ERYKAH REMEMBERS MICHAEL: We can probably expect a summer filled with Michael Jackson covers. So kudos to Erykah Badu and the Roots for taking the path less traveled in their cover of “I Wanna Be Where You Are” from 1972’s Got to Be There. The song was recorded when Badu was in New York to perform on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Friday. You can listen to the song over on gorillavsbear.

DTC ADDS ONE: If you’ve attended Dallas Theater Center shows over the years, you’ve seen Joel Ferrell’s work. Not only has he acted in the company’s shows, he’s also choreographed some of them and directed others. Over the weekend, the DTC decided that someone with that many talents is someone it wanted to have around all the time. So it announced that Ferrell has been hired as the company’s new artistic associate. Now, the longtime Fort Worth resident tells The Dallas Morning News he’s packing his bags and moving east.

WRITING VS. DIRECTING: Last Week, Jerome wrote about the difficulty that female playwrights have in getting their plays staged on Broadway. Apparently, women aren’t having the same trouble as directors. The New York Times reports that eight Broadway shows were helmed by women last season – a record. And three Off Broadway productions directed by women will open in July.

ETC.: Artist Roger Shimomura discusses how life in an internment camp informs his show at the Crow Collection of Asian Art (dallasnews.com). You can watch the video of the Art&Seek interview with Shimomura here … Theatre Arlington’s Cash on Delivery pays off (dfw.com)