SUMMER GOES POP: You might have noticed that the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is skipping its Casual Classics series this summer. In its place is a collection of poppier fare, with appearances by Whoopi Goldberg and Idina Menzel as well as Video Games Live. So why the switch? “Quite honestly, business is very, very challenging,” DSO president and CEO Doug Adams tells dallasnews.com. To draw a wider audience (and more potential ticket buyers), it seems the DSO is casting a wider net. Richard Marx performs with the symphony on Thursday.

BRIGHTENING THEIR DAYS: The Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County is a place for kids who need help. Victims of abuse and neglect go there to be eased into the legal system and to receive help. So you can imagine how difficult it would be for a child to be called from the waiting room to make that long walk down the white-walled hallway to the examining room. The Greater Denton Arts Council and artist Kiba Jacobson have worked to make that journey a little easier by painting the walls of the center with scenes of animals in the wild – something to take a kids mind off of the present. “The children who come here have been through a lot, and they’ll be going through more difficulties,” GDAC Executive Director Margaret Chalfant tells the Denton Record Chronicle. “This is just a little something we could do for those children.”

SETTING THE STAGE: A couple of local theaters announced their 2010-11 seasons this week. Garland Civic Theatre has programed a mix of classics and lesser-known works. Noises Off and To Kill a Mockingbird are two of the better-known titles. … Grapevine’s Runway Theatre will kick off its next season Oct. 1 with Curtains. The theater is also looking for directors for the seven shows on the sked. If you’re up for the job, e-mail [email protected].