The Arthropologist

Summer school theater: UH-D gets its own company & high school teachers goCougar

UH School of Theatre & Dance partipants in a make-up and wig training sessionwith Royal Shakespeare Company wig master Brenda Leedham
University of Houston's drama teacher students enjoy some free time in Stratford
Photo by Steven Wallace
In their third year, the students hit London’s West End Theatre District
Photo by Steven Wallace
UH School of Theatre & Dance director Steven Wallace, far left, with his firstgroup of graduating cougars in the Master of Arts program for theater teachers
Terri Branda Carter as Amanda Wingfield and Jon Egging as Tom Wingfield in theLanding Theatre Company's production of "The Glass Menagerie"
Photo by David Rainey
Lauren Ashley Miller as Laura Wingfield and Michael Schultz as Jim O'Connor inthe Landing Theatre Company's production of "The Glass Menagerie"
Photo by David Rainey
David Rainey, UHD Landing Theatre Company's artistic director
Photo by Joe Girsaffi

As the rest of the city's theater scene descends into a summer slumber, there's been a buzz of activity on the campuses of both the University of Houston and the University of Houston-Downtown. We never quite hear enough about what goes on right under our noses in the city's higher education arts world.

These programs play a vital role in populating local theater groups with the next generation of actors, directors and designers. They stand at the forefront of the city's cultural future. Let's give them some deserved attention.

If you ask Alley Theatre veteran David Rainey what he did this summer, he can respond, "Oh, I started a theater company." And that he did. The Landing Theatre Company, based at University of Houston-Downtown, is the city's newest troupe. Rainey named it The Landing Theatre Company for a variety of reasons.

"Allen's Landing is the city's birthplace, a launching place, where goods came into the city. It seems a perfect place to take the audience on an adventure," says Rainey, an adjunct professor at UHD. "The idea is to mix students with professionals along the lines of the Williamstown Theatre Festival."

Rainey selected Tennessee Williams' classic family drama, The Glass Menagerie, as his inaugural play because it sets the tone of what he hopes to accomplish.

"I wanted to do something in the American canon of substance. I have loved this play for a long time and know it really well," Rainey says. "Plus, it fits into our theater. That was important to choose a play that is suited for our venue."

Rainey enlisted the talents of scenic designer Frank Vela for this first show.

"The O'Kane Theatre is such a great little space. I realized how much more space I really had outside just the playing area," Vela says. "The space is set up so that you can utilize every ounce of floor space as possible. It's such a great space to design."

UH-Downtown's theater program is in growth mode, building momentum, faculty, and now a resident company. For the past three decades, Dr. Thomas Lyttle has been running a one-man show.

"He started the theater program at UHD over 30 years ago and built it from the ground up almost by himself," Rainey says. "He has had the foresight to start building the faculty with a balance of both academic and working professionals. He's done an amazing job.

"What was once just a minor in is now a BAFA with courses in business, marketing along with theater classes. This is a very well-rounded degree program we will be produce a self sufficient student who could go on and start a theater company."

Down the road, Rainey imagines producing a four to six play season, keeping students and off-duty local actors busy.

"It's really important for universities to have professional entities attached to them like Yale. We are trying to build that idea from the ground up."

A simple, "Hey Steven, what's up?" email to Steven Wallace, UH's director of Theatre & Dance, yielded an enthusiastic response. Wallace was bursting with pride to tell me about his first graduating class of students from the Master of Arts program, especially designed for working theater teachers. UH's degree program, one of only three of its kind in the country, allows theater teachers to study during over the course of three summers, sharpening their skills and rekindling their love of theater. The program is affordable, and more importantly, doable.

Wallace is well aware that high school theater teachers can feel isolated and separated from their profession. The demands of teaching, producing plays and participating in Texas's UIL one-act play competition can be all-consuming. It's frankly hard to stay in touch with today's theater world while doing all that.

"We want to rejuvenate them by giving them new tools, exposing them to the latest information in the theater industry in a non-intimidating setting," Wallace says.

This is Wallace's baby and he deserves to be proud.

"Teachers get a chance to go back to college, work with top professionals, direct and design," he says, about his hands-on curriculum. "It's not just lectures."

