HISTORY

The Dallas arts community has thrived for decades, but in 1993 a dearth — for both artists & audiences alike — of locally produced, professional musical theater inspired Steven Jones to create & establish Lyric Stage, Inc. — a 501c3 professional musical theatre company — with the mission of developing & preserving the musical.

Since 1993, Lyric Stage has grown to become one of North Texas’ most honored theatre companies, being both locally and nationally recognized for its work. For over 25 years, Founding Producer Steven Jones has remained committed to Lyric Stage’s mission by: producing 125 productions including 2 Off-Broadway shows; creating over 3,000 jobs in Dallas County by remaining committed to employing local artists, technicians & fabricators; developing & producing 21 world-premiere musicals; working with the R&H Organization, Jule Styne Estate, & Jerome Moross family to restore and produce full, orchestral productions of such classics as CAROUSEL, THE KING & I, SHOWBOAT, GYPSY, and THE GOLDEN APPLE (recorded by PS Classics and available as the first full-length recording); working closely with native Texans Harvey Schmidt (composer) & Tom Jones (lyricist), creators of the THE FANTASTICKS, to produce and preserve their works; and honoring excellence in local, high school musical theatre since 2010 by sponsoring The Schmidt & Jones Awards.

In 2017, after 24 Seasons at the Irving Arts Center, Lyric Stage moved to producing at Dallas’ historic Majestic Theatre, located in downtown Dallas, at 1925 Elm Street. The beautiful, 100-year old Baroque-style vaudeville theatre was, and is, the perfect fit for Lyric Stage’s large-scale musicals, which always feature local artists, actors, and the always live, Lyric Stage Orchestra.

In 2019, Catherine Carpenter Cox joined Lyric Stage as Producer, and has remained committed to sustaining and growing Founder Steven Jones’ commitments to and legacy of producing high quality, locally produced, professional musical theatre. Cox also continues to honor Lyric Stage’s mission by looking for ways to evolve and grow in the ever-changing landscape of the arts, so that future audiences and generations will be able to experience the musical, a uniquely American art form.

SELECT HIGHLIGHTS

In 1997, Lyric Stage produced its first world premiere, AFTER THE FAIR. The subsequent New York production of AFTER THE FAIR was nominated for Best Off-Broadway Musical by the Outer Critics Circle. In its first twenty-three seasons, Lyric Stage produced 20 world premiere musicals. For a full production history list, click here.

In 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Lyric Stage a grant of $30,000 to help cover the cost of a 40-piece orchestra for its production of CAROUSEL. This production was the first to have a full 40-piece orchestra playing Don Walker’s original orchestrations since the original 1945 Broadway production. According to The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, Lyric Stage’s production of CAROUSEL received the greatest set of notices of any production in CAROUSEL history, including the original Broadway production.

In 2009, the success of Lyric Stage’s CAROUSEL led The R & H Organization to ask Lyric Stage to produce the world premiere of the newly restored THE KING AND I. Ted Chapin, President and Executive Director of The R & H Organization and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Theatre Wing declared, “This is the way The King and I should always be produced. Lyric Stage should be extremely proud.”

In 2010, Lyric Stage presented the original 1927 SHOW BOAT in Concert, featuring material that had never before been heard. The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization opened the archives to Lyric Stage to recreate Oscar Hammerstein’s original libretto and Robert Russell Bennett’s original orchestrations. The production featured a 69-person cast and a 40-piece orchestra.

In 2011, Lyric Stage worked with the Jule Styne Estate to complete a full restoration of the original Broadway score of GYPSY, and Lyric Stage’s production was the first to be performed with a full 39-piece orchestra playing Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler’s original orchestrations since the original 1959 Broadway production . Lyric Stage’s work helped form the basis for the Jule Styne Estate’s work on the critical edition of the score.

In 2015, Grammy-nominated record label PS Classics released a commercial recording of Lyric Stage’s production of THE GOLDEN APPLE.  This is the only complete, full-length recording of this critically acclaimed musical. Pulitzer Prize winning critic Lloyd Schwartz of NPR’s FRESH AIR called Lyric Stage’s THE GOLDEN APPLE a “game-changing new recording.” OPERA NEWS also named it one of The 10 Best Recordings of 2015.

In its 2016–2017 season, Lyric Stage produced its 20th and 21st world premiere musicals: Larry Gatlin’s QUANAH starring Grammy Award-winning artist David Phelps; and PURE COUNTRY based on the 1992 Warner Brothers film starring George Strait.

PAST PRODUCTIONS

FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF PAST PRODUCTIONS, PLEASE CLICK HERE.