Certain Tuesdays throughout the summer find the Music Hall atFair Park buzzing. Floors get cleaned, television crews set upequipment in several places around the lobby, and from behind theclosed theater doors one can hear technical rehearsals in progress.All of this is in conjunction with the 2004 season of Dallas SummerMusicals (DSM).
Just don’t expect to see musicals like Full Monty andUrine Town on the DSM schedule. Those shows require a trek to FortWorth, but that is perfectly acceptable to Michael Jenkins,president and managing director of DSM.
“We want to continue bringing the best possible Broadwaymusicals to Dallas, and we also keep the emphasis on familyentertainment as much as possible,” said Jenkins in astatement released by Dallas Summer Musicals. “I think wehave accomplished this with our 2004 lineup.”
The family friendly lineup includes shows like Miss Saigon,Yankee Doodle Dandy!, and a special one-week showing of Lord of theDance. And so far, the shows have been doing fairly well.
“With the exception of Lord of the Dance, reviews havebeen good,” said Jo Ann Holt, publicist for DSM. “BothMiss Saigon and Yankee Doodle Dandy! have been big hits with ouraudiences.”
And though season-ticket sales have been good, Holt said thatthe company is still trying to reach its goal forsingle-tickets.
The classic Little Shop of Horrors is going to have some greattechnical effects, Holt said. “Audrey II (Seymour’s maneating plant) is going to literally reach out into theaudience.”
DSM is not just targeting families and the occasional collegestudent, it is paying special attention to minority groups, namelythe Asian and Hispanic communities. Dallas Summer Musicals receiveda $150,000 grant from American Express to help fund thegroup’s efforts to reach new audiences.
In addition to expanding mailing lists and translating portionsof the DSM website into Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, minority TVand radio stations have been signed up as sponsors, Holt said. DSMis even offering special performances of shows.
“One performance of Miss Saigon was designated AsianAmerican Day at DSM,” said Holt. “That performance wassubtitled in Mandarin Chinese.”
A similar event will be coordinated for the Hispanic communitywith a subtitled performance of Joseph and the TechnicolorDreamcoat, she said.
The 2004 DSM season is not yet half way over and already theorganization seems to have accomplished quite a bit. And when itall comes down to it, Dallas Summer Musicals appears most proud ofone thing: all of this year’s shows are suitable for thewhole family to see together.
For information about the 2004 season visit the website atwww.dallassummermusicals.org.
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