AIDS Arms to Prism Health begins.
(Dallas Voice file photo)

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com

As Prism Health NTX prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary May 15-16, it’s the perfect time to take a look back at the history of one of North Texas’ pioneering AIDS service organizations and how it has grown and evolved into a broader role in LGBTQ+ health care.

The agency was originally called AIDS Access to Resources for Mobilization of Services Network. That was soon shortened to AIDS ARMS Network and what the acronym stood for was quickly forgotten.

When it was founded, AIDS ARMS focused mainly on case management for clients who were accessing services at Resource Center, which had been founded just a few months earlier, and Oak Lawn Counseling Center, which was already a couple of years old at the time.

AIDS Interfaith Network also began providing some services that year, while AIDS Services Dallas was still a couple of years off as was Legacy Cares.

Today, Prism Health provides primary care for persons living with — and without — HIV, although HIV care remains a specialty in the organization’s four Dallas clinics. The agency serves 17,000 people from around North Texas, with Uptown Physicians Group providing general primary care with a specialty in infectious diseases and HIV prevention.

The agency’s founder and first executive director was Buck Buckingham. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, he created one of the first demonstration projects for AIDS care.

AIDS ARMS’ efforts in coordinating case management for people dealing with AIDS was vital, because in Dallas, the different agencies provided complimentary services rather than competing with each other as was commonly seen in other cities.

Buckingham’s work is credited with helping establish the Ryan White Care Act that still funds a variety of programs and medications for people living with HIV/AIDS. And while distribution of Ryan White money is now done on a county or regional level, Buckingham was put in charge of distribution of funds in North Texas for the first several years of the program’s operation.

Buckingham left Dallas in the early 1990s to work in the Ryan White program in D.C.
AIDS ARMS biggest growth spurt came in 2000, when OLCS was closing its doors and distributing its programs to other agencies. OLCS’ Howie Daire Day Care facility and the Care-a-Van service that got people to doctor appointments and the food pantry went to AIDS Interfaith Network. LifeWalk went to AIDS ARMS, along with the Buddy Project, counseling and education programs.

In 2001, AIDS ARMS opened the Peabody Clinic in South Dallas, blocks away from what is now Abounding Prosperity. The medical office was opened in response to the rising number of HIV cases among the Black community.

By the early 2000s, drugs to suppress HIV had become more readily available and were less toxic than the original medications from the late 1990s. But the new meds were unaffordable to most people without insurance. So AIDS ARMS got busy applying to programs like ADAP, which funded drugs, for its clients.

Under CEO Raeline Nobles, the executive offices moved into the tower on Jefferson Boulevard, and its low rise building was turned into a medical office and a drug store specializing in HIV meds.

The formula was so successful, that Dr. John Carlo, a medical doctor who succeeded Nobles as CEO, moved Peabody to a larger space in South Dallas and added a pharmacy.

And in the 2010s and ’20s two more clinics were added — in Oak Lawn on Lemmon Avenue near Central Expressway, and in East Dallas near Baylor Hospital.

Then in 2019, Uptown Physicians Group, one of the largest private medical practices with a large number of LGBTQ+ patients, both with and without HIV, merged with the by-then-renamed Prism Health North Texas.

In addition to four health centers and three pharmacies, Prism Health now also offers two dental clinics.

Since 2024, the agency’s health centers have achieved Federally Qualified Health Center Look-alike status, allowing them to serve a broader spectrum of clients. That includes new outreach to pediatric patients.

Several other programs have been cornerstones in Prism Health, providing a wide range of healthcare programs. A program unique to Prism Health is its Free World Bound, for people who are ethnic minorities living with or at risk for contracting HIV and who are currently or previously in prison.

Caseworkers provide HIV testing and linkage to medical care as well as referral to services that are available through the network of agencies serving people living with HIV. The program also provides food and clothing, housing and transportation and emergency financial assistance where needed and helps see to transitional needs for those currently incarcerated.

Project STEP helps clients working through both substance abuse and other health challenges, like HIV or hepatitis. The program offers support groups as well as individual peer coaching. Treatment includes medical as well as behavioral health services.

Let’s Hang Out is hosted by Empowerment Connection and offers free events in a safe and sober space once a month at Prism Health’s Oak Cliff center.

And Prism Health is involved in clinical trials. (Full disclosure: I participated in a COVID vaccine trial at Prism Health for a vaccine that was never approved in the U.S. but was used in many countries around the world. Whether it worked or not, I don’t know for sure, but I never did contract COVID.)

