No longer joking
Mallette dead serious about ballet’s new name, direction. BY JULIE BLACKLIDGE for Fort Worth Business Press.

Moonlighting as a stand-up comedian, David Mallette kept the town in stitches. The situation at his day job, however, was anything but humorous.

Tough economic conditions, layoffs and personnel problems were a string of bad jokes. But board members credit Mallette, executive director of Texas Ballet Theater, with keeping the organization running smoothly through the harshest of times.

Until reorganization changes last week, Mallette, 45, sat in the middle of two boards, one in Fort Worth and one in Dallas. Since joining the organization in 1990, he has worked with three artistic directors, two artistic advisors, six presidents, dozens of board members, and according to immediate past chairman Bob Grable, was the peacemaker and unifier of the lot.

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<small>[ 07 September 2003, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Big names sign up for ballet panel
By Marilyn Bailey for The Star-Telegram

Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera, Jane Seymour Keach and some of the biggest names in ballet make up a star-studded committee that will help Texas Ballet Theater raise its profile as it opens its first season under new artistic director Ben Stevenson.

On paper at least, the new 14-member advisory panel lends the company a dash of celebrity and increased ballet bona fides.

"I wanted something exciting going into this season," said Stevenson, the former Houston Ballet artistic director who drew on decades of connections to assemble the group.

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TBT's "Fly Ball," an elaborate fundraising event involving private luxury jets, decorated airplane hangars and a $500K goal. Mary Rogers writes in the Fort Work Star-Telegram:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/11227919.htm

Gary Wortley has been named Executive Director of Texas Ballet Theatre. Wayne Lee Gay reports in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/new ... 402089.htm

In the Fort Worth Weekly, Leonard Eureka outlines a few of the challenges facing Gary Wortley as he attempts to build market share in Dallas:

Fort Worth Weekly