For five decades, Hip Pocket Theatre has been Fort Worth’s backyard laboratory for imagination — a place where stories leap off the stage in movement, music, puppetry, and pure creative risk. This summer, the theatre celebrates its 50th season, opening June 12, and honoring a legacy of experimental, original, and interdisciplinary productions that few other local stages can match. Only Casa Mañana boasts a longer continuous run of theatrical productions in the city. All performances take place at 1950 Silver Creek Road.
Founded in 1976 by Johnny and Diane Simons and Douglas Balentine, Hip Pocket Theatre began as a small, homemade experiment in storytelling. Today, co-artistic directors Lake and Lorca Simons — daughters of Johnny and Diane — carry forward the theatre’s commitment to original, daring, and interdisciplinary works.
And this season is no exception, blending beloved classics with daring new works and reflecting Hip Pocket’s 50 years of imaginative theatre. Each evening is prefaced and capped by live music, turning a night at the theatre into a full evening of entertainment.
June 12–28: The Three Cuckolds – Adapted by Leon Katz with additional writing by Johnny Simons and directed by Christina Cranshaw, this bawdy farce was Hip Pocket’s very first production in 1976.
July 10–26: A Twisty Intergalactic Spectacle – A sci-fi delight written and directed by Basil Twist with music by Joe Rogers, blending inventive puppetry, cosmic whimsy, and joyful live music.
Aug. 7–30: Raggedy Farm – By Johnny Simons and Douglas Balentine, directed by Lake Simons with music direction by John Dyer. A poetic, song-filled tale that harkens back to Hip Pocket’s roots.
Sept. 11–27: Soul Notes From the Velvet Elk – Directed by Lorca Simons and devised by the ensemble, this original piece guides audiences into a wild, wondrous theatrical wilderness.
Oct. 9–Nov. 1: Mega Python vs Gatoroid (The Musical) – Adapted by Molemo! and directed by Johnny Simons with music by The Original Fruits. A hilariously horrifying tale that’s sure to have audiences laughing, squirming, and screaming in equal measure.
Oct. 29–31: 4th Annual Twilight Soiree Puppet Pageant – A free community outreach event showcasing creative puppetry, performed just before the closing weekend of Mega Python.
Tickets are $28 for adults and $23 for seniors, military, teachers, first responders, and students, with a Pay-What-You-Can Preview on the Thursday before each opening night (suggested donation $15). Hip Passes — good for 10 tickets throughout the season — are $225 for adults and $200 for seniors, military, students, and teachers.
Leading up to the season, Hip Pocket will host “Making Hipstory,” a 50th-anniversary fundraiser on March 28 at Conundrum Farms in Crowley. The outdoor event will feature live music by Brave Combo, the country’s premier dance band, offering a rollicking, global musical journey.
Since its founding, Hip Pocket Theatre has carved a unique niche in Fort Worth’s arts landscape. Known for its rustic outdoor setting and experimental approach to storytelling, the theatre produces everything from original plays and adaptations to musicals and multimedia performances. With puppetry, mime, music, and fantasy woven throughout, each production is a reminder that, at Hip Pocket, theatre is as much about imagination as it is about story.
“The theatre began with three artistic visionaries with a common goal,” said Lake and Lorca Simons in a statement. “They wanted to create a homemade, artful theatre that embraced unconventional ways of sharing stories — using movement, dance, music, mime, spoken word, puppetry and more. Hip Pocket offered something new and different, taking the Fort Worth theatre community to another level of expression. That dedication to the community is something we cherish deeply as we take these big steps into our 50th year.”