...unearthing the power of the female theatrical voice!
...unearthing the power of the female theatrical voice!
THE LADIES OF THE CAMELLIAS by Lillian Groag
* "It’s a relentless hysterical romp… Good choice, Echo Theatre, for your 10th Anniversary Season. Sparkling divertissement.” Alexandra Bonifield, Lakewood-now.net
* “The only problem with Echo Theatre's production ... is that it's so bitingly funny… you might miss many of the jokes from all the actors in the audience laughing so hard.” Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice
* "The year's funniest show." Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
STRING OF PEARLS by Michele Lowe
*"ACTORS MAKE ECHO SHOW A REAL GEM ... Echo Theatre marks its 10th Anniversary with ... one of the strongest [productions] in the company's history ... Once again, [Echo] has a writer who is fresh in outlook and technique ... A party to remember." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
*"... A compelling dynamic, full of dark intrigue, brilliant twists, moments of dire anguish and exquisite joy ... as professional a display of thespian accomplishment as one could expect to see anywhere." Alexandra Bonifield, Lakewood-Now.net
WOMEN AND HORSES AND A SHOT STRAIGHT FROM THE BOTTLE by Mary F. Casey
*"Terrific ... Flavorsome western types ... [John] Davies is perfect as the fading cowboy ... Shiela is like a living diorama from the Cowgirl Museum and [Lara Davison] makes her vividly larger than life ... WOMEN AND HORSES will endear itself to every true Texan." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
*"... A poignant mini-saga about three women, three men and one mean horse ... WOMEN AND HORSES bristles with unbridled emotions and scary-wonderful moments of wide-open rage." Elaine Liner, Dallas Observer
TOUGH CHOICES FOR THE NEW CENTURY by Jane Anderson
*"TOUGH CHOICES has many moments of ironic humor, as well as enough character development to keep us engaged. Ray Gestaut and Kelly Thomas are terrific as the Dooleys, too." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
SHOPPING AND DROPPING by Laura Henry
*"Echo Theatre’s contribution...proved a delightful lark ... Pam Myers-Morgan’s strong cast gave all the little play’s twists and turns an amusing sense of reality." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
HOLY DAYS by Sally Nemeth and
RUPERT'S BIRTHDAY by Ken Jenkins
*"The four actors preserve the understated mood beautifully [in HOLY DAYS]...[in RUPERT'S BIRTHDAY] Ms. Lindsay outdoes herself by fusing just enough quirkiness with the aura of an alienated earth mother."
Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
SAILING TO BYZANTIUM by Sandra Deer
*"If you're going to do a play about the love lives of long-dead poets, you'd better do it well. Echo Theatre does SAILING TO BYZANTIUM exquisitely." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
*"Director Linda Leonard's production -- first-rate down to the details of accent, costume and coiffure -- unfolds with seductive flair on Chase Corker's impeccably decorated set as Russell Dyer's lighting underscores yearnings of various sorts." Perry Stewart, Fort Worth Star Telegram
DAUGHTERS OF THE LATE COLONEL by Katherine Mansfield
*"Superlative performances...Brandi Andrade and Kateri Cale distinguish themselves, especially in the brief moments toward the end where the sisters let their imaginations soar." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
FREEDOMLAND by Amy Freed
*"...a real treasure trove for this strong ensemble...Ms. Cronauer's is perhaps the most vividly funny among a set of terrific performances." Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
*"...the funniest, most incisively intelligent play that's been onstage in Dallas for quite a while..." Glenn Arbery, People Newspapers
DREAMING AMERICA by Rhonda Blair and Company
*"This is good old-fashioned agitprop theater, angry, partisan, accusatory and unabashedly feminist. It's satisfying as hell...75 minutes of clever, smartly worded sketches, monologues and songs." Elaine Liner, The Dallas Observer
*"Rhonda Blair, Terri Ferguson and the charming Jerrika Hinton amuse in DREAMING AMERICA...wryly funny feminist sensibility suffuses much of this new work." Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
OFF THE MAP by Joan Ackermann
*"...gently, offhandedly moving. Director Ellen Locy draws fine performances from her cast, particularly the hilarious and sharply articulate Clara Peretz, a smashingly talented sixth-grader. Ms. Myers-Morgan is the quintessential earth mother but wears the archetype casually and winningly. Design is terrific, with Chase Corker's elaborate set nearly upstaged by Robert McVay's gorgeous lighting." Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
*"In Peretz, director Locy found a remarkably talented actress who more than holds her own against seasoned actors Crawford, Savering and Myers-Morgan. Chase Corker's detailed set incredibly manages to fit the house interior, front porch, outhouse and fishing dock on the Bath House's tiny stage without making it feel too crowded. OFF THE MAP is sweet and affecting, and Echo Theatre does it proud." Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram
KINDERTRANSPORT by Diane Samuels
*"...the cast conveys the complexities of KINDERTRANSPORT. Ms. Lindsay and Ms. Wickwire have both been active on Dallas stages for years, but neither has ever done better work." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
*"The play itself is a good read, but when done this well, KINDERTRANSPORT is also riveting theater...an all-around success... costumes...sets...lighting are all first-rate." Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram
BOY GETS GIRL by Rebecca Gilman
*...the actors playing these roles all turn in beautifully calibrated performances...Regan Adair does his best work to date as the magazine's cool, suave new writer...John S. Davies is an comfortable as a 10-year-old jacket...Grant James [is] wonderfully watchable." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
*"Rhonda Blair, who directs the show for Echo Theatre, goes one step further by using fluid pacing and getting deep-reaching portrayals from her actors." Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram
DUMB SUPPER by Deborah Pryor
*"...a sleek thriller. Jamie Richards directs Echo Theatre's superb production...the festival's happiest surprise to date...all four performers brilliantly invest their rather showy parts with natural ease." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
ARIEL BRIGHT by Katharine Long
*"...a sweet and tender almost-love story...Colleen Clinkenbeard is enchanting...you can't take your eyes from [her]...she's the play's center of gravity, but somehow she's lighter than air at the same time." Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
*"...a gem...a delightful, Twilight Zone-esque love story...Echo Theatre deserves bravos for discovering Katharine Long's overlooked 1984 play, ARIEL BRIGHT, and for casting an incandescent actress with the lyrical name Colleen Clinkenbeard. Newcomer Tom Marcantel plays [Hiley] with ease and charm." Perry Stewart, Fort Worth Star Telegram
CLOUD NINE by Caryl Churchill
*"...a sublime take on sex, politics with a light touch. CLOUD NINE means bliss in more ways than one in Echo Theatre's delightful revival...one of Echo's very best...!" Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
*"Excellent cast nails challenging CLOUD NINE production...intoxicating...the cast is as tight and consistently excellent as any fielded in Dallas this year." Arnold Wayne Jones, The Voice
*"A first-class production...the laughs flow loud and long...hilarious, imaginative comedy...rarely has a Dallas theater, large or small, boasted such a tight ensemble of talented actors." Elaine Liner, The Dallas Observer
VITA AND VIRGINIA by Eileen Atkins
*"Under Pam Myers- Morgan's direction, the actresses are superb...It's touchingly vivid, and the sense of both women's personalities and worlds is strong."Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
AMERICAN BURKA by Rhonda Blair & Company
*"...unfailingly human perspectives, frequently laced with humor. Blair's performance as Andrea [Yates] will break the hardest heart." Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News
*"For the audience, there's laughter, thought provocation and a terrific evening of cabaret!" Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram
AN ALMOST HOLY PICTURE by Heather McDonald
*"Echo Theatre acquits itself beautifully with an elegant and edgy show that flies by...[Parry] gives his most purely human and heartbreaking performance, radiating a palpable reverence..." Jimmy Fowler, Dallas Observer
*"Raphael Parry gives a blistering, moving performance...Rene Moreno has directed this riveting, unfettered performance to perfection." Tom Sime, The Dallas Morning News
STOP KISS by Diana Son
*"...speedy and incisive direction [by] SMU professor and frequent Echo collaborator Rhonda Blair...Williams relaxes into [the role of Sara] with canny charm and an insinuating kind of seducer's smile that puts the reins of this romance squarely in her capable hands." Jimmy Fowler, Dallas Observer
*"...a marvel of subtle craftsmanship...powerful, moving, and unsentimental. One of the finest, funniest dramatizations ever of falling in love, gesture by gesture, look by look, hurt by hurt." Tom Sime, The Dallas Morning News
*"STOP KISS is simply designed and powerfully acted...Gold's effectively mannered performance is the driving force." Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram
TRIFLES by Susan Glaspell
*"Speaking of Echo, it's no surprise that its entry, Susan Glaspell's TRIFLES, is FIT's most profoundly stirring moment, thanks to Ellen Locy's compelling direction." Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
*"The tension onstage is fantastic, and the simple set design and lighting convey an unexpected depth. Fine acting by all the players lends to an intense production." Robin Goodpaster, The Met
LEMONADE by Eve Ensler
*"If you doubt that Dallas has actors as good as anywhere, take a look at Echo Theatre's LEMONADE. Pam Doughtery and T.A. Taylor combine sexual sizzle with a subtlety that gives Eve Ensler's play whole new dimensions." Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
*"...hurry up and buy your tickets. Rhonda Blair's astute direction manages to blend a wide variety of feelings -- rowdy, meditative, horny, mournful, vindictive -- into one coherent statement." Jimmy Fowler, Dallas Observer
GOBLIN MARKET by Polly Pen and Peggy Harmon, music by Polly Pen
*"...a sensual banquet served by two talented performers of tantalizingly diverse stage persona." Perry Stewart, Fort Worth Star Telegram
*"...once again art trumps base human desires but also makes something beautiful of them." Jimmy Fowler, Dallas Observer
FEFU AND HER FRIENDS by Maria Irene Fornes
*"...a performance breathtaking in its boldness!" Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News
*"...the theatre event of the summer -- four and a half stars!" Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram
ECHO PRESENTS...'99
*"...has food-for-thought and an overwhelming independent spirit, but most of all, it makes for a terrific evening of entertainment." Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram
*"...a theatrical grab bag -- has a nice, goofy feel to it!" Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News
VOICE BOX by Various Writers
*"...terrific acting and designing talent...discoveries for everyone." Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News
WHY WE HAVE A BODY by Claire Chafee
*"...a terrific evening of theater...an absorbing play and two smashing actors...the design team has pulled off a miracle." Lawson Taitte, The Dallas Morning News
*"Director Pam Myers-Morgan and her cast are full of the right juices...has a visceral kick that keeps you laughing and engaged." Jimmy Fowler, Dallas Observer
DREAM OF A COMMON LANGUAGE by Heather McDonald
*"...a buoyant, evocative debut production...a series of engaging performances." Jimmy Fowler, Dallas Observer
*"...superb acting, directing and design...what you'd expect from the accomplished women behind Echo." Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
*"The cast is pure, strong, talented and intuitive, inspiring insight as well as providing entertainment." April Brown, The Met