Celebrating the anniversary
Two events are scheduled this month to commemorate Prism’s 40th anniversary and support the agency’s future.

On Friday, May 15, the “Forty & Forward” fundraiser will be held from 7-10 p.m. at The Empire Room, 1225 N. Riverfront Blvd. This will be a high-energy, cocktail-style celebration featuring music and entertainment to raise funds to expand pediatric and specialized care.

Tickets are $140-400, available through the agency’s website, PHNTX.org.

Then on Saturday, May 16, Prism Health hosts “Care on the Block,” a community event from 4-7 p.m. at the South Dallas Health Center, 4922 Spring Ave. It will offer food, music, games and health screenings. The event is free, but registration on the Prism Health NTX website is requested.

And several events are planned through the rest of the year: The Clover Classic putt-putt tournament on Cedar Springs Road is scheduled for Aug. 22. And although LifeWalk as a walkathon doesn’t happen any longer, the Miss LifeWalk pageant, set for Oct. 5, keeps the LifeWalk legacy alive.

Finally, the Care on the Rocks fundraising cocktail party is planned for Nov. 5. Watch for details on upcoming events throughout the year and visit PHNTX.org for more information.

David Chadd, left, and David White co-chair House of DIFFA: Hotel Mystique,
happening Saturday, May 9, at Sheraton Dallas (Photo courtesy DIFFA Dallas)

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com

Now that the Met Gala is done with, let’s get into Dallas’ own high style charity event.

Fashion and philanthropy come together this weekend at DIFFA Dallas’ annual fundraiser, House of DIFFA. This year, the organization transports guests to the Hotel Mystique which serves as the theme inside Sheraton Dallas on Saturday, May 9. Designed spaces will unfold from DIFFA’s own luxury hotel filled with elegance and intrigue.

“Hotel Mystique was inspired by the idea that behind every glamorous façade lies a deeper story,” David Chadd, co-chair of House of DIFFA, said in the event’s announcement. “This theme allows us to blend high fashion, art and immersive storytelling while honoring the strength, vulnerability, and resilience of the communities DIFFA serves.”

Yes: Beyond the glitz and glamour is a significant event that raises not just funds for HIV/AIDS research, but also awareness.

DIFFA’s mission provides funding to organizations that support individuals affected by
HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and mental health challenges while also extending assistance to the unhoused and offering healthcare access for underserved communities across the nation.

DIFFA is one of the largest and most successful fundraising organizations for HIV/AIDS nonprofit service. The Dallas chapter is DIFFA’s largest, based on the funds raised by events such as House of DIFFA.

This year’s event is co-chaired by Chadd and David White.

Inside Hotel Mystique, DIFFA explains the sexy undertones of the theme:

Hotel Mystique explores the stories that unfold in private spaces — the hidden journeys, quiet resilience and transformations that often exist beyond public view. Inspired by a grand luxury hotel, the theme invites guests into thoughtfully designed spaces where each room reveals a new narrative. Behind every door lies a story of identity and strength, reflecting the beauty and resilience that define the communities DIFFA serves.

Fashion is key to House of DIFFA with runway shows, the signature, custom-designed jackets on auction and, of course, on those in attendance serving looks for days.

White said, “House of DIFFA is often called the Met Gala of Dallas, and for good reason. It’s a vibrant, high-energy night where fashion, entertainment and philanthropy come together in unforgettable ways, all in support of a mission that truly matters.”

Throughout the night, each runway segment will feature a different chapter of Hotel Mystique, delivering an immersive fashion journey overall.

The Live Luxury Jacket Auction showcases one-of-a-kind, custom-designed jackets created exclusively for DIFFA Dallas. Each jacket is a singular piece of work created by a visionary designers that will be offered only during the live auction.

The auction also includes luxury fashion, fine jewelry, original artwork and exclusive travel experiences — with all proceeds directly benefiting HIV/AIDS service organizations across North Texas.

The co-chairs, White and Chadd, bring deep-rooted dedication and longstanding leadership to DIFFA Dallas.

White’s 35 years of involvement with the organization has had him serving in numerous leadership capacities, including board chairman, treasurer and young professionals director.

He has also served on key committees for the Silent Auction, Burgers & Burgundy and the Wreath Holiday Collection.

This is Chadd’s eighth year f with DIFFA Dallas, having first served on the Style Council before joining the board. He has co-chaired both the Luxury Jacket Auction and the Wreath Holiday Collection, contributing to some of the organization’s largest fundraising initiatives.

He even walked the House of DIFFA runway during his first Style Council appearance in 2017 alongside his husband, creating an historic moment as the first married same-sex couple to participate

“I have always admired the board of DIFFA Dallas since my very first House of DIFFA in 2017,” Chadd said. “I saw how hard they worked to produce such an amazing event, and I wanted to be a part of that while also raising money for the HIV/AIDS community.”

White added, “Support of DIFFA Dallas enables the organization to provide unrestricted funds to North Texas AIDS Service Organizations that are suffering from the loss of so many Federal grants and funding,” said White. “The present economic situation only heightens the need for funding.”

For more information about updates on future DIFFA Dallas initiatives and events, visit DIFFADallas.org.

Landon Blanton was hesitant to take on the role of Angel, traditionally portrayed as Latine. But director Garrett Storms helped him move past that concern.
(Photo by TayStan Photography)

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com

For queer people of a certain age, the musical Rent is more than a show; it is a cultural touchstone that speaks to a distinct and tragic chapter of life during the AIDS crisis.

The show debuted 30 years ago followed by the film in 2005. For 23-year-old Landon Blanton, his connection to the Jonathan Larson Pulitzer Prize-winning play came through his time in choir, singing “Seasons of Love” and, later, through the televised Rent: Live.

Now he’s connecting to the show in a much deeper way.

“I was one of the very few in the cast that was not born during the time of Rent,” he said of his role in Circle Theatre’s current production. “So I only knew it through choir and TV. I never really saw myself playing Angel or being in the show. But when auditions came around, there seemed to be no other character for me.”

Circle Theatre opened Rent on April 23, and it runs thorugh May 16 as part of the theater’s Season 2026: Iconic.

Blanton has stepped into the heels of Angel Dumott Schunard, the street-drumming, upbeat drag queen who serves as the emotional anchor to the motley crew of artistic characters living in New York. Rent is based on the opera La Boheme — only here, the 20-somethings, a mix of queer and not, band together as a chosen family against the travails of living with AIDS, completing their art and defying gentrification.

Blanton struggled to see himself in the role primarily because Angel is traditionally portrayed as a Latine. But director Garret Storms put Blanton at ease.

“Working with Landon on this iconic role has been a true gift,” Storms said. “He is delivering a performance that is passionate, curious, debilitatingly charming and absolutely beautiful.
The best part of all is that this Angel belongs to him — Landon has made the role his own in a way that feels both fresh and completely bespoke.heritage.”

Blanton had his doubts, but when the director reframed the intention, he got it.

“Embodying her was kind of terrifying,” the young actor said of this iconic role. “First, this is a classic show, but then it was me, a Black actor taking on a role usually played by a Latin actor. I just felt like I wasn’t supposed to play this.

“But Garret and the team talked about how we’re making something new.”

Through that discussion, they embraced a freedom to move past the previous generations of the show.

“They helped me realize this was not about those [past productions],” he explained. “It was about the people in this story, and not so much what came before.”

By diving into the text, Blanton discovered that Angel is, at her core, a fearless artist who takes care of her people — a trait he strives to embody in his own day-to-day life. To play her, he had to step into that same fearlessness, shedding any “half-ass approach” in favor of going full out.

Storms added, “Surrounded by an incredible cast, band, creative and production team, Landon embodies the spirit of Rent with an infectious warmth and enamoring vitality. Tender, riotous, gleeful, and full of spark — it’s a performance that glows loudly and proudly while deeply honoring the character we all know and love.”

Plus, Blanton had his own way to relate to Rent’s story.

He may have never experienced the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but he had a bridge to the material through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Garrett told us they were living an epidemic, which we’re all familiar with,” Blanton noted.

“Though it’s not exactly the same, we do know what it looks like to have a crisis; we know what it looks like when the government isn’t doing their job.”

This became key to the actor in finding truth to his role.

Plus, Blanton gets to add another queer character to his resume.

And Angel isn’t the butt of a joke or a symbol of queer pain and struggle. She’s the emotional core and caregiver to all the other characters.

This made an impact on Blanton — particularly the portrayal of Angel’s romance with Tom, played by Ralphael Agee.

“It’s so important to find stories like this where you get to see what a true relationship looks like,” Blanton said. “They are based on actual feelings that feel authentic without being a punchline.”

