Local Playwright and Performers Celebrating Richardson’s 150th

Actors Miracle Lewis and David Keller
Photo By Autumn McNamara

Not many cities can point to a play based on their history. Far fewer the size of Richardson can make that claim. As part of Richardson’s 150th celebration, the “City of Richardson History” will be performed for local audiences from June 16 – July 16, 2023, at the Core Theatre, a hidden jewel currently in its fifteenth season of performances.

James Hansen Prince, founder and creative director, is often the playwright and director of the plays performed at the Core Theatre and the “City of Richardson History” is no exception. For the past fifteen seasons, Mr. Prince has used the theatre, located just around the corner from City Hall on Arapaho Road, to perform more than fifty plays hundreds of times. “I established the Core Theatre to create productions that entertain, educate and elevate society by instilling hope and understanding. We looked around the Metroplex and felt like Richardson was a perfect location to serve the residents of Richardson, Dallas and the suburbs to the north and east especially,” noted Mr. Prince.

“We do classic and iconic plays for audiences because we know that people want to see performances and stories they are familiar with, stories like ‘Driving Miss Daisy.’ But one thing that separates us from many theatres is that more of our plays are written and performed by artists from the local area. I am a playwright myself, so many of our plays are ones I have written over the years, such as ‘Inferno! Fire at the Cocoanut Grove’ and ‘Behind the Cotton Curtain: Remembering Medgar Evers.’ These are plays based on important moments in our nation’s history. There is always something for us to learn in the present, by watching plays based on our past,” says Mr. Prince. This passion for history and focus on giving artists a chance to shine on the stage is one of the many reasons the City approached Prince to ask if he would be willing to write and produce a play about the history of Richardson. Prince jumped at the chance and looks forward to performing the play for Richardson audiences.

Prince notes that this play will be performed with a twist: “I don’t want to give everything away, but I like doing plays that involve the audience and create a sense that you are part of the story. This play is what we call devised theatre. We did this not long ago when local art patron Charles Eisemann gave us funding to write and perform a play that told the story of international students attending school at UT-Dallas. It was great fun because we used actual students from UTD to perform the play and asked the audience to participate in some things that all international students experience when they come to school here.”

Prince’s goal is to entertain, but also to teach Richardson residents about the community’s history. He states, “The history of Richardson play will be performed in the same vein [as the UTD play]; we will ask the audiences to imagine themselves in the story and, with the help of well-rehearsed performers, participate as a way of discovering the history of the city. Richardson’s history is not unlike most cities in the South. We will not shy away from parts of its troubled past, such as the topic of segregation, but in keeping with our mission to instill hope, we are also going to show how Richardson became one of the most diverse and economically vibrant cities in North Texas.”

While the Core Theatre is already busy preparing the anniversary play, area residents can attend “Portal to the Keep,” a science fiction “steampunk” popcorn melodrama right now. A lively show, audiences are even invited to throw popcorn at the actors performing in the play! The Core Theatre is located at 518 W. Arapaho Rd. For tickets, dates and times of all upcoming performances, visit http://thecoretheatre.org.