A Brief History of
Pegasus Theatre
Pegasus Theatre is a professional not-for-profit
theatre that began operations in October 1985 with a
fixed performing space in the Deep Ellum district of
Dallas, Texas. The mission of Pegasus Theatre is to:
“Produce new and original comedies in a professional
setting, highlighting the talents of North Texas
theatre artists.”
The theatre produced an annual season of shows for 17
years in its performing space at 3916 Main Street in
Dallas, a total of nearly 100 productions. In December
2002, Pegasus co-produced an Off-Broadway show in New
York City, then went “dark” for two years (2003-2004)
while its principals (Kurt Kleinmann and Barbara
Weinberger) focused on other projects (a tour, a book,
a new performing space.)
In early 2005, Pegasus Theatre began work on a North
Texas production of one of its signature shows
presented in “Living Black & White.”™ Mind Over
Murder!, premiered in January 2006 to packed and
appreciative houses at the Eisemann Center in
Richardson, Texas. It was a calculated risk to produce
in such a large venue, and the positive experience at
the Eisemann Center confirmed that North Texas
audiences were ready for the return of the Black &
White shows.
No overview of Pegasus Theatre is complete without a
description of this unique production style, created
and perfected by Artistic Director Kurt Kleinmann. Mr.
Kleinmann has written a series of plays (15 to date)
that are affectionate spoofs of American
black-and-white movies of the 1930s and 1940s. The
acting as well as all physical production aspects of
these shows (lighting, set, costumes, makeup, sound,
etc.) are painstakingly designed to recreate the look
and feel of an old movie, live on stage. The effect is
truly amazing and has garnered the theatre national
exposure as well as critical acclaim.