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Interactive art installation Meow Wolf howls into Houston on Halloween

Art-loving Houstonians will soon have a new venue to explore. Houston’s Meow Wolf has set its opening date and revealed the theme that governs its interactive installations.

Set to open on October 31, Houston’s Meow Wolf will be called Radio Tave — a riff on “radio wave.” Described in press materials as a radio station that’s been transported to another dimension, Meow Wolf visitors will be able to explore dozens of rooms filled with interactive elements such as hidden doors, paths, and portals.

For those unfamiliar, Meow Wolf is a Santa Fe, NM-based art collective that’s opening its fifth installation in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Think of it as a choose your own adventure contemporary art museum loaded with sculptures, murals, video, and light and sound artworks that each contribute a small piece of the overall theme.

Towards that end, Radio Tave will be stocked with a mix of characters — some created for the venue and others that nod to Meow Wolf’s installations in four other U.S. cities, including the Dallas suburb of Grapevine. That includes a radio station with the call letters ETNL and its own slogan, “Big Sounds From Little Thicket.” As seen in the photos above, the radio station already has a website with a placeholder page.

“Houston is a powerhouse of creativity, and our artists and collaborators have been channeling that electric energy into this exhibition for years,” Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa said in a statement. “They've taken it to the next level, capturing the city's vibrancy in every corner of the experience. We can't wait for you to step inside and explore it for yourself.”

As CultureMap has previously reported, a diverse ensemble of more than 50 contributing artists from Texas has collaborated with Meow Wolf’s in-house artist team to bring the facility to life. The list of local creative superstars included such well know artists as innovative theatrical set and puppet designer Afsaneh Aayani, art activist Kill Joy, and two longtime pillars of Houston’s installation and immersive art community in Dan Havel and Dean Ruck of Havel Ruck Projects.

"The visuals and soundscapes of Radio Tave are on another level,” senior creative producer Susie Cowan added. “Visitors will be immersed in a rich, multi-sensory experience that invites them to explore a world that feels both vast and deeply personal."

Meow Wolf Cowboix Hevvven jukebox Cowboix Hevvven's jukebox will feature 30 tracks recorded by Texas artists. Photo by Kate Russell

Meow Wolf will feature a venue space, a gift shop, and Cowboix Hevvven, a dive bar-inspired bar and restaurant that will offer “otherworldly Texan hospitality and comfort food.” Cole Bee Wilson, a fifth generation Texan and Meow Wolf’s lead artist, took the lead in creating Cowboix Hevvven. True to the venue’s theme, it will feature a jukebox with 30 songs created by Texas artists for Meow Wolf.

Annual season passes are currently on sale for $84. They include unlimited visits to the venue and perks such as a 10-percent discount at both the gift shop and Cowboix Hevvven.

Subscribers to Meow Wolf’s email list may purchase single-day passes beginning September 24. General tickets will go on sale October 1.

Photo by Tarick Foteh

Travel to another dimension at Meow Wolf.

meow wolf openings visual-art

And the Winner Is

Houston's Alley Theatre only Texas winner of prestigious new play award

Photo courtesy of Alley Theatre

Bring a friend to the theater for free.

The Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre has once again earned national recognition, becoming the only Texas theater selected for a 2025 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, a prestigious honor known for helping launch some of the most influential plays and musicals of the past two decades.

The award will support the Alley’s May 2026 world premiere of Dear Alien by Liz Duffy Adams, giving the production additional rehearsal time that has proven essential for shaping new work.

The Edgerton Awards have a powerful legacy behind them. Past recipients include phenomenon-level titles such as Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Prom, Next to Normal, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike — shows that went on to win Tony Awards, earn Pulitzer Prizes, and define contemporary American theater.

“I’m so grateful to the Edgerton Foundation for their support of Liz Duffy Adams’ play Dear Alien," says Alley artistic director Rob Melrose in a release. "Getting an additional week of rehearsal on a new play makes a tremendous difference. In Dear Alien, the titular role (played by resident acting company member Dylan Godwin) is onstage the entire show, and it is going to be quite a challenge. Supporting new plays is incredibly important for the health of the American theater. Four years ago, Alley Theatre premiered Liz’s play Born with Teeth, and it is currently having a run on the West End after gracing the stages of major theaters in the U.S. such as the Guthrie, Asolo Rep, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival."

Alley Theatre has a significant history with developing new work. In 1996, the Alley won the Regional Theatre Tony Award after debuting the world premiere of the musical Jekyll & Hyde, which went on to tour 40 cities and play for two years on Broadway (it lives on thanks to a DVD and VHS recording starring David Hasselhoff in the title roles).

In 1998, the Alley staged the American premiere of a rediscovered Tennessee Williams play, Not About Nightingales, which later enjoyed a successful Broadway run.

The Edgerton Foundation New Plays Program, directed by Brad and Louise Edgerton, was piloted in 2006 with Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles by offering two musicals in development an extended rehearsal period for the entire creative team, including the playwrights. The Edgertons launched the program nationally in 2007 and have supported 569 plays to date at over 50 different theaters across the country. Over the last 19 years, the Edgerton Foundation has awarded $19,670,534 to 569 productions.

Among the 2025 winners are pop-country star Jennifer Nettles' new musical Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo at Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City; Claudia Shear's The Recipe, about the early life of Julia Child, at La Jolla Playhouse in California; and prolific playwright David Lindsay-Abaire's latest title, The Balusters, at Manhattan Theatre Club. See the complete list here.

awards alley theatre dear alien liz duffy adams edgerton foundation edgerton foundation new play award theater