{"id":414878,"date":"2026-08-23T21:51:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T21:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/414878\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T21:51:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T21:51:21","slug":"curtain-call-fort-worth-theater-troupe-bids-farewell-after-30-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/414878\/","title":{"rendered":"Curtain call: Fort Worth theater troupe bids farewell after 30 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

by David Moreno, Fort Worth Report
August 5, 2026<\/p>\n

After 30 years spotlighting original local works, a Fort Worth theater group will bow to audiences this weekend for the last time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SceneShop will take center stage at Arts Fifth Avenue on Aug. 7 and 8 for the collective\u2019s final show. \u201cDon\u2019t Dream It\u2019s Over\u201d will feature six performances, highlighting themes around endings, beginnings and transitions.<\/p>\n

Co-founder and artistic director Steve McGaw described the group\u2019s end as an emotional moment but said it was better to call it quits now on its own terms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been a lot of theater troupes in Fort Worth and Dallas that go for a couple years and then they disappear without a finish,\u201d McGaw said. \u201cI like the idea of being on that stage and saying, \u2018This is it.\u2019 Endings are elegant and I want the audience to have that experience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

McGaw\u2019s script, \u201cWhat We Did,\u201d will be featured in the second act.<\/p>\n

If you go:<\/p>\n

What: \u201cDon\u2019t Dream It\u2019s Over\u201d<\/p>\n

When: 8 p.m. Aug. 7, 8<\/p>\n

Where: Arts Fifth Avenue, 1628 5th Ave., Fort Worth<\/p>\n

Admission: $15<\/a><\/p>\n

SceneShop was founded in 1996 by McGaw, Les Hofheinz and Elizabeth Sexton Morrison. The longtime friends had grown dissatisfied with the \u201cbig time commitment\u201d needed to join existing theater troupes and large-scale productions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The trio wanted to instead focus on original short plays and monologues backed with live music, coined \u201cbistro theater\u201d at the time by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the start, it\u2019s been made up of short pieces that you could rehearse at your convenience. For the audience it would be the equivalent of seeing a band perform one song on stage and then they\u2019ll move on to the next one,\u201d McGaw explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The group performed its first collection of plays that August at the former Seventh Street Cafe in the Cultural District. Star-Telegram theater critic Perry Stewart<\/a> described the troupe\u2019s first show then as \u201cshort plays with legs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

SceneShop continued to perform over the next few years at the cafe. The troupe found a permanent home at Arts Fifth Avenue in the early 2000s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hofheinz later stepped away from the collective as he focused on other ventures. Morrison died in her sleep in 2019 at age 60.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The troupe welcomed an array of emerging and established performers over the years but has flourished with a committed group of 10 to 15 members, McGaw said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never made an enormous amount of money. We never played to huge crowds, but for the people who participated, it\u2019s been a very grand experience,\u201d McGaw said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Steve McGaw sits inside Arts Fifth Avenue in Fort Worth\u2019s Historic Fairmount on Aug. 3, 2026. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Arts Fifth Avenue founder Gracey Tune said it has been a great gift to have the group\u2019s performances at the Fairmount arts center for more than 15 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Steven Alan McGaw has done for theater and the arts in Fort Worth is totally remarkable,\u201d she said. \u201cSo many were given the opportunity under his direction to reach another level of live theater.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

SceneShop will be remembered for consistently recognizing local playwrights, longtime member Natalie Gaupp said. Her involvement with the collective since its inception ranged from writer to associate director to performer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gaupp\u2019s dark comedic monologue \u201cHotter\u201d will be performed by a local actor during the final show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the enjoyment of watching SceneShop is seeing how much love and devotion the creatives bring to their performances,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is a soulfulness here, as if a gift is being offered to the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the final performance, McGaw plans to keep writing play scripts and short stories.<\/p>\n

In his mind, a playwright never stops creating \u2014 they tread forward, walking to the beat of their own drum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Playbills for \u201cDon\u2019t Dream It\u2019s Over\u201d lay on a table by the entrance of Arts Fifth Avenue. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Report\u2019s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/08\/05\/curtain-call-fort-worth-theater-troupe-bids-farewell-after-30-years\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n

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