On The Town

Interesting Tony Awards note: This year they coincidentally fall on Father's Day. So you can be absolutely sure that Tracy Letts, when he's accepting his all-but-certain honors as playwright of August: Osage County will give a shout-out to his dad, Dennis Letts, who died earlier this year of cancer. The elder Mr. Letts, who spent most of his career as an educator in Oklahoma, starting acting in his 50s and made it to Broadway as the original patriarch in August. And Tracy, of course, spent a couple of years here as an actor before heading to the brighter lights of Chicago and New York.

Also, look for Tracy's mom, novelist Billie Letts, in the audience. Many local writers know her -- her first book, the Oprah-anointed Where the Heart Is, got its start by winning the manuscript contest at the UTD Craft of Writing Conference back in the 90s. Busy couple of weeks for the Letts family: Mama Letts' latest book, the ultra-charming Made in the U.S.A. hits bookstores on June 19.