He’s no stranger to queer POC storytelling. Rent marks yet another notch for Blanton following roles in Dallas Theater Center/Stage West’s Fat Ham (as understudy) and Circle’s premiere of A Strange Loop last summer.

“I just am so beyond grateful to do work like this where I get to provide that safety and comfort… to bring something meaningful,” he said. “So many things are against us right now, so I think I can help people step out of reality for a minute but also explore truth and art.”

For tickets, visit CircleTheatre.com.

Credo Choir director Dr. Jonathan Palant, left, and America Sings 250
special guest performer Darien Sanders

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com

This July marks the semiquincentennial of the United States — or, in simpler terms, the country’s 250th anniversary. And among the varied celebrations expected this year will be the Credo Community Choir of Dallas’ performance of Broadway tunes, traditional folk songs, spirituals and contemporary choral works in its America Sings 250 concert.

The concert, set for Saturday, May 9, at Moody Performance Hall, is considered a reflection of the American experience, representing hope, struggle, resilience and promise.

The concert — and the celebration — come at a unique time in our history, as much of the country struggles against the current administration. Marginalized communities face increased discrimination through legislation and blatant prejudice. Arts organizations suffer from government defunding.

So how does an arts organization celebrate America at this time and place?

“This concert is about more than music,” Credo director Dr. Jonathan Palant stated. “It is about who we are, where we have been and who we are striving to become.

“These songs tell our story.”

And just telling the story is, in itself, an act of resilience.

“For me, the answer lives inside ‘Make Them Hear You,’” Credo member Ian Sanders said.

“That message hits with particular force right now.”

He and other queer members of Credo spoke about their experience in preparing for a concert that might come with mixed feelings.

“Queer people know what it means to love a country that hasn’t always loved you back,”

Sanders said. “We know what it means to build community in the margins, to create beauty in the face of hostility and to hold onto hope when the law or culture turns against you.

“So when we celebrate, we’re not celebrating perfection,” he continued. “We’re celebrating survival, presence and the right to shape the next chapter. It’s a celebration rooted in truth, resilience, and insistence on belonging.”

Sanders’ words also speak to the show’s centerpiece, the Texas premiere of “Redeem the Dream” by American composer Brandon A. Boyd.

A multi-movement work, the piece interweaves the text of the Declaration of Independence with Langston Hughes’ Let America Be America Again. The piece invites the audience to reflect on the ideals of the nation as well as the work that remains to be done.

“There’s so much music that has been such a treat to sing, but ‘Redeem the Dream’ is definitely far and away the most singular piece on the program,” singer Emily Bedell said. “It is such a powerful anchor to that dream of America. It is the story of who we are and where we have been but always with eyes forward to ‘the land that never has been yet and yet must be.’”

America Sings 250 will also feature guest artist Darian Sanders, who played Simba in the national touring company of The Lion King. He received high acclaim for his role in Credo’s world premiere last season of Shelter Me, so his return is expected to be a concert highlight.

Under Palant’s direction, the Credo Community Choir has brought its more than 170 singers from across different communities into performances that are both artistically compelling and socially meaningful.

Anya Bhandari, a first-year student, has been able to balance a busy schedule of work and classes with her extracurricular activities, including Dallas Formula Racing, the UTD Undergraduate Law Review and Credo, thanks to Palant.

“He has always been flexible with my schedule and has allowed me to keep choir in my life in a way that still works with everything else I am pursuing,” Bhandari said.

“That means so much to me because choir has been part of my life since I was in second grade, and I am beyond grateful that I have been able to continue that experience into my college years,” she continued. “Credo has given me a way to stay connected to the passion and heart I feel through music. and I am very grateful for that.”

For her own queer connection, Bhandari said, “This show has reminded me that music can hold complexity in a way words sometimes cannot. As a bisexual American, I do not think I should have to choose between honesty and patriotism. My patriotism comes from believing that this country can still become more honest, more accepting and more whole.”

Bedell reflected on the power of music in these times which can act as a reminder of what the country stands for beyond today’s headlines.

“I have most been reminded that America — as a place, as an idea, as a dream — does not belong to any one person or group or ideology,” she said. “This program has connected me to a feeling of patriotism that had been pushed to the side in favor of a more jaded perspective, but it really is a special thing to live here and be American.

“I hope that anyone attending our concert is able to feel a deep love for the dream of America from this music, and that that dream is worth the work it takes day by day to make it a reality,” she concluded. n

For tickets, visit CredoChoir.org.

By the time you read this in Dallas Voice, another round of legislation, litigation or cultural flashpoint will likely be underway somewhere in the country. None of it is accidental. It is coordinated, strategic and, perhaps most importantly, well-funded.

The reality we must face is this: While LGBTQ+ people and our allies have won extraordinary victories over the past decades, the opposition to our dignity has not weakened. It has evolved. It has organized. And it has invested, deeply and consistently, in building institutions, messaging pipelines, legal strategies and political power.

We are not facing a momentary backlash. We are facing a sustained movement.

And movements run on money. And our organizations are facing funding cuts at both the federal and local levels.

The funding gap we don’t talk about
Across the country, organizations aligned with what is often called the “religious right” benefit from vast, coordinated funding networks. These networks support think tanks, legal advocacy groups, media platforms and grassroots mobilization efforts. They train leaders, craft narratives and move quickly when opportunities arise.

By contrast, many LGBTQ+ organizations, especially those doing life-saving work at the local level, operate on thin margins. They stretch every dollar to provide services, advocate for justice and create spaces where people can live openly and safely.

Here in Dallas, we are blessed with a vibrant ecosystem of LGBTQ+ organizations. From community centers to advocacy groups to affirming faith communities like Cathedral of Hope, these institutions are doing transformative work every day.

They are feeding people, housing people, protecting youth, supporting mental health and standing up in the public square for our rights.

But too often, we are doing this work without the level of financial support needed to sustain and scale, it.

Visibility without investment is not enough
We are a community that shows up. We march. We celebrate Pride. We rally in moments of crisis. And those acts matter deeply.

But visibility without investment leaves our institutions vulnerable.

It is not enough to believe in equality. We must fund it.

It is not enough to celebrate identity. We must sustain the organizations that protect it.

It is not enough to resist injustice. We must resource the infrastructure that makes resistance effective.

If we do not invest in our own community, we create a vacuum that others, those who oppose our full humanity, are more than willing to fill with their own vision for the future.

What our giving actually does
When we give to LGBTQ+ organizations, we are not making a symbolic gesture. We are making tangible change possible.

You are helping a young person find safe shelter instead of sleeping on the street.

You are ensuring that someone in crisis has access to mental health care.

You are supporting legal advocacy that challenges discriminatory laws.

You are empowering faith leaders and community organizers to speak a message of inclusion and justice in spaces where it is desperately needed.

You are building a future where the next generation does not have to fight the same battles we are fighting now.

This is not abstract. It is immediate. It is measurable. And it is essential.

A call to courageous generosity
The question before us is not whether the opposition is organized; they are. It is not whether they are funded; they are.

The question is whether we will match that commitment with our own.

Will we treat our organizations as optional or as essential?

Will we give what is convenient or what is needed?

Will we assume someone else will step up or recognize that the future of our community depends on all of us?

Courage is not only found in protest. It is found in investment. It is found in the quiet, consistent decision to give, to ensure that the work continues, that the voices are amplified and that the doors remain open for those who need them most.

The future is ours to fund.

We are at a pivotal moment. The gains of the past are not guaranteed in the future. But neither is regression inevitable. What happens next will depend, in no small part, on whether we are willing to fund the future we believe in.

So give.

Give generously.

Give consistently.

Give with the understanding that your dollars are not just donations; they are declarations — declarations that our lives matter. That our stories deserve to be told. That our community will not be out-organized or out-funded in the fight for dignity and justice.

Because if our faith, our identity and our future are worth defending, they are worth funding.

The Rev. Neil Thomas is senior pastor of Cathedral of Hope UCC.

Pretty Boy — yes, that’s his real name — is a 2-year-old, 27 pounds, this terrier/shepherd mixed breed heartthrob serving looks and personality, This guy is equal parts playful goofball and loyal sidekick who is always ready for action — a walk around the neighborhood (he’s great on leash), a toy-chasing marathon or a casual hangout on the couch. Pretty Boy is a fan of people and other dogs, making him the kind of pup who’s happy to make new friends wherever he goes. And he’s at that age sweet spot: the tiny puppy chaos phase but still packed with youthful energy.

So if you’re in the market for a dog who brings good looks, great vibes and a whole lot of love, Pretty Boy is ready for his close-up. Come meet him at the Dallas Animal Care Center, 2400 Lone Star Drive, any day of the week between noon and 6 p.m. He has been neutered and microchipped and is up to date on his vaccinations.

Resource Center Health Grand Opening

People, places and faces