The Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts at University of Houston's main campus announced a season of operas and performances that showcase new talent as well as retelling classic stories.

Opera at Moore's Opera Center

On October 23, Moore's Opera Center will host the world premier of a new production by composer and librettist Tom Cipullo, creator of the Vietnam War opera Glory Denied. His latest work is Hobson's Choice, an operatic adaption of the classic play by Harold Brighouse that is essentially a modernization of Cinderella. Presented in English, the show will run for four performances through the October 26.

The company will return to classical fare in February with another fairy tale, Mozart's The Magic Flute. One of Mozart's most popular operas, it follows a prince on a quest to rescue the daughter of the Queen of the Night. The German-language opera was Mozart's last major composition before his death. Shows run February 5 - 8.

Last on the calendar is a double bill of works by renowned American composer Carlisle Floyd. Slow Dusk is the story of a young girl with big dreams whose poverty and oppressive family keep her down, while Markheim focuses on a rich man who squanders his fortune and ends up pursued by demons. The two English-language works are often staged together because of their similar themes of social status and the effects of money on happiness.

Slow Dusk/Markheim runs April 16-19. Tickets for all performances can be purchased here.

School of Theatre and Dance This Fall

UH's annual "Circadian Project" will be performed September 25-27. Incoming acting students write, rehearse, and produce a play without words in just 100 hours of work. Presented in partnership with PUSH Theatricals and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.

Fan's of Epic: The Musical should be excited for Anon, a new telling of Homer's Odyssey. Instead of a Greek king, this journey is undertaken by a young refugee separated from his mothers and forced to travel across the United States. From sinister one-eyed butchers to sirens in a dive bar, the story mirrors the classic tale but adds a modern twist. Runs October 3-12.

Appropriately opening on Halloween night, the School of Theater and Dance presents the classic horror story Frankenstein. This production is the 2011 adaption of Mary Shelley's novel by Nick Dear, which was originally directed by filmmaker Danny Boyle and starred Benedict Cumberbatch. Told from the Creature's perspective, this version is a truly terrifying take that is not for the faint of heart. Runs from Halloween through November 9.

An exciting new student work, Breaking the Bands, debuts in November. Written by Samantha Ray and directed by Shawanna Rivon, it takes place in a dystopia where an oppressed group (the Banded) fight to change their fate. Showing November 20-23.

The last performances of 2025 will be the school's Emerging Choreographers Showcase, debuting the work of aspiring dance masters. Shows are December 5 and 6. Tickets for all shows can be purchased here.