Curtain up

Houston Theater Week spotlights BOGO tickets to more than 230 shows

Houston has a wealth of arts organizations, offering performances of everything from avant garde theatre to classical music to multiple genres of dance. Even the most art-obsessed Houstonians may feel overwhelmed at deciding which performances to attend, especially if they're on a budget.

Thankfully, a popular program helps newbie arts lovers and longtime patrons alike. Houston Theater Week 2024 offers buy-one-get-one-free deals for more than 230 performing arts programs for the upcoming 2024-2025 arts season. Sponsored by the Houston First Corporation, the event, which runs from August 12 to 18, is a chance for Houstonians to explore performances by 22 professional performing arts organizations.

“Houston’s annual Theater Week is making a difference for both patrons and our arts organizations," Theater District Houtson's Hillary Hart said in a statement. "Not only does the revenue generated through ticket sales keep artists and other creative professionals working, it strengthens our already vibrant theater scene and exposes new audiences to a range of cultural performances by some of the best talent in the world at a discount."

Among the organizations participating this year are 4th Wall Theatre Co., Alley Theatre, Apollo Chamber Players, Chamber Music Houston, DaCamera, Dirt Dogs Theatre Co., Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, Jazz Houston, Kinetic Ensemble, Main Street Theater, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Performing Arts Houston, Rec Room Arts, ROCO, Stages, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS, and more.

$\u200bThe Alley Theatre Presents A Christmas Carol$ Get tickets to the Alley Theatre Presents A Christmas Carol Photo by Lynn Lane

So, whether audiences are looking for Mozart, Motown or Mariachi, they'll find something exciting to experience.

They can select from multiple shows, including the Alley's beloved holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol, or a new production of Disney's Frozen, presented by TUTS. Houston Grand Opera brings its colorful Cinderella back to the Wortham Theater Center stage.

Jazz Houston celebrates icon Sarah Vaughan's centennial with Sarah Vaughan at 100!, and the Rec Room mounts the coming-of-age musical Spring Awakening. ROCO's 20th anniversary season offers three commissioned world premieres, and the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts brings back its Live at the Founders Club series, along with All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Main Street Theater launches the world premiere of Memoriam, an exploration of memory and what we owe to future generations. The Jerusalem Quartet returns to Chamber Music Houston's concert hall at Rice University, and the Houston Symphony's Hansel and Gretel & Don Quixote is a concert of classical music inspired by fairy tales, legend, and adventure.

“A dynamic performing arts community is one of Houston’s strongest assets," said Michael Heckman, president and CEO of Houston First Corporation. "Houston is fortunate to have a thriving industry that is vital to the city’s economy. We expect Theater Week to help us keep it that way."

Houston Grand Opera's production of Cinderella.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Houston Grand Opera presents Cinderella as part of its 2024-2025 season.

performing-arts deals

MFAH expands

Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace

Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District. On Tuesday, December 23, the museum announced it has purchased a two-acre parcel of land at 4911 Montrose Blvd that will bring its total footprint to 16 acres.

Located just north of the Glassel School of Art, the property will be developed as a greenspace that will serve as a community lawn as well as be utilized for future museum events and parking. MFAH has retained landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz — the firm responsible for work at Memorial Park and the recently-opened Ismaili Center — to create the design for the new greenspace.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston greenspace rendering A rendering offers a bird's-eye preview of the new greenspace.Image by by Cong Nie/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

At this time, the museum does not have plans to build anything on the property, according to a press release.

To make way for the greenspace, the property’s existing building, Holland Lodge No. 1, will be torn down. Built in 1954 as a home for the oldest Masonic lodge chapter in Texas, the building features a sandstone mural facade. It has been for sale since at least 2005, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

Demolition on the site is expected to begin in spring 2026 with the greenspace opening in approximately two years, according to press materials. In addition to the Glassell School, the museum’s campus includes the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building.

“We are delighted to contribute to Houston’s greenspace access with this new initiative, which will expand the museum’s 14-acre campus to a thoroughly walkable 16 acres,” Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, said in a statement. “While the primary objective for the purchase of this property is to secure land for any potential future expansion of the museum, our priority now is to create a welcoming community lawn. Thoughtfully designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz, one of the leading firms in sustainable landscape practice, the site will serve as public greenspace and provide additional parking for museum visitors.”

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Houston Theater Week spotlights BOGO tickets to more than 230 shows

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MFAH expands

Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace