please don't stop the music

Houston Symphony announces sharp cuts to staff and budget

The show will go on, but with cuts to staff and budget.

Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony

The onslaught of COVID-19 has been devastating to local arts communities and organizations. As CultureMap has previously reported, the Alley Theatre was forced to cut its budget and shorten its season; the red-hot Broadway show, Hamilton, has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns.

Now, Houston’s largest and oldest performing arts organization, the Houston Symphony, has announced major cuts to its budget and cuts to staff. Some 21 staff positions will be cut, reducing the number of full- and part-time staff total from 83 to 62. This comes after staffers were forced to take pay cuts in March.

The symphony projects an estimated $11 million deficit for the 2020-2021 season. This comes in addition to 2019–2020 season losses totaling $7.8 million, which, according to the symphony, are offset by a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, gifts from the board, donors, and foundations, and expense savings.

Thus, the symphony states that its survival depends on making cuts to expenses to eliminate the $11 million deficit, bringing the $34.5 million budget to $23.5 million.

Fans will see significantly fewer audience members in the hall due to social distancing programs. Additionally, some international guests who are regularly scheduled to perform may be hindered by travel restrictions. The symphony will also continue to offer remote and digitally based programming and content.

Meanwhile, the symphony is urging fans to participate in the popular live Living Room concert recitals by individual musicians from their homes, broadcasts on Houston Public Media, and the archived video and audio performances, musician performances, blogs, educational videos, and more. For more online features, fans can visit houstonsymphony.org/listenathome.

symphony

taking center stage

Stage adaptation of iconic Black movie Jason's Lyric to debut in Houston

Courtesy of Jason's Lyric

Most of the movie's cast will appear in the play.

Next year, Houston writer/producer/director/promoter Je’Caryous Johnson will be bringing another beloved Black movie to the live stage.

Jason’s Lyric will join New Jack City and Set It Off in the lineup of ‘90s Black-movie favorites that Johnson has adapted for the stage. The 1994 made-in-Houston drama stars Allen Payne and a pre-Will Smith Jada Pinkett as young lovers trying to maintain a relationship as conflicts and obstacles keep getting in the way.

Jason’s Lyric Live will go on a nationwide, 22-city tour, premiering right here in H-Town on Thursday, February 13 — just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Houston is my home, and bringing Jason’s Lyric Live to life here first is my way of paying homage to the city and its people who inspired this story,” Johnson said in a statement. “This is more than a play; it’s a love letter to the community.”

Payne will reprise his role as Jason, with actress/model Eva Marcille stepping in Pinkett’s role as Lyric. Naughty by Nature rapper Treach, who played Lyric’s criminal big brother Alonzo in the movie, will also return to the role for the stage production. Tyrin Turner (Menace II Society), K. Michelle (Love & Hip Hop), and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Welcome Back, Kotter) will round out the cast.

"Jason’s Lyric is one of the films that defined my career as an actor,” Payne said. “To bring it to life on stage for audiences who loved the movie — and a new generation experiencing it for the first time — is an incredible honor."

Marcille is also psyched for the show, taking on the role that Pinkett memorably brought to life. "Lyric is a character who embodies resilience and hope, and I’m honored to bring her story to life on stage,” Marcille said.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday, December 13, at 10 am. For a full list of dates and ticket information, visit the website.