In Memoriam

Fort Worth's Circle Theatre co-founder Bill Newberry passes away at 67

Bill Newberry, the co-founder and former executive director of Circle Theatre, recently passed away at the age of 67. TheaterJones reports that Newberry died at his home in New Orleans.

Newberry and his wife, Rose Pearson, who died of cancer in 2016, founded the Fort Worth theater in 1981. It originally opened on Bluebonnet Circle, then later moved to Magnolia Avenue before reaching its current home in Sundance Square. The couple received the Elston Brooks Lifetime Achievement Award from the Live Theatre League of Tarrant County in 2004.

Among Newberry's credits at Circle, he designed more than 100 sets, appeared onstage in more than 30 productions, and served as technical director and stage manager many times over. In addition, he handled all financials and accounting for the theater. He also served as an Actors' Equity Paymaster for union talent working throughout the state of Texas.

At the end of 2017, Newberry retired and passed the torch to former managing director Tim Long. Circle also hired Matthew Gray in 2018 as its first-ever artistic director.

Born in Houston, Newberry studied at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and became active in the local theater scene. In a 1978 production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire at Fort Worth Community Theatre (which later became Fort Worth Theatre and is now defunct), he met Pearson, who was playing Blanche, and they fell in love and decided to start a theater.

According to TJ, Newberry's son Michael said his father had recently seen a doctor and received a clean bill of health. Newberry moved into an apartment at Michael's new home in New Orleans shortly after retiring at Circle Theatre.

"We had seen him two hours prior and when he wouldn't answer his phone, we let ourselves into his apartment and found him passed," Michael Newberry told TJ. "He was not complaining about anything and we had plans to go to a Mardi Gras parade later in the day."

A celebration of Newberry's life will take place at on March 12 at Circle Theatre, a come-and-go event from 5-8 pm. It's open to family and friends, and in lieu of flowers the Newberry family requests donations be made to Circle under the Rose Pearson and Bill Newberry Legacy Fund.

As part of its 38th season, Circle Theatre is currently presenting Thornton Wilder's Our Townthrough March 9.

Circle Theatre co-founders Rose Pearson and Bill Newberry.

Rose Pearson and Bill Newberry of Circle Theatre

Photo by Robert Hart/TheaterJones

Circle Theatre co-founders Rose Pearson and Bill Newberry.

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Theater Critic Picks

These are 12 must-see shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for November

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

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Grocery and department stores might want us to believe it's already the holidays, but at least local theater companies are (mostly) holding off until around Thanksgiving.

November starts with absurdism, moves along to a movie-turned-Broadway musical, and even throws a creepy thriller in the mix before it's time for Grinches, Scrooges, and Charlie Brown's sad Christmas tree.

In order of start date, here are 12 local shows to watch this month:

Exit the King
Undermain Theatre, through November 24
Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist comedy is set in the crumbling throne room of the palace in an unnamed country, where King Berenger the First has only the duration of the play to live. Once, it seemed he ruled over an immense empire and commanded great armies; now his kingdom has shrunk to the confines of his garden wall. Refusing to accept his end, he is attended by his present and former Queens, who must help him face the final inevitable truth of life.

Patti & Theo
Ochre House Theatre, November 2-23
The dark comedy with music that's written and directed by artistic director Matthew Posey returns. Patti and Theo are struggling artists in Brooklyn, New York. They are big boozers, and time will tell if the Drinking Religion outlives them. Song, music, and shadow play highlight this story of two lovers who hold each other passionately at arm’s length.

Mrs. Doubtfire
Broadway at the Bass, November 5-10
Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny comes to Fort Worth in the musical based on the beloved film, which tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids.

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
WaterTower Theatre, November 6-17
Jane Wagner’s ever-timely one-woman show examines American society, art, and human connectivity, and explores the feminist movement. As one actor transforms into a series of other archetypal characters, they become the play’s guiding conscience for the audience. Under the guidance of the narrator, a role originated by Lily Tomlin, the audience is treated to a mischievously clever observer of the society around her.

A Tuna Christmas
Casa Mañana, November 9-17
It's 24 hours before Christmas and all comic hell is about to break loose. Tuna’s delightfully eccentric characters attempt to cope with seasonal traumas, like a disaster-prone production of A Christmas Carol and a yard-decorating contest that’s being sabotaged by a mysterious Christmas phantom.

Sleuth
Theatre Three, November 14-December 15
A cunning mystery writer, Andrew Wyke, invites his wife's lover, Milo Tindle, to his secluded English manor, setting off a deadly game of manipulation and deceit. As the tension rises, surprising twists keep the audience guessing the dramatic end. Presented in the Theatre Too space.

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Performing Arts Fort Worth, November 19-24
Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday-loving Whos.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Dallas Children's Theater, November 23-December 22
Discover the meaning of Christmas — or experience the nostalgia of childhood — while sharing laughs with the Peanuts Gang along the way. As a live combo fills hearts with music, merriment, and warmth, the story based on the Charles Schulz classic special is here just in time for the holidays.

Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings
Lyric Stage, November 29-December 22
The holiday classic by Stewart Ross opens Lyric Stage's 31st season. At first, Francis, Jinx, Smudge, and Sparky aren't sure why they've returned to Earth for another posthumous performance, but a phone call from the heavenly Rosemary Clooney lets them know that they're needed to put a little harmony into a discordant world.

The Play That Goes Wrong
Stage West, November 29-December 22
At opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, things are quickly going from bad to horrible. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), the whole evening is a disastrous smash.

A Christmas Carol
Dallas Theater Center, November 29-December 28
Three spirits have come to visit the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and take him on a fantastic journey through Christmases past, present, and future. Brimming with joyful songs, magical spirits, and holiday cheer, this holiday classic embodies a story of joy, redemption, and the spirit of Christmas.

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Theatre Three, November 29-December 29
The vibrant musical spectacle set in 19th-century Russia, and based on a 70-page segment of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, lets romance and intrigue unfold amid glittering ballrooms and tumultuous relationships. Its score features a unique blend of electro-pop and Russian folk-inspired music.

a christmas carol musicals opening plays theater