Faculty is culled from UH's finest teachers, including two time Tony Award nominated designer Kevin Ridgon and Alley veteran Todd Waite. Travel is an important component because there's nothing quite like a field trip to get the theater juices pumping. The first summer students head to New York, the second, Chicago, and they wrap up their final summer with a whirlwind theater blast marathon in London.

With only space for 16 students per year, the program is small enough to create meaningful relationships between the faculty and other students. Theater teachers are often in competition with each other and rarely have the time to network and talk shop.

"There's a real hunger for learning and connection among these teachers," Wallace says. "They are making life-long friends. Who knows some of their students may end up coming here."

Three years ago, 16 entered the program. Later this month, all 16 will graduate and go back to their eager students with their heads full and hearts open — ready to set their students on fire again with the magic of live theater.

unspecified

weekend event planner

These are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

Photo by Melissa Taylor

Theatre Under the Stars presents their new vision for Disney's Frozen.

Christmas is just around the corner, which means you can either crack down on the Christmas shopping or take in a few entertaining events before the relatives, the weather, and Mariah Carey takes priority in the next couple of weeks.

We have a very eclectic lineup of stuff going on this weekend: a Theatre Under the Stars production of a chilly Disney favorite; an arena polo championship; the return of an ‘80s superstar; the grand opening of a new pickleball club; and two barbecue pop-ups that’ll have you sucking the sauce out of your fingernails.

Thursday, December 12

4th Wall Theatre Company presents Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Vanya and Sonia, two middle-aged siblings begrudgingly named after Chekhov characters, are living an uneventful life in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The days are filled with predictable routines until their movie-star sister Masha arrives, accompanied by Spike, her charming (and incredibly attractive) young lover. Suddenly, their dull existence is turned upside down as old tensions resurface, leading to a weekend of uproarious chaos, unexpected romance, and unforgettable moments. Through Saturday, December 21. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Asia Society Texas Center presents Mei Rui: "Your Brain on Beethoven"
Asia Society Texas Center will celebrate Ludwig van Beethoven's birthday with an innovative concert experiment. Award-winning concert pianist Dr. Mei Rui will present live performances of Beethoven's iconic masterworks, including the “Archduke” Trio, alongside state-of-the-art Brain-Computer Interface and EEG brain dynamics data visualization revealing how the performances impact musicians' and audience members' brains. 7:30 pm.

Theatre Under the Stars presents Disney's Frozen
Enter the icy world of Arendelle, where the newly crowned Queen Elsa has accidentally set off an eternal winter. Younger sister Anna, along with Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, sets off on a snowy adventure to find Elsa and save the kingdom. Frozen features the songs you know and love from the Oscar-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. Through Sunday, December 29. 7:30 pm (8 pm Friday; 2 & 8 pm Saturday; 2 & 7:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, December 13

U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship
The 2024 U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship and USPA United States Arena Handicap come to Texas for the first time. Nine teams will vie for the national championship titles and the combined $70,000 in prize money. Arena polo, compared to hockey on horseback, is a fast-paced sport where teams of three players and their mounts demonstrate their prowess and agility. Spectators are up-close to the action — hearing players communicate and feeling the thunder of hooves. 12:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Improv Houston presents Brian Simpson
Brian Simpson is an Austin-based stand-up comedian based in Los Angeles. His background as a foster child and Marine Corps veteran has led to a rare combination of life experiences that he manages to channel into a refreshingly unique point of view. After landing a half-hour comedy special on Netflix’s third season of The Standups, Simpson returned to the streamer earlier this year with the hour-long, shot-in-Austin special Brian Simpson: Live from the Mothership. 7:30 & 9:45 pm (7 & 9:30 pm Saturday).

Derek Hough: Dance for the Holidays
Derek Hough: Dance for the Holidays is a celebration of the most festive time of the year. Fans will get to see Hough and his cast of dancers bring holiday tunes to life through dance, from the well-sung classics to modern pop hits. Creative team and Emmy winners Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, also known as NappyTabs (Jennifer Lopez’s All I Have, Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, GRAMMYs®), will co-create, direct, and supervise choreography for the tour. 8 pm.

