Home for the Holidays

The theater district declares triumph over Harvey, delivering song and dance — despite storm-related setbacks — to warm hearts this season.

IMG_9736-Edit

Perhaps the phrase is overused, especially in these post-Harvey days, but there’s no better way to put it: The show must go on. Performing arts companies across Houston are determined to bring warmth and familiarity to the holidays through beloved productions that have become tradition.


Some organizations were displaced entirely after the flood, and scrambled to find new homes for the season. The Ballet, for example, is relocating its Nutcracker show — the set and costumes, brand-new last year, were kept safe from the flood — from the waterlogged Wortham to Sugar Land’s Smart Financial Centre (Dec. 10-23) and the Hobby Center (Dec. 20-Jan. 6).

Fellow Wortham resident the Houston Grand Opera, which pulled together an impressive production of La Traviata just weeks after Harvey in the George R. Brown, returns to the convention center’s Resilience Theater with its much-anticipated world-premiere production of The House Without a Christmas Tree (Nov. 30-Dec. 17). The heartwarming opera features former HGO Studio artist Lauren Snouffer as young Addie, who brings a Christmas tree into her family’s home against her father’s will, and spotlights the HGO’s children’s chorus.

Alley Theatre dress rehearsal of A Christmas Carol Houston, Tx., on 11-18-15. photos by John Everett

Meanwhile, the Alley plans to be back in its Downtown theater, which took on 10 feet of water thanks to Harvey, for its annual showing of A Christmas Carol (Nov. 24-Dec.30).

And Stages Repertory Theater — which was largely unaffected by the storm, but which offered the use of its facilities to hurricane-displaced performing arts orgs — opens its annual “panto” show, Panto Cinderella, on Nov. 29 (through Dec. 31). The British holiday tradition of panto, short for pantomime, incorporates song, dance, cross-dressing and slapstick. TUTS, in association with Lythgoe Family Panto, also presents a version of Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight at the Hobby Center (Dec. 12-24).

Art+Culture
Leadership in Action: CEO Theresa Roemer Credits Mother, Mentors and Mindset for Accomplishments

How did you get to where you are today? My journey to where I am today is built on a foundation of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Every step along the way, I faced obstacles, but I approached each one with determination and a “never give up” mindset. Instead of being discouraged by challenges, I used them as opportunities to grow and improve. Consistency was key—I committed to showing up and giving my best effort every day. I also learned not to take “no” as a final answer. Instead, I saw it as a chance to push harder, adapt, and find another way forward. It’s this combination of persistence, resilience, and unwavering focus that has brought me to where I am today.

Keep Reading Show less

Christopher Salazar stars as troubled-genius chef in the Alley's 'Seared'.

ONE OF HOUSTON'S favorite theater makers — Alley Associate Artistic Director Brandon Weinbrenner — has gotten some delicious news about his latest show. The run of his Seared, a sometimes-funny and sometimes-intense tale of life in the kitchen at a suddenly hot New York restaurant by playright Theresa Rebeck, has been extended beyond its original schedule and will now be up through March 9.

Keep Reading Show less
Food+Travel

Flora Choy, Vanitha Pothuri and Blanca Beltran-Robinson

IT WAS A memorable evening for art lovers, to be sure. Connie Kwan-Wong and her independently published CKW Luxe magazine hosted an elegant event amid priceless works of art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties