A Message From North Texas Theaters: ‘This is Just an Intermission’

Theaters in North Texas are lit only by the glow of a ghost light. The coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of performing arts venues in mid-March and it is unknown when or how these venues with reopen. Eighteen professional theater companies in Dallas and Fort Worth have joined forces to remind audiences this closure is temporary, creating a video message for North Texas Giving Tuesday Now on May 5.

All of the theaters are participating in North Texas Giving Tuesday Now, updating their online profiles to describe specific needs. The theater alliance includes Amphibian Stage, Bishop Arts, Cara Mia Theatre, Casa Manana, Circle Theatre, Dallas Children's Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Firehouse Theatre, Kitchen Dog Theater, Jubilee Theatre, Lyric Stage, Second Thought Theatre, Shakespeare Dallas, Stage West, Theatre Three, Undermain Theatre, Uptown Players, and WaterTower Theatre.

Eighteen theater companies have joined forces for North Texas Giving Tuesday Now on May 5.

In a joint press release, the theaters explain the purpose of their alliance: "Last month, eighteen professional Equity DFW theaters formed an alliance in an effort to support each other, come together to manage the crisis facing all arts organizations as a result of COVID-19, and to lead our industry in setting safety standards for patrons and artists alike. We are much stronger together than we are as individual theaters...This is just an intermission."

The theaters will share a video message at 10 a.m. on May 5 as a part of North Texas Giving Tuesday Now. In the video, the producers and artistic directors of the theater companies paint their impact with numbers. The eighteen theaters employ 383 staff members and 2430 local artists. At least 80% of the theaters' budgets feed directly into the local economy. The theaters collectively entertain 759,675 patrons each year.

While the ghost lights illuminate empty stages, theater companies continue to plan, dream and hope for a day when theater can do what it does best: bring people together.

Give on North Texas Giving Tuesday Now from 6 a.m. until midnight on May 5: https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/