Undermain Theatre

UNDERMAIN THEATRE: From the Basement

Innovative, Thoughtful and Challenging New Work for 41 Seasons 

For 41 seasons of performance in Dallas, Undermain Theatre has sought to raise awareness for new work and the importance of a strong generative theater in Dallas by showcasing by building long-term relationships with playwrights at all stages of their careers. Building these relationships between playwrights, our artists, and the Dallas audience through repeated productions of a playwright’s work on our stage was the lifelong passion of our Founding Artistic Director, Katherine Owens. Following Kat’s unexpected death in 2019, Bruce DuBose and the Undermain Board of Trustees established the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work to carry on her legacy. The Fund’s achievements and growth each of the next five years combines with Undermain’s artistic commitment to introduce vibrant new work and new playwrights to celebrate Undermain’s driving force – creating exciting and dynamic work that audiences want to experience again and again.

Supported exclusively by donations from individuals, the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work each year awards a $10,000 grant to an American playwright to develop work for the Undermain stage and our Dallas patrons. In 2021, following our return to live performance, Undermain presented Lenora Champagne’s Feeding on Light, the first fully-staged World Premiere by a Fund playwright at Undermain. Feeding on Light was a particularly fitting play to be first since it celebrated the relationship between Owens and Champagne as they worked together to envision and to develop a drama about French philosopher Simone Weil. Featuring three of Undermain’s most beloved actors, Shannon Kearns, Jenny Ledel, and Joanna Schellenberg and directed by Bruce DuBose, the production was an emotional and thoughtful introduction of a Fund playwright to our audiences.

In each of the following seasons, Undermain has staged a work by a Fund recipient, culminating in this season’s “double dose” of Jarrett King’s Box and h*llo k*tty syndrome by Brian Dang. The selected works range from Gregg Deal’s performance art presentation about Native American life in today’s world to King’s challenging and evocative glimpse in the real and imagined history of escaped slave, magician and abolitionist, Henry Box Brown. Currently in rehearsal is Dang’s second play in two seasons for our stage, h*llo k*tty syndrome, the genre-bending dark comedy about how we see ourselves and how others see us.

Undermain has learned not only these productions but from the over 40 World Premieres presented in our 41 seasons as well as our the WHITHER GOEST THOU AMERICA Festivals that our audiences welcome the community established by interaction between playwright, cast, and audience created by the new work experience. By encouraging this community growth repeatedly during our seasons, Undermain hopes to further involve our audience in active collaboration and interaction, our commitment to the power of new work created in Dallas by Dallas audiences. Please consider a gift to Undermain Theatre during this April giving period to grow the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work and the playwrights, artists and audiences who benefit from its ongoing support.

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