ENSEMBLE THEATRE
www.theensembletheatrehouston.org
3535 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Phone: 713-520-0055

Presents

The 2004 - 2005 Season


"Our hats have been bought and paid for..." - CROWNS by Regina Taylor is part of The Ensemble Theatre's 2004 - 2005 Season Showing from April 28 thru May 29, 2005. Call ph.713-520-0055 for tickets and reservations.


The 2004 - 2005 Mainstage Season of six productions promises to take its audiences on an exhilarating theatrical ride mixing contemporary comedy, an August Wilson classic, provocative drama echoing today's headlines and three musicals heralding gospel and R&B.

"We're having a ball telling our story. We want audiences to have a ball too!"
- Ensemble Theatre Houston

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THAT SERIOUS HE - MAN BALL

By Alonzo D. Lamont, Jr.
Directed by Marsha Jackson - Randolph

Previews: September 18 - 22, 2004
Opens: September 23 - October 17, 2004

"Colorful dialogue…lively interplay…carry He-Man Ball" - Houston Chronicle
"He-Man Ball" takes great shots" - Houston Post

Three 'brothers' on the basketball court push the stakes beyond "Chicks' and ball games and the boundaries of friendship, comedy and drama go where 'no man has gone before'.
Rating: PG 17 and adult language and content. An Encore.


Mother "Elsie Shaw" - CROWNS by Regina Taylor is part of The Ensemble Theatre's 2004 - 2005 Season Showing from April 28 thru May 29, 2005. Call ph.713-520-0055 for tickets and reservations.

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A PURE GOSPEL CHRISTMAS
Conceived by Leslie Dockery and David A. Tobin, Guest Directors

Previews: November 20 - 24, 2004
Opens: Friday, November 26 - December 31, 2004

"Song, devotion, and cheer…casting a glow over the holiday season." - The New York Times

A Baptist Church seeking the 'true' meaning of Christmas gets the audience in the act of a holiday 'crowd-pleasure' featuring a score of gospel music and holiday favorites.
Rating: General audiences. A Houston premiere from Off - Broadway.


"The right kind of hat" - CROWNS by Regina Taylor is part of The Ensemble Theatre's 2004 - 2005 Season Showing from April 28 thru May 29, 2005. Call ph.713-520-0055 for tickets and reservations.

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TWO TRAINS RUNNING
By August Wilson

Previews: January 22 - 25, 2005
Opening: January 27 - February 20, 2005

"(Two Trains)…a good ride, funny, painful and radiantly alive." - Talking Broadway

Wilson interweaves lives and hopes into a story set in the 1960's in a small diner where trains and a cry of retribution, "I want my ham!" foretell the rise of Civil Rights and Black Power.
Rating: PG - 13 for some language. An Encore


"Ain't gonna let nobody turn me around" - CROWNS by Regina Taylor is part of The Ensemble Theatre's 2004 - 2005 Season Showing from April 28 thru May 29, 2005. Call ph.713-520-0055 for tickets and reservations.


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THE STORY
By Tracey Scott Wilson
Directed by Marsha Jackson - Randolph

Previews: March 5 - 9, 2005
Opening: March 10 - April 10, 2005

"Resonates in the imagination long after the drama has unfolded." - The New Yorker

Drama, mystery, and irony escalate in a critically acclaimed snapshot from today's headlines, portraying an ambitious reporter who plays the race card to advance her story and her career.

Rated: PG 13 for some language. A Houston premiere from Off - Broadway.

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CROWNS
By Regina Taylor

Previews: April 23 - 27, 2005
Opening: April 28 - May 29, 2005

"Crowns charms with church hat lore." - Houston Chronicle
"Thoroughly joyous, if not downright heavenly." - Houston Press


The musical "CROWNS" originally ran in March / April, 2004 and was held over for two weeks at the Ensemble Theatre. CROWNS is written by Regina Taylor who played Lilly Harper on the television series "I'll Fly Away" and won a NAACP Image Award for her role. CROWNS is adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry "CROWNS: Portrait of Black Women in Church Hats". CROWNS is a critically celebrated musical play that uses the hats African American women wear to church as a means to explore their rich history.

The musical "CROWNS" celebrates the generations of African American women whose hats fuse faith and fashion. An Encore.


"Sunday Morning Service" - CROWNS by Regina Taylor is part of The Ensemble Theatre's 2004 - 2005 Season Showing from April 28 thru May 29, 2005. Call ph.713-520-0055 for tickets and reservations.


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NAT KING COLE AND ME
The music that reunites a father and son
Previews: June 11 - 15, 2005
Opens: June 16 - July 17, 2005

"For Nat King Cole fans, hearing the first few bars of some of his songs, is like reuniting with old friends"
- TheatreMania, Denver

A mother introduces her son to records of Nat King Cole and through his music he is reunited with the father, the hero and friend he had always wanted.

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We want you….to have a ball, too.

Join us for the 2004 - 2005 Season!

For information regarding subscriber opportunities, tickets and group sales, call The Ensemble Theatre Box Office at ph.713-520-0055 x306. Ride the Metro Rail to your stop for culture -- The Ensemble!



PERFORMANCE TIMES

Previews: 8:00pm Saturday; 3:00pm Sunday; 7:30pm Wednesday
Thursdays: 7:30pm
Fridays: 8:00pm
Saturdays: Matinee 2:00pm; 8:00pm
Sundays: Matinee 3:00pm