Richard Marx in concert
Man, Richard Marx was quite the ‘80s pop-rock troubadour, hitting us with such Reagan-era ditties as “Don’t Mean Nothing,” “Should’ve Known Better,” “Endless Summer Nights,” and “Satisfied.” (He had some cool ‘90s bops as well, including “Keep Coming Back” with Luther Vandross on background vocals.) The man who put a ring on MTV VJ/legendary ‘90s crush Daisy Fuentes will be performing those, as well as tunes from his many albums (including his latest, 2022’s Songwriter), in Sugar Land this weekend.

Saturday, November 14

Casa Pickle Grand Opening
Membership-based indoor pickleball club Casa Pickle will have its grand opening this weekend. The celebration will serve as a chance for the public to experience the club, which will be exclusive to members following the opening. Guests can enjoy sips, bites, tours, and competitive play. They can also tour the 20,000-square-foot facility, relax in the lounge area, grab a drink at the bar, or engage in Open Play pickleball on one of the nine state-of-the-art, PPA-certified CushionX courts. You can sign up for Open Play here. 6 am.

Axelrad presents KG BBQ
As we reported earlier this week, you can get barbecue this weekend from two spots that earned Bib Gourmand status in the Michelin Guide. First up, it’s Austin’s very own KG BBQ, which will have a pop-up at Midtown beer house Axelrad. The menu will include many of KG’s most popular dishes, including brisket rice bowls with smoked Mediterranean rice; smoked lamb chops; sumac-and-cinnamon-rubbed lamb shoulder, and sides such as pink buttermilk potato salad and Baladi salad. 11 am.

Stages presents Have a Nice Day Holiday Market
Join Stages for a night market of incredible food and craft vendors, music from Los Angeles DJ Lonny, lights, photo booths, karaoke and holiday filled fun for all. Vendors will include CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Pastry Chef of the Year winner Christina Au, Asteroid Coffee, Dumpling Haus, Boo’s Burger, Moe’s Vegan Bites, Elisa’s Homemade Crochet, and many more. You can also make it a day with a holiday show. Use code “NightMKT24” at checkout for 25 percent off their family friendly, fun-filled Panto Pinocchio. 4 pm.

Dawes in concert with Winnetka Bowling League
LA folk rock band Dawes, which now consists of brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith (two bandmates departed last year), will be in Houston this weekend, playing music from their recently-released album Oh Brother. The new work steers Dawes decidedly forward, honoring 15 years of Taylor and Griffin’s musical relationship, as well as the next era of their band. They'll be joined by Winnetka Bowling League. 7 pm.

Sunday, December 15

Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q presents Whole Hogmas
Here’s the other barbecue spot that got the Michelin shout-out. Coming straight outta Spring, Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q will have a special menu of dishes made with smoked whole hog. The menu will include whole hog plates, whole hog sandwiches, whole hog-and-parmesan polenta cakes, and whole hog served over cheese grits with a New Orleans-style barbecue sauce, as well as sides and desserts. It’s all to raise money for Hogs for the Cause, an annual event that raises money for pediatric brain cancer research and the families who are fighting it. 11 am.

Blippi: Join the Band Tour
If you have one of those iPad-carrying tykes who love the kiddie programming that comes outta YouTube, you can watch them lose their minds when one of those YouTubers appears in the flesh. Blippi comes to Houston as part of his Join the Band tour. Blippi will be joined onstage by Meekah, their singing and dancing buddies and live musicians to explore what makes music, including sounds, rhythms, and instruments, through all of Blippi’s favorite hits. 2 pm.

Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra presents Gremlins Movie Party
Joe Dante’s iconic holiday misadventure from 1984 continues to be a pop culture sensation, with its darkly funny story of a small-town guy who receives a furry little creature called a mogwai that ends up multiplying into a swarm of monsters that rip the town to shreds. You won’t be able to tear the place apart or ruin the theater’s electronics, but they will have all kinds of fun props available to help you get in on the action. 6 pm.

Photo by Melissa Taylor

Theatre Under the Stars presents their new vision for Disney's Frozen.

event-planner weekend events