The Daily Campus
ARTS
WEDNESDAY n DECEMBER 5, 2012
5
SE ASON’S GREETINGS
THE
Holiday GUIDE
DFW’s hottest holiday happenings
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rom massive Christmas light displays to world class cultural offerings, one thing’s for sure — DFW knows how to ring in the holidays. However, with gift buying, company parties and other seasonal staples, calendars start to fill and before you know it, the holidays are gone. We’ve dug through the area’s packed seasonal schedule and picked out the best and brightest offerings for a premiere holiday season. Courtesy of the Texas Ballet Theatre
THE SHOWS When it comes to area stages during the holiday season, consider them winter wonderlands. While the calendar is filled to the brim with regular staged plays (like Theatre Three’s Crazy for You) the most prevalent production is none other than The Nutcracker. What would the holiday season be without Marius Petipa’s powerful ballet set to the iconic music of Pyotrilyich Tchaikovsky’s score? DFW has more than enough Nutcracker offerings to satify the en pointe craving. Texas Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker will make two pit stops in the metroplex: one at the Winspear Opera House and the other at Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall. The Winspear production runs
Texas Ballet Theater’s production of ‘The Nutcracker ‘runs Nov. 23 to Dec. 2 at Winspear Opera House and Dec. 7 to Dec. 23 at Bass Hall.
from Nov. 23 to Dec. 2 while the Bass Hall stop runs from Dec. 7 to Dec. 23. Looking for something closer to campus? If ballet isn’t your preferred type of performance, Addison’s WaterTower Theatre is staging It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play — a rendition of Frank Capra’s famous Christmas film that is a producorial leap for the playhouse that usually hosts a Christmas-type special during the winter months. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play runs until Dec. 16. For more information visit watertowertheatre.org. On the musical side of the spectrum, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is putting on the event Christmas Celebration in the vein of It’s a Wonderful Life as well. The holiday centric performance will also feature appearances from the Christmas Celebration children’s choir and the Dallas Symphony Chorus. To score tickets to the event, which runs Dec. 14 to Dec. 23, visit www.dallassymphony.org.
THE EVENTS Holiday in the Park (Six Flags Over Texas) — Christmas at the park? The park which is known for its summer attractions and thrills gets frosted over. Six Flags Over Texas transitions into its traditional winter wonderland with Holiday in the Park. Guests can enjoy a spectacular Christmas celebration that includes seasonal shows and treats of all assortments. Holiday at the Arboretum — The Dallas Arboretum is ringing in the holidays with the “Artistry of the Nativity” collection. The collection will feature hundreds of nativity scenes from around the world. Special activities
will be sprinkled around the arboretum which include photo opps with jolly Old St. Nick, his favorite reindeer, Rudolph, and a live reindeer and of course Frosty. Renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s glass installations can be seen throughout the gardens as one of the main attractions. Visitors can also enjoy holiday teas at the park (reservation required). The Turtle Creek Chorale: Naughty and Nice — Have you been naughty or nice this year? Let the Turtle Creek Chorale answer that question for you with its very own holiday specials. Judy Garland holiday mixes will be performed along with many others. Local director and choreographer B.J. Cleveland and Liza Minnelli will be present. Carol Channing and Charles Nelson Reilly will help celebrate the holiday.
THE LIGHTS SMU’s Celebration of Lights is more than the university’s way of kicking off the holiday season. Marked by the lighting of thousands of lights in the main quad, the celebration is a way for students, faculty and community members to get into the holiday spirit. Around Dallas there are a number of similar festivals that can bring you holiday cheer all month long. “The Trains at Northpark” is another local tradition that embraces the giving spirit of the holidays. Sponsored by Bank of Texas, the elaborate exhibit features toy trains whizzing by over 1,600 feet
of train track across the cityscapes of Dallas, New York City, San Francisco, Albuquerque and Washington, D.C. All proceeds from the display benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. NASCAR and Indy Racing enthusiasts can travel to Texas Motor Speedway for a display of more than two million LED lights. Winterland Inc. and All Things Christmas sponsor the park event entitled the “Gift of Lights.” Gift of Lights benefits Goodwill Industries, the Tarrant Area Food Bank and local radio station KLTY’s Christmas Wish initiative. For ticket information, visit 2012. giftoflights.org. Near and far from SMU, holiday cheer is all around Dallas this December. From Christmas trees to mesmerizing trains, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
- Chase Wade, Parminder Deo & Kian Hervey