Sporting a blue shirt with a "25" emblazoned on the front, Houston First President and CEO Brenda Bazan took the stage in Jones Plaza to welcome the crowd back to this year's Theater District Open House. The late August annual event marks the beginning of the fall performing arts season in Houston and gives the community a chance to sneak a peek at what's coming up in the venues and to take a look at the facilities themselves.
This year was special, not only for being the 25th year of the annual festival, but also because it was even happening at all. Last year, when Houston was slammed by Hurricane Harvey, the event was canceled. Rather than crowds of people stepping into our theaters, several feet of flood water barged in. Even today, the severely damaged district continues moving along the winding road of recovery. Still, the 2018 Open House felt like a renaissance for the area. Bazan joined Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, and head of Theater District Houston, Kathryn McNiel on a tour of the district. Mayor Turner got his first glimpse of the Wortham after undergoing months of reconstruction and expressed his gratitude to the Houston First team for all the hard work and long hours put in to get the venue back up and running.
The dedication and tireless efforts of the Houston First staff, construction crews and our performing arts partners to reopen the premier venue are paying off. The Wortham will host its first ticketed performance Sept. 26 when the Houston Grand Opera presents, world-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo. Of course, the season will be well underway when the Houston Ballet returns to the Wortham in November with its popular and magical holiday tradition, The Nutcracker.
Whether it’s the symphony, opera, ballet, live jazz or chamber music, Houston First encourages everyone to support the performing arts by taking family and friends to enjoy a performance as a special holiday treat, or just because. Find out more and get a ticket.
