Performing Arts

Sock monkey? Nah. As McSweeney’s has made it clear, “it’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers!” And this is your chance to make one for free!

The show that closed Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Dallas will open its new theater in downtown Carrollton. The popular melodrama theater company announced it will open its newly renovated theater on Elm Street in Carrollton on Friday, Nov. 25, starting with a month-long run of its annual holiday musical Ebenezer Scrooge, written by theater founder Joe Dickinson.

So you’ve got the kids and they’re still all wired up from the K2-sized mountain of fun-size candy they collected on Halloween.

If you’ve watched even the slightest ounce of ESPN, then you know about sports analyst Stephen A. Smith’s hate-hate relationship with the Dallas Cowboys. The only thing he despises more is the fans. That’s not conjecture. That’s a summary of the things he said an interview with Charlamagne Tha God…

Whether they know it or not, every artist is inspired by one who came before them. In the case of Salvador Dalí, he was open about his obsession with those that came before him. Specifically, Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.

Long before hits like The Producers, The Book of Mormon and Hamilton came along, Broadway felt like some distant land trapped in a time bubble. If it wasn’t stage productions of popular movies and TV shows, it was something even worse: the same, old classics over and over and over…

Comedian Wes Corwin doesn’t take any credit for the Plano Comedy Festival becoming the largest comedy festival in all of North Texas.

Whenever a comedian tries to play a character on stage, that character usually has an over inflated ego or is some larger-than-life specimen whose presence demands your attention by yelling into a mic or speaking with a self-appointed authority and importance. It’s just a rule.

Stand-up comedy is almost always worth watching, because it’s funny when a joke lands and even sort of funny (admit it) when it doesn’t. But nothing feels better than laughing with homegrown comics because, damn it, we support local talent.

The name Elizabeth Strout should be as well-known as her best-selling title characters Amy and Isabelle or Olive Kitteridge… or Lucy Barton. And speaking of Lucy, Strout has brought her back. On the page and to Dallas.

Through October 15, Conduit Gallery (1626 C Hi Line Drive) is spotlights two artists who, while with totally different styles, are builders. Austin-based Lance Letscher creates his collages from aged, illustration-based 1950s and 1960s ephemera.

We’ll use any opportunity to celebrate Latin culture, and Hispanic Heritage Month seems like a particularly appropriate time.

Plenty of contemporary plays have women in them. But in his biting new satire, Mathew Posey of Ochre House Theater (825 Exposition Ave.) actually wants to focus on them. Using song and dance and even some vaudevillian tricks, the Ochre season opener is all about exploring roles of oppression and oppressor.

“Here we go again…” The main challenge with watching Mamma Mia! live and on stage is to keep yourself from singing along to all the ABBA hits that form the soundtrack. But we think we can handle it just to get a peep at Lyric Stage’s production of the beloved musical hitting the Majestic Theatre (1925 Elm St.) on Wednesday, August 24, and running through Sunday.

If anything deserves to be mocked, it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Disney’s blockbuster film franchise

Actor and comedian David Koechner gets recognized all the time. His work in movies and television is so prolific that there are several categories of reasons why he might get recognized.

Ah, the sweet aspirations inspired by The Great British Baking Show – don’t pretend you haven’t felt them. The Lancaster-Kiest Branch of the Dallas Public Library (2008 East Kiest Blvd.) offers a workshop from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, so we can all tap into our decorative talents with piping demos to get the best trims and lettering lessons for the most legible cakes in the land.

Last week, comedian and show producer Noah “Shark” Robertson announced on his Facebook page that he booked conservative comedian and self-described troll Alex Stein as part of a lineup

One of Texas’ funniest comedians wants to introduce you to a bunch of really funny people in a special showcase at the Addison Improv.

He’s your favorite character who lives in a pineapple under the sea, and his musical is coming to Farmers Branch. The Firehouse Theatre (2535 Valley View Lane) is making waves with The SpongeBob Musical, complete with original tunes by Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips, John Legend and others.

In a new production by Uptown Players, Kinky Boots still stands tall with its messages of empathy, tolerance and understanding.

Somebody is dropping the ball right now. It’s hard to say if it’s Comedy Central or Saturday Night Live or some other all-powerful comedy entity