at the drive-in

Houston Ballet leaps into cutting-edge drive-in dance film festival

Liminality Frame x Frame Film Fest Houston Ballet

Look for films such as Liminality at the Houston Ballet Drive-in.

Photo courtesy of Frame x Frame Film Fest

A popular dance film festival is revving up for a new showcase at a beloved Houston institution. Houston Ballet announced that the third annual Frame x Frame Film Fest 2020 will run at the ballet’s drive-in. The parking lot of Houston Ballet’s Center for Dance will host the festival’s lineup of films, showing Thursdays to Saturdays from November 5-December 5.

Expect three categories of dance-centric films: You are Here, current films being made in the genre of dance for screen; Looking In, films that go behind the scenes; and Looking Back, classic movies with iconic dance scenes.

Some 50 offerings will be available during the festival, including favorites such as Singin’ in the Rain, Trash Dance, and a short film by Trey McIntyre featuring Houston Ballet company dancers, titled The Call, according to a press release.

Fans can begin reserving select shows now. Tickets are $10 per vehicle and may be reserved on Houston Ballet’s website.

Meanwhile, the Frame x Frame Film Fest isn't the only film event ballet intends to put on. Houston Cinema Arts Festival plans to present its closing evening of Night of the Kings on Sunday, November 22 at 7:30 pm at the Houston Ballet Drive-In, according to a press release.

“We are thrilled to open the Houston Ballet Drive-In and to further grow our partnership with Frame x Frame Dance Film Festival,” said Jim Nelson, Houston Ballet executive director, in a statement. “The new drive-in, located at the Houston Ballet Center for Dance, allows us to experience great dance together as a community in a safe and creative way during the pandemic.”

movies festivals dance

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.