best october theater

9 best Houston performances no theater fan should miss in October

As the nights begin to get a little longer, it’s the perfect time to spend them at Houston theaters. October brings some appropriately intentional and accidental spooky drama and musicals, from ghosts to underworldly gods having marital difficulties to friendly sea monsters — who are also having marital difficulties.

Houston Grand Opera resurrects a century-old classic for a brand new production, and Rec Room finds romance during a possible apocalypse. Plus, a beloved Houston Ballet icon gets her due. Here are the best bets for October theater in Houston.

Hadestown from Broadway at the Hobby Center (now through October 9)

Originally scheduled for a January stop in Houston and delayed by new year COVID, it’s been a long journey to get to the Hobby stage for this multiple Tony-winning musical. The road to Hell is full of some bad intentions but some very the best music in this show that twines together the epic Greek loves stories of Hades and Persephone and Orpheus and Eurydice. As the first song, “Road to Hell” even spoils, don’t expect a happily-ever-after with these stories, but do lookout for a decidedly different, rocking and bluesy take of those classic Greek myths you learned in junior high.

Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson at Stages (October 7-November 13)

Stages dances into fall with a world premiere that can’t get any more Houston in both its local roots and international reach. Written and co-directed by former Houston poet laureate Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton, with choreography from both Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch and Urban Souls Dance founder Harrison Guy, this bio theatrical work with original music tells the story of Houston’s favorite Sugar Plum Fairy and one of the first Black principal ballerinas of a major ballet company, the legendary Lauren Anderson. DeQuina Moore, who will also create a new holiday show for Stages, plays one of three versions of Anderson.

The Thin Place from 4th Wall Theatre (October 13-November 5)

For a '22-'23 season filled with plays from some of the hottest contemporary playwrights, 4th Wall begins with Lucas Hnath’s Thin Place. In perhaps a perfect theatrically spooky mood for October, 4th Wall describes the show as a suspenseful ghost story that probes the deeply human need for connection. As one woman grappling with loss, seeks answers and friendship from a medium, who communicates with the dead residing in a different "thin place."

Seascape at Alley Theatre (October 14-November 13)

The Alley then begins their Neuhaus Stage season with this Pulitzer Prize winning-comedy, but as an Edward Albee play, expect humor so sharp it cuts to the bone. The Alley has an illustrious history with the late, great Albee’s work, and during his time teaching at UH, he was sometimes seen in the audience for many an Alley Albee production. Alley Artistic Director, Rob Melrose, says he’s been wanting to give this look at two marriages, one human, one sea monsters a production for a long time. The Alley calls it a tender, comic love story, told by way of an unusual marriage counseling session.

Put Your House in Order at Rec Room (October 20-November 12)

As an always innovative downtown theater beyond the Theater District, Rec Room has had success with several Ike Holter plays, so we’re looking forward to their latest production directed by company founder Matt Hune and billed as a genre-defying romantic-comedy/horror/old-school thriller. Specifically, the story is about a first date that explores beginnings at the big end. When the city around them begins exhibiting signs that something is terribly wrong, Caroline and Roland quickly have to learn to trust each other to stand a chance against the horrors outside the gate.

La traviata from Houston Grand Opera (October 21-November 6)

“Fortune favors the bold” has been HGO’s motto for their '22-'23 lineup, and thus, here's a bold opening move with Verdi’s masterpiece featuring Grammy-award-winning soprano Angel Blue making her company debut as Violetta, a courtesan whose pursuit of love belies a creeping, fatal illness. Tenor Matthew White, as her lover Alfredo, and celebrated baritone Andrei Kymach, as Alfredo’s father Giorgio, will also make their HGO debut. Conductor Matthew Aucoin, one of opera’s leading composers and a 2018 MacArthur Fellow, also joins HGO for the first time.

Coyote on a Fence from Dirt Dogs Theatre Company (October 21-November 5)

In keeping with their reputation for some intense, intimate productions, the company opens their lucky-seven season with this intriguing play by Bruce Graham, inspired by a real life Texas death row story. In the show, John Brennan, the editor of a prison newspaper, who is incarcerated himself, gets set to talk to death row inmate Bobby Reyburn in order to write his obituary. John's writing draws national attention and the interest of a journalist who wants to do a story about him. As each awaits his final fate under the watchful eye of their female guard, they confront, comfort, and change each other.

