Circle Theatre and Stage West are teaming up with Dallas’ Soul Rep Theatre Company to bring three shows by Black American playwrights from the 2022-23 Broadway season to local stages this summer.
Ashley Oliver, general manager of Soul Rep, noticed that all three North Texas theaters were producing Black Broadway shows this season, which is a rarity. “I felt really invested in making the connection with Stage West and Circle Theatre.” They felt the same way, and a plan was devised to promote one another’s productions.
Guests who purchase a ticket to Ain’t No Mo’, A Strange Loop, or Fat Ham will receive a 20% discount on each of the other two shows. In a follow-up email for your first purchased show, you’ll find the discount codes for the other two productions and further instructions.
JUNE 5-8, 2025
Soul Rep Theatre Company presents Ain’t No Mo’ by Jordan E. Cooper at the Kalita Humphreys Theater (3636 Turtle Creek Blvd, Dallas, 214-613-3268) 7:30pm Thu-Sat, Jun 5-7, and 2pm Sat and Sun, Jun 7-8. This comedy asks the question: What if the United States government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa? The answer plays out in a comedic ride that blends avant-garde theater with drag, sketch, and satire. The story of this “great exodus” is told by an ensemble cast led by Peaches, a larger-than-life flight agent boarding the final plane leaving the country. Tickets start at $25 at SoulRep.org.
Courtesy Soul Rep Theatre Company
JUNE 19 – JULY 12, 2025
Circle Theatre (230 W 4th St, Fort Worth, 817-877-3040) is presenting A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson. This Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical explores the Black queer experience through the story of Usher, a musical theater writer who crafts a show about his own complex journey. See this show within a show at 7:30pm Thu, 8pm Fri-Sat, or 3pm Sat from Thu, Jun 19, to Sat, Jul 12. Individual tickets will be on sale soon at CircleTheatre.com/AStrangeLoop.
Courtesy Circle Theatre
AUGUST 28 to SEPTEMBER 14, 2025
Stage West Theatre (821 W Vickery Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-784-9378) also has a Pulitzer Prize-winning play this summer. A retelling of Hamlet, Fat Ham by James Ijames centers on a queer Black man in a Southern family who is visited by the ghost of his father at a backyard barbecue and is asked to seek revenge but with a modern perspective on themes like masculinity and family trauma. Fat Ham is 7:30pm Thu-Sun or 2pm Sat-Sun from Thu, Aug 28, to Sun, Sep 14. Tickets are $38 at StageWest.org/Fat-Ham.
Courtesy Stage West
While February is Black History Month, there is also much to be celebrated in March and beyond. Read about it in Night & Day.
