Artists of Houston Ballet in Alexander Ekman's "Cacti." Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet.
When Hurricane Harvey badly damaged Houston Ballet's Wortham Theater Center this fall, all programming was cancelled and the fate of the company's upcoming season was unclear. Yet over the past few months, the greater performing arts community has pulled together to help the company get its fall season back on its feet. This week Houston Ballet announced new dates and venues for its Spring 2018 Season.
The spring season will continue the company's "Hometown Tour" of Houston theaters that they began for Nutcracker season, switching between the George R. Brown Convention Center's General Assembly Hall and Resilience Theatre (a fitting name, no?), Sarofim Hall at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Jones Hall, and the Moores Opera House at the University of Houston. The company is making light of the situation, titling their two mixed repertoire programs scheduled for the Brown Center "Unconventional Ballets at the Convention Center." (They've also had plenty of fun with wordplay while advertising their productions of The Nutcracker held in Sugar Land, TX, a city just south of Houston.) The season showcases the full diversity of Houston Ballet's offerings, from Alexander Ekman to Don Quixote to a world premiere by artistic director Stanton Welch celebrating Houston's resilience.
Sara Webb and Connor Walsh with Artists of Houston Ballet in "Swan Lake" choreographed by Stanton Welch. Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet.
The company's full list of new dates and venues are listed below:
Houston Ballet's Sara Webb and Chun Wai Chan in "The Nutcracker." Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet.
Houston Ballet has a message for Mother Nature: Don't mess with Nutcracker.
After flooding from Hurricane Harvey caused extensive damage to the Wortham Center, Houston ballet's home theater, the company was forced to reschedule and relocate two of its programs this fall. But when the Wortham announced last month that it would be closed for repairs through mid-May, the company faced a bigger, financially scarier problem: cancelling 34 performances of its annual Nutcracker.
Melody Mennite in "Nutcracker." Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet.
But artists are nothing if not resourceful. Yesterday, the company announced that its Nutcracker will be going on a "hometown tour," with 14 performances at the Smart Financial Center in nearby Sugar Land (December 10–23), and 14 performances at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (December 30–January 6). The production, choreographed by artistic director Stanton Welch, was new last year, and includes opulent scenic and costume designs by Tim Goodchild. Current ticket holders can click here to reschedule their performances, while tickets will go on sale to the general public on October 14.
The Wortham Theater Center, where Houston Ballet performs, after Hurricane Harvey. Photo by Monica Guerra, Courtesy Guerra.
After Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston Ballet's facilities and damaged its home theater, the Wortham Center, the company wasted no time finding temporary rehearsal space and rescheduling its first two programs of the season at the nearby Hobby Center. But today, the Texas company faced another major blow: The Wortham Center announced that it will be closed for repairs until at least mid-May. That means Houston Ballet now needs to reschedule more than half of its season—including 34 performances of Nutcracker.
A scene from Stanton Welch's "Nutcracker. Photo via Facebook.
As everyone in the dance world knows, Nutcracker is a major financial lifeline for American ballet companies. Houston's production, choreographed by artistic director Stanton Welch with sets and costumes by Tim Goodchild, was brand-new last year. (Fortunately, the company moved its sets and costumes to a safe location during the storm.) Finding space for a month-long run will surely not be easy, and the Hobby Center looks booked. While there's no news of a backup plan yet, here's hoping Houston Ballet will receive some Nutcracker magic—and be able to find a new home for this year's production. We'll keep you posted once they do.
