{"id":184642,"date":"2025-08-29T13:16:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/184642\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T13:16:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:16:12","slug":"dallas-bishop-arts-theatre-center-hits-race-and-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/184642\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas&#8217; Bishop Arts Theatre Center hits race and censorship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An American classic, a banned books festival, and a family-friendly world premiere headline the 32nd anniversary season at <a href=\"https:\/\/bishopartstheatre.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bishop Arts Theatre Center<\/a> in Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1993, Bishop Arts Theatre Center is an award-winning, multicultural, multidisciplinary arts institution based in Dallas. This eclectic lineup reflects the company\u2019s enduring commitment to cultivating local artists, celebrating cultural traditions, and sparking urgent conversations. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor more than three decades, Bishop Arts Theatre Center has stood at the intersection of community and creativity,\u201d says executive artistic director Teresa Coleman Wash. \u201cThis season continues that legacy with stories that are both deeply personal and profoundly universal. From August Wilson\u2019s searing portrait of redemption, to the joyous celebration of Black Nativity, to a bold festival challenging censorship, and a family-friendly world premiere by a Dallas artist, this is a season of firsts that reflects our city\u2019s resilience and imagination.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 9-26<\/strong>: The season begins with August Wilson&#8217;s <strong>King Hedley II<\/strong>, directed by Jemal McNeil in a co-production with Soul Rep Theatre.<\/p>\n<p>Part of Wilson\u2019s legendary American Century Cycle, this gripping drama is set in 1980s Pittsburgh and follows an ex-convict fighting to rebuild his life against the crushing weight of systemic injustice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAugust Wilson is a giant in the American theater, and it has always been our goal to produce his work,\u201dsays Guinea Bennett-Price, co-founder and co-artistic director of Soul Rep Theatre. \u201cWe are grateful to the Parrish Charitable Foundation for making this vision a reality, and thrilled to share this collaboration with Bishop Arts Theatre Center.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 4-21<\/strong>: A cornerstone of Dallas holiday traditions returns next: <strong>Black Nativity<\/strong>. Inspired by Langston Hughes\u2019s groundbreaking 1960 Broadway production, this version is written and directed by Calvin J. Walker, with music direction by Steven A. Taylor.<\/p>\n<p>Through partnerships with local high schools, including Sunset, Molina, and Adamson, this year\u2019s production deepens the tradition by welcoming first-time actors and youth participants into the cast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m honored to reimagine this timeless work,\u201d says Walker. \u201cMy prayer is that audiences of all ages experience joy, connection, and inspiration this holiday season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 19-March 8, 2026<\/strong>: In an era of rising censorship, Bishop Arts Theatre Center reaffirms its commitment to amplifying silenced voices with its annual Banned Books Festival.  Inspired by Ijeoma Oluo\u2019s acclaimed <strong>So You Want to Talk About Race<\/strong>, six playwrights will create original works responding to the book\u2019s urgent themes of race, identity, and justice.<\/p>\n<p>The festival extends beyond the stage with talkbacks and roundtables, including a special conversation with Oluo herself. Together with The Writer\u2019s Garret and director Charles Jackson Jr., the festival invites audiences into a deeper dialogue about the power of art, literature, and free expression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs censorship attempts continue, it\u2019s our responsibility to defend free speech,\u201d says Aaron Glover, executive director of The Writer\u2019s Garret. \u201cThe arts remain one of the most powerful tools to connect, uplift, and challenge us. We are proud to co-present this festival with Bishop Arts Theatre Center.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>September 10-20, 2026<\/strong>: The season closes with <strong>Portalgraphs<\/strong>, a magical new musical directed and with book by Justin Cavazos, and original music by Dustin and Justin Cavazos.<\/p>\n<p>It follows a spirited grandmother and her sassy granddaughter who stumble into a photo album that becomes a time machine. What begins as a whimsical journey through memories evolves into a moving story about love, legacy, and living in the moment. By engaging students from BATC\u2019s Summer STEAM Camp and after-school programs, the production also welcomes local youth and first-time actors, building bridges between generations while nurturing the next wave of storytellers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a fun show for the whole family,\u201d says writer\/director Justin Cavazos. \u201cThe songs are catchy, the jokes land for all ages, and the story will touch your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All performances will be held at Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler Street in Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>Tickets are available <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bishopartstheatre.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a> or by calling 214-948-0716. Seniors, students, and groups of 15-plus are eligible for discounts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An American classic, a banned books festival, and a family-friendly world premiere headline the 32nd anniversary season at&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":184643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,103748,63653,40647,1596,103746,103747,358,1148,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-184642","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-banned-books-festival","10":"tag-bishop-arts","11":"tag-bishop-arts-theatre-center","12":"tag-dallas","13":"tag-king-hedley-ii","14":"tag-portalgraphs","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-theater","17":"tag-tx","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115112246483715964","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}