Echo Theatre's Reflections by the Lake is an evening to gather and discuss theater in North Texas.  In this inaugural year, we’ll focus on the communities whose stories still need to be told.

Echo Theatre was created to elevate voices that were underrepresented.

We’ll explore:

• Which voices are underrepresented now?

• Whose stories are not being told?

• Where is there still work that needs to be done?

The event will feature: 

• An opening performance by burlesque dancer Nina Bytes to set a bold, celebratory tone. 

  
  

• A short, high-impact Panel Conversation featuring established and emerging women+ leaders in DFW theater.  Liz Sankarsingh, a Dallas-based nonprofit resource strategist with more than a decade of arts and education fundraising experience, will moderate the panel. An actress, producer, and arts advocate, she serves on the boards of Echo Theatre and Junior Players and is a 2025 Center for Cultural Power Regions Rising Award recipient.

  
  

  Panelists

  • Marty van Kleeck, 50-year theater veteran, former Manager of the Bath House Cultural Center, theatre producer, and founder of 1:30 Productions, that served seniors.

  • Lisa Lee Schmidt, Founder and Executive of Big Heart Theater, which features artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

  • Kelley Butterfly Smith, Professor Theatre Studies at UTA, director, writer, actress and contemplative practitioner

  • Celeste Scalzo, video game designer and theater costumer.

    
    

• An Interactive Reception where Echo Producers and guests connect one-on-one about:

  What stories feel urgent?

  Which playwrights are missing from local stages?

  How theater can be more relevant in our daily lives?

Guests may engage with Prompt Stations around the venue to share thoughts on the issues they want theatre to tackle and recommend plays or artists they hope to see produced. Those who choose to share their email addresses will receive a post-event Reflections Recap, including key themes voiced by the community, and a preview of Echo’s upcoming programming. 

Reflections by the Lake will also introduce Echo Theatre’s new Play Submission Pathway, inviting: 

• playwrights to submit new work, 

• directors and producers to propose collaborations, and 

• audience members to recommend plays and artists for future Echo seasons. 

  
  

  Submission information and guidelines will be available at EchoTheatre.org following the event. 

  
  

EVENT FACTS

What: Reflections by the Lake: A Synergy of Women+ 

When: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 

• Doors open: 6:30 p.m. 

• Opening performance: 7:00 p.m. 

• Panel conversations & Q&A: 7:15–8:15 p.m. (approx.) 

• Sober Reception: 8:15–9:00 p.m. 

Where: Bath House Cultural Center 521 E. Lawther Drive Dallas, TX 75218 

Cost: Free. Reservations strongly encouraged at EchoTheatre.org.

About women+: Echo Theatre uses the term “women+” to embrace an expansive and diverse community, including people born female, people who identify as women, and gender non-conforming individuals.

Our FEATURED PERFORMER: Nina Bytes