Made in Fort Worth: Hip Pocket Theatre

Founded by three Fort Worthians – Johnny Simons, Diane Simons, and Douglas Balentine – Hip Pocket Theatre has maintained its sense of anarchic playfulness and its repertoire of genre-busting performances despite becoming a beloved Fort Worth institution. From world premiere productions to stagings of the classics, Hip Pocket Theatre has been a pillar of the Fort Worth theatrical world since 1976. Madeworthy recently talked to Lake Simons, one of Johnny and Diana’s daughters who has taken over the management of Hip Pocket Theatre with her sister, Lorca, about becoming an institution, staying ahead of the curve, and performing under the stars in the wide-open Texas sky.

Madeworthy: For our readers who haven’t been to see a performance under the stars, can you sum up what defines a Hip Pocket Theatre production?

Lake Simons: We share theatre work that is off the beaten track. We strive to experiment with the form. Hip Pocket has always been rooted in a homemade style of theatre making that weaves experimental theatre with nods to traditional forms.  Our theatre artists explore a variety of ways to tell a story- through words, images, movement, dance, puppetry, mask, pantomime, commedia, music, song, and poetry.

MW: When Hip Pocket started in 1976, it was the brash, genre-busting newcomer to the theater scene in North Texas. Now, you’re a Fort Worth institution, but you’re still on the cutting edge of theatrical performance. How does an institution keep its relevance?

LS: We continue to honor what the founders created and why they created it while also seeking new ways to push artistic boundaries. Theatre isn’t stagnant. It is an ever-developing artistic expression, and we continue to explore the medium. Fort Worth needs this outlet, and the artists that create on our stage need it.

Photo by Loli Kantor

MW: Founder Johnny Simons retired a couple of years ago. He was the driving force of the company for the entirety of his tenure, adapting works, writing, and acting. How have you filled his admittedly unfillable shoes?

LS: His daughters have taken the helm. [I’m] the Managing Artistic Director, and Lorca Simons is the Producing Artistic Director. Together, we are dedicated to honoring his vision and simultaneously infusing our own individual artistic visions into the future of Hip Pocket.

MW: Can you tell us a little about the rest of the 2023 season?

LS: We are currently in rehearsals for our mini-plays festival called Testing Ground 3+3 pairing three playwrights with three directors. 84-year-old Molemo! will share his pantomime – Old And In The Way – for three night only. [Editor’s Note: Molemo! is founder Johnny Simons’ artistic alter-ego.] We end our 47th season with a stage adaptation of The Fly, directed by Shawn Gann with original music created by Joe Rogers. An extra-special bonus is the Puppetry Pageant led by NYC puppetry artists, Erin Orr and Chris Green, to be created and performed by the DFW community as a pre-show experience on the closing weekend of The Fly.

MW: The Theatre’s whimsy seems to me uniquely Fort Worthian. Do you think the Hip Pocket Theatre could exist anywhere else?

LS: It is hard to imagine Hip Pocket in another city or state. The roots are deep in Fort Worth. So much of what Hip Pocket is today came from three people (Johnny Simons, Diane Simons, and Douglas Balentine), all three Fort Worthians sharing themselves as artists on the Hip Pocket stage. Although Lorca and I do not have Fort Worth addresses, we are drawn to our Texas roots every season to continue the tradition.

MW: One of the Theatre’s signatures is performing under the stars. Doing anything outdoors in North Texas during the summer and fall is always a gamble – if it isn’t storming, it’s sizzling. Why does the Theatre continue under the stars?

LS: It is primitive, and that is the real deal. Nature and creation go hand in hand. Making art under the stars without walls pushes us and makes us vulnerable which keeps both it and us present. And there is nothing like hearing the cicadas sing and feeling a gentle breeze as one steps onto that magical roughhewn stage to share a story. It is worth it.