A Shakespearean Classic Gets a Sizzling Southern Twist in Fat Ham
Production photos c/o Evan Michael Woods
Dallas Theater Center will launch the next show of the 2025-2026 season on Friday, January 30, 2026 with James Ijames' Pulitzer Prize Winner play, Fat Ham. The production runs through Sunday, February 8, 2026 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, and is produced in association with Stage West Theatre.
In this regional premiere of this hit Broadway comedy, Juicy’s got a lot on his plate - his mom just married his uncle. All he wants is to make his own way as a queer Black man in a Southern family. But here’s the rub - his father’s ghost just turned up at a backyard barbecue demanding vengeance. In this delicious and sizzling reinvention of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a young man vows to break the cycles of violence in service of his own liberation and joy.
“Seeing Fat Ham onstage at the Kalita feels like a homecoming,” said Interim Artistic Director Jonathan Norton, “I think of our founder, Paul Baker and his trailblazing production of Hamlet ESP. What James Ijames does with Fat Ham, is its own wonderful invention, but also feels very much a part of DTC's founding vision. I can't wait for our audiences to come to the cookout we're throwing at the Kalita and experience the joy of this Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy.”
The production is directed by vickie washington, who is joined by Donna Marquet (Scenic Design), Whitney Coulter (Costume Design), Luke Atkinson (Lighting Design), Crescent Hayes (Sound Design) and Tiffany Cromwell (Production Stage Manager).
Fat Ham features a talented cast including Calvin Gabriel, Jori Jackson, Tyler Rae Lewis, Nikka Morton, Caleb Mosley, Cherish Robinson and Brierley Resident Acting Company Member Zachary J. Willis. Willis will also lead Stay Late, which is DTC’s post-show conversation with cast and crew that follows each performance. Fat Ham is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
The 2025-26 season is dedicated to the memory of Bill Custard, Life Trustee of Dallas Theater Center.
SHOW DETAILS:
Fat Ham
January 30 - February 8, 2026
By James Ijames
Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd, Dallas, TX 75204
A Co-Production with Stage West Theatre
Tickets start at $46
Parking at the Kalita Humphreys Theater is free
ABOUT DALLAS THEATER CENTER
Dallas Theater Center is one of the leading regional theaters in the country and the recipient of the 2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Dallas Theater Center (DTC) is committed to producing theater with resident artists that illuminate diverse experiences and spark collaboration and dialogue. Founded in 1959, DTC is a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its annual season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus and Rem Koolhaas. DTC also performs at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater, the only freestanding theater designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Kevin Moriarty and Interim Artistic Director Jonathan Norton, DTC produces a year-round subscription series of classics, musicals, and new plays and an annual production of A Christmas Carol for more than 100,000 North Texas residents annually. Additionally, the theater produces extensive education programs, including the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award-winning Project Discovery; a partnership with SMU Meadows School of the Arts; and many community collaborations. DTC is also the home of the Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company, which features twelve resident artists that perform in every season.