Theatre by the Book in Big D

AMERICAN THEATRE: We book tickets; a musical’s libretto is called a book; we typically receive a program book with credits and frequently a note from someone on the creative team. But how often does the theatregoing experience involve reading actual books? For the past few seasons Dallas Theater Center has been trying out a novel idea: bookending each show in the season with a volume somehow connected to it. Coordinated by DTC director of education and community enrichment Rachel Hull, with support from the company’s artistic and education departments, the group reads each assigned text and meets twice to talk about it, once before attending the play and again after seeing it. And there’s always wine and cheese on hand to help get the conversation going. The annual fee of $300, or $250 for company benefactors or members of Friends@DTC, comes with copies of the four books (though show tickets are purchased separately).