Curtain up!

Houston Theater Week returns with BOGO deals on the best dance, music, stage shows, and more this season

Most Houstonians love a bargain, and one of the best is back: the second annual Houston Theater Week. That means from Monday, August 14 through Sunday, August 20, patrons can get buy-one-get-one-free ticket deals on theater, dance, music and other performing arts shows happening in the Bayou City this arts season.

The Houston Theater Week website is up and running, allowing fans to plan their shopping strategy and check out shows of interest. For arts lovers and newbies alike, this is an opportunity to see the sheer depth of what's on offer in Houston's arts scene. Sales begin on Friday, August 14; be sure to use the code HTXARTS for purchases.

Spearheaded by the Houston First Corporation, Houston Theater Week offers tickets to more than 200 performances throughout the 2023-2024 arts season, at organizations large and small across the city.

“Houston Theater Week not only provides the public with great bargains, it also supports everyone involved in producing these exceptional live programs from the performing artists to behind-the-scenes professionals,” said David Mincberg, chair, Houston First Corporation in a press release announcing the initiative.

With more than 200 performances, there's a lot for audiences to consider. Fans of '90s angst — and Alanis Morissette — can catch the TUTS presentation of the Tony and Grammy award-winning Jagged Little Pill, starting August 29.

Ars Lyrica's Fallen Angels brings the paranormal to the organization's baroque music performance at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Selections from Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen, Carissimi's Judgement of Solomon and more are performed by five singers and musicians on period instruments.

The Houston Symphony offers Duke Ellington's Nutcracker into Houston's holiday lineup, bringing the jazz legend's take on the Tchaikovsky classic to the stage.

Gloria Estafan fans and lovers of Afro-Cuban rhythms can grab seats to TUTS' On Your FeetOn Your Feet, the energetic music that tells the story of the Miami Sound Machine and its founder, Gloria and Emilio Estafan.

4th Wall Theatre Company explores what happens when well-meaning white educators get together to craft a show that is culturally sensitive and historically accurate in The Thanksgiving Play.

Stages presents the regional premiere of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, a feminist farce that explores power and the presidency with biting and hilarious satire.

The all-male Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo come to Jones Hall, courtesy of Performing Arts Houston, showcasing their skillful pointe work and hilarious parodying of classical ballet in an evening guaranteed to delight dance enthusiasts and newbies alike.

Main Street Theater's production of 26 Miles is about a mother-daughter road trip that examines love, bi-racial identity and secrets.

Photo courtesy of Performing Arts Houston

MOMIX: Alice is one of the productions from Performing Arts Houston available as part of Houston Theater Week.

Audiences will also find performances by The Alley, DaCamera, ROCO, the Ensemble Theatre, and many others.

For anyone who's heard that Houston's performing arts scene is pretty killer, but hasn't known where to start in seeing performances, Houston Theater Week is a fantastic entry point.

"Something for everyone" is an over-used phrase, but this initiative easily allows patrons to find their niche and see what so many of us in the city already know: our performing arts are vibrant, alive and absolutely accessible to everyone.

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Houston Theater Week runs Monday, August 14 through Sunday, August 20. For tickets and full schedules, visit the official event site.

Get inspired

Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

Photo courtesy of Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center

Visitors to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts can now see an incredible new mural by one of Houston's most iconic street artists.Mario Enrique Figueroa, Jr., known as Gonzo247, debuted his piece, "Houston is Inspired" on Friday, December 12.

“This piece is all about capturing the energy that makes Houston, Houston," said the artist in a statement. "It’s that raw, vibrant hustle — the music, the culture, the stories we’ve been telling for generations. I wanted to create something that pulls people in, gets them hyped for what they’re about to experience. Every color, every shape, every detail is telling a story, a vibe. This ain’t just a mural or a piece of art — it’s a journey. It's about the grind, the growth, and the inspiration we pass on to each other, on and off the stage.”

The piece is called "Houston is Inspired," after the program at Hobby meant to showcase local performers by offering them week-long residencies on a prestigious stage. This season includes CJ Emmons's one-man comedy musical show I'm Freaking Talented; a rhythmic interactive storytelling experience called Our Road Home by Jakari Sherman; and Lavanya Rajagopalan's combination of music, dance and verse, Kāvya: Poetry in Motion. Information about all three shows, including ticket prices and availability, can be found at TheHobbyCenter.org.

The last show (debuting May 1) was a particular inspiration to Gonzo247. Viewers may notice a pair of hands in a traditional Indian dance pose, a direct reference to Rajagopalan's show.

The Houston is Inspired program was launched launched in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the residency in Zilkha Hall, artists are given a $20,000 stipend for production and marketing costs. It is now a permanent fixture of the Hobby season. Applicants for future seasons can submit here.

Known for his original "Houston is Inspired" mural in downtown's Market Square, Gonzo247 has been an active force in Houston art for 30 years, including producing the video series Aerosol Warfare about the street art scene in the 1990s and 2000s as well as founding the Graffiti and Street Art Museum. He also served as the artist liaison for Meow Wolf's Houston installation. If anyone's visual vision is perfect to welcome audience members to shows highlighting homegrown talent, it's him.

“Art’s all about telling stories, but it ain’t just what you see — it’s what you feel," he said. "This piece speaks to the heart of everything we’re about: culture, rhythm, struggle, and triumph. When you walk into the space, you gotta feel the anticipation, the energy building up. That’s what I wanted to capture — the vibe of the whole city, the passion in the work, and that next-level hunger to rise up and create something fresh. It’s like the beat drops, and everything just connects.”

visual-art downtown mural gonzo247