The Secret of My Success from Theatre Under the Stars (October 25-November 6)

Because of scheduling conflicts, the previously announced Vacation musical won’t make a road trip to Houston. Instead, TUTS will produce the regional premiere of The Secret of My Success, the new musical based on the hit 1980s Michael J. Fox film. The original film was a sort of rom-com with both a boy/girl and boy/multinational corporation romance at its core. This musical has only had one other full production, a pre-Broadway run in Chicago. TUTS artistic director Dan Knechtges will both direct and choreograph this new production. With TUTS partnering with Universal Theatrical Group, the production company behind Wicked, we’re wondering if this show won’t remain much of a secret for long.

The Wreckers from Houston Grand Opera (October 28-November 11)

Photo by Simon Pauly

Acclaimed international soprano Mane Galoyan stars in The Wreckers.

The month ends with a new beginning for Dame Ethel Smyth’s epic 1906 opera that’s not seen a major production in more than a century. The Wreckers tells the story of Thirza, (Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke) and her resolve to defy her preacher husband Pascoe (Houston favorite and HGO Studio alumnus Reginald Smith, Jr.). Pascoe declares to their coastal community that shipwrecks along their shore are meant to be pillaged — and meant to be premeditated by leaving the town lighthouse dark. Thirza’s heart and conscience are not with her husband or with his dangerous methods. Someone among them is secretly warning the ships of danger, and the villagers search for the traitor, while Thirza embraces her convictions, no matter the cost. This new HGO production is directed by Louisa Muller and conducted by HGO artistic and music director Patrick Summers.

best july art

MFAH celebrates America 250 and 7 more must-see art openings for July

Photo courtesy of Art Club

Orkhan Mammadov’s “Visions” at Art Club

The middle of summer is traditionally a time for Houston art galleries, museums, and institutions to take a bit of a breather, allowing art lovers a chance to catch up with spring exhibitions in cool art spaces. But this July keeps the art openings coming as the month brings several celebratory shows and intriguing exhibitions of local artists. Let’s enjoy a sizzling summer of art as the MFAH honors our nation’s big 250; Art Club unveils a new lineup of exhibits; and Avenida Houston expands our art horizons.

Art Club’s New Season at POST (ongoing)
When Art Club, the immersive space and DJ venue opened over a year ago, it promised Houston art lovers and club goers this techno art museum would continue to change and evolve over time with new artists and large-scale installations. Now with 12 fresh, radical, and cutting edge, gallery-sized works for the summer, it has certainly delivered on that promise. Created by individual artists, collectives, and international design studios, the new exhibits send visitors into kinetic light space and beguiling soundscapes. Many of the installations merge ancient cultures and practices with some of the most high tech art mediums, taking visitors into a different strange, alien world with each gallery, but ones that always echo with human connection.

One highlight of the new season is Lina Dib’s “Here and Now,” where beautiful yet eerie flower descend from a darkened sky, blooming to a soundscape of migratory bird sounds made by human immigrants to Houston. Art Club’s mirrored "infinity room" gets a new resident in Orkhan Mammadov’s “Visions,” which merges a thousand years of art history with machine learning.

Light artist Sasha Kojjio processes large bodies of text through sorting and generating algorithms, spinning the results into light until meaning dissolves and only movement remains. For Sphere³ II, international design studio Radugadesign, explores ancient Greek geometry through light, mirrors, and sound, creating an object that feels as if it could transport humans across space and time.

“This season, we’ve continued to bring new media art from around the world to Houston with digital art ranging from the Islamic world to the Incan traditions of the Andes,” said Kirby Liu, founder and curator of Art Club Houston and managing director of POST. “The theme is the conviction that the binaries we use to see the world – whether analog versus digital, human versus machine, or tradition versus technology – are no longer doing the work we ask of them.”

“Horizon” at The Plaza at Avenida Houston (now through September 7)
Outdoor art gets expansive with these new interactive installations set between George R. Brown Convention Center and Discovery Green. Created by acclaimed multidisciplinary artist and set designer, Olivier Landreville, in collaboration with sound and light designer, Serge Maheu, “Horizon” invites Houstonians to take a seat inside these domed art structures and contemplate the sculpted skies. Gently rocking the chairs within the pieces will trigger a series of light and soundscapes.

Houston First Corporation has partnered with international public art producers Creos and Init to present Horizon with the hope it gives Houstonians and all the national and international visitors we’ve had this summer to slow down, unwind, and enjoy one of our favorite community spaces.

