Patron Magazine - June/July 2015

WaterTower Theatre is one of the fastest growing regional theatres in the country. I love it because their work is dynamic, exciting, fresh, energetic, and alive. I have so many fond memories of watching some of my favorites actors on the WaterTower Theatre stage like Denise Lee, Liz Mikel, Donald Fowler, Diana Sheehan and, of course, Terry Martin. Seeing Terry in the theatre's recent production of All My Sons reminded me of his incomparable acting skills. In his role as Joe Keller in Arthur Miller’s morality play, Terry delivers one of the most persuasive and powerful stage performances I've ever seen. Terry's not only an accomplished actor, but he is also a brilliant stage director. My favorite show that he directed recently is Dogfight. It's a tender, yet brutally honest musical that Terry led with intimacy supported by moments of cinematic grandeur. It’s a story about the close kinship of cruelty to innocence, and how, ultimately, they annihilate one another. Dogfight is a production to remember and to celebrate not only because of Terry's thoughtful direction, but also because of the highly talented cast led by Zak Reynolds and Juliette Talley. WaterTower Theatre is a wonderful gift for fans of great theatre. — Barbara Daseke. arts patron

STAGE MANAGEMENT

“As Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) celebrates its 75th anniversary, there are even more kudos,” said Holly Reeves, a DSM board member and a recipient of the Broadway League’s 2015 Star of Touring Broadway Award. The Press Club of Dallas named Michael A. Jenkins, President and Managing Director, DSM, Newsmaker of the Year recently. The award celebrated his international reputation as a theatre visionary, musical producer, worldwide theme park developer, and Broadway impresario. In May, the Press Club and Michael Jenkins presented a $30,000 scholarship grant check representing net proceeds from that event to the Communities Foundation of Texas, which benefits journalism students. Holly continued, “Michael’s leadership is far-reaching throughout the DFW community and has developed DSM into one of the largest producers and presenters of live theatrical entertainment across the United States.” DSM’s 2015/2016 season includes shows like Wicked and its own production of The Little Mermaid. —P

HATS OFF TO
DALLAS SUMMER MUSICALS

If you saw a shadowy, unmarked Tesla Model S zipping around town, and it happened to pull over suddenly, and the entire paint job changed into a moving, sci-fi looking zebra, hopefully you stopped and got out of your car to watch the show. You just witnessed the “Racing Extinction” Tesla, projecting huge swimming blue whales on landmark buildings and bringing traffic to a stop. Welcome to Earth Day Texas, the largest eco-conference and showcase on the globe and the Texas Premiere of the film Racing Extinction, Academy Award-winning director Louie Psihoyos’s powerful look into the manmade mass extinction event that is plaguing our planet now. "After seeing firsthand the heartfelt reactions of the many viewers at Earth Day Texas, I realized more than ever that the medium of film is one of the most powerful ways to connect to a large number of people both emotionally and intellectually,” says Trammell S. Crow, Founder of Earth Day Texas and Co-Executive Producer of Racing Extinction. This powerful film releases worldwide in the last quarter of 2015. —Michael Cain, filmmaker and environmentalist, and David Rudduck, environmentalist