“George Washington: America's Enduring Icon” at Bayou Bend (now through November 22)
The MFAH celebrates America's first president with this fascinating decorative art exhibition at its Bayou Bend house museum. “Enduring Icon” includes objects from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries featuring images of George Washington during his lifetime, as well as many that mourned or honored him after his death. The exhibition examines the many ways that Americans have recognized, honored, celebrated, memorialized, and appropriated Washington as both a man and icon.

“America 250” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (now through January 3)
The 4th of July might have passed, but Houstonians and visitors from around the world can continue to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday by taking this special marked journey through the MFAH. Instead of a contained exhibition, museum curators have chosen over 70 artworks from the collection across the campus to tell a uniquely American story through art.

From golden antiquities to Native American pottery to vast painted landscapes to large-scale installations of futuristic cities, these pieces reflect the complexity and diversity of the American experience, while drawing connections between our nation and the MFAH's history as a collecting institution. As visitors explore the museum, indoors and out, they’ll find guides to the artworks, along with newly created audio stops and labels that discuss each artwork from these historical and cultural perspectives.

"On the occasion of the nation’s 250th anniversary, we saw a singular opportunity to look at our collections and select objects that reflect the multitudes of individuals who have contributed to the identity of our nation,” describes MFAH director, Gary Tinterow. “The curators’ choices will allow our visitors to experience our collections framed within a series of illuminating and sometimes surprising narratives.”

"Representation of Form" at MATCH (July 9-12)
Photography and choreography dance together as Group Accord and photographer Christopher Peddecord collaborate in the creation of this multidisciplinary art event. Peddecord has taken photographs of Group Acorde dance artists and layers the images with one another. Those photographs will then be displayed and projected throughout the MATCH Box 1 space. During live performances, the dancers will move within the images of themselves. Audiences will also be free to move about the space, immersing themselves within the installation.

“Casa de Cultura: The Living Archive” at the Fresh Arts Gallery in Winter Street Studios (July 9-August 22)
Fresh Arts’ ongoing Space Taking Artist Residency invites traditionally underrepresented local artists to experiment and “take over” Fresh Arts’ gallery space at Sawyer Yards. The initiative has produced some stunning and surprising artwork and live performance experiences over the past few years.

For “Casa de Cultura,” Violeta Alvarez, an award-winning local photographer, will present work inspired by her mother’s life and journeys. Alvarez will create a “Living Archive” exploring cultural identity, migration and collective memory. The project will feature two photography exhibitions: one a curated selection of Alvarez’s music photography, including her early work with Justice Records, and the second built entirely from open-call live portrait sessions of individuals with ancestral ties to Mesoamerica. Several live events and performances will take place throughout the residency, including community photo sessions, panel discussions, a podcast recording, Aztec dance performances, Chicanx artist vendors for Second Saturdays, and community drives.

"World of Color” at Laura Rathe Fine Art (July 16-August 14)
This exhibition brings together a group of artists working in different mediums and producing very distinct imagery, but all their art explores vivid colors and manifests a sense of wonder and play. "World of Color" explores color as both a meaningful and nostalgic force, brought to life through Miriam Fitzgerald’s intricately folded paper, Gian Garofalo’s flowing stripes of pigmented resin, Pablo Dona’s miniature figures swimming within teacups, and Lynn Sanders' layered colorscapes. Exhibition organizers note that through curious and intuitive explorations of color, each artist engages with combinations that create a childlike sense of discovery.

"Learning Curve 18” at Houston Center for Photography (July 16-August 16)
This annual exhibition celebrates the HCP students’ work over a given year, and for the 18th iteration, the exhibition will showcase students from various programs at the Center doing a range of photographic work from digital to alternative processes. Jessi Bowman, the Houston-based photographer, curator, and founder of FLATS, a community darkroom and photo lab, is this year’s juror. Bowman has intentionally selected pieces exploring photography from a multitude of approaches, subjects, and perspectives in order to create an show that reveals artists working in community.

“As a juror, I was drawn to work that embraced curiosity and possibility. The strongest images often reflected a willingness to take risks,” explains Bowman in a statement about the selections, adding “Many of these photographs show artists pushing beyond technical proficiency toward a more personal visual voice.”

$\u200bOrkhan Mammadov\u2019s \u201cVisions\u201d at Art Club$

Photo courtesy of Art Club

Orkhan Mammadov’s “Visions” at Art Club

openings visual-art museums