The Ensemble Theatre Artistic Director EILEEN J. MORRIS
ENSEMBLE THEATRE
www.ensemblehouston.com
3535 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Phone: 713-520-0055
The Ensemble Theatre Artistic Director EILEEN J. MORRIS
The Ensemble Theatre
Presents Its 2015 - 2016 Season
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The Ensemble Theatre's 2015 - 2016 Season Includes:
PLENTY OF TIME
PG-13/ Contemporary Romantic Comedy
By John Shevin Foster
Directed by Eileen J. Morris
Runs: May 12 - June
5,
2016
What happens when a spoiled, southern debutant and a Black Panther fall in love? It is 1968. Corey and Christina meet in Oak Bluffs - a black section of Martha's Vineyard. Christina is 17 years old and from an upper class family. Corey is 22 and a member of the Black Panther Party. Despite their obvious differences they are sexually attracted, share a passionate night together and resolve to continue their affair over the span of 33 years. Each time they return to the small private beach house, they bring with them their personal growth and experiences. Their relationship deepend through the influences of the social and political changes of the time - Black militarism, feminism, Vietnam and AIDS.
The Ensemble Theatre's 2013-2014 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United Airlines is the exclusive airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre.
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PG-13/ Drama with Music/ Regional Premiere
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Eileen J. Morris
Previews: March 19, 20 and 23
Runs: March 24 –
April 17, 2016
It's 1967 and almost every single Motown release has made the charts, yet the
world is changing around Chelle and Lank, who run an after-hours club in the
basement of their late parents' house. Tensions mount when the siblings
discover that their dreams have diverged, and their tight-knit community is
threatened by the arrival of a mysterious outsider, while the city around them
erupts in violence. This powerful play unfolds at an explosive moment in
our history, surrounded by the race riots that ravaged the City of Detroit in
1967, and set to a vibrant soundtrack of Motown hits of the day.
The Ensemble Theatre's 2014-2015 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United Airlines is the exclusive airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre.
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FENCES
PG-13/ Drama/ Classic Revival
By August Wilson
Directed by Eileen J. Morris
Previews: January 23, 24 & 27
Runs: January 28 -
February 28, 2016
In this powerful and dramatically compelling work that won August Wilson the
1987 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, Troy Maxson is a strong man,
yet hardened by life in an America where to be proud and Black was to face
pressures that could crush a man, body and soul. But the 1950s
are yielding to the new spirit of liberation in the 1960s. It's a spirit
that is changing the world and Troy Maxson has learned to deal with it the only
way he can...a spirit that is making him a stranger, angry and afraid in a world
he never knew, to a wife and son he understands less and less.
The Ensemble Theatre's 2015-2016 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United Airlines is the exclusive airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre. By the Way, Meet Vera Stark is generously sponsored by Spectra Energy.
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G/ Musical
By Stepp Stewart
Directed and Choreographed by Patdro Harris
Musical Direction by
Previews:
Nov. 14, 15 & 18
Opening Night and Media Reception:
Runs:
Nov. 19 –
This African American tale is
the story of two children who are taken on a musical journey one magical
Christmas Eve. Watch as they discover the rich history within the music, dance,
and culture. Join them as they go back in time and enjoy all of your favorite
Soulful Christmas tunes, performed in the style of the artist that made them
famous. You will feel like a little kid again when you hear: Santa Claus is
coming to town, "Go Tell It On The Mountain" - Mahaila Jackson, "This Christmas"
- Donny Hathaway, "Silent Night" - The Temptations, and more. Exciting fun
for the whole family!
*Rights Pending
A Soulful Christmas is a
musical concert with selections written, performed and published by
various artists. Adapted by Patdro Harris with additional music by Carlton
Leake.
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Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing
PG-13 / Drama with Music / Regional Premiere
Written by Trey Ellis & Ricardo Khan
Directe and Choreographed by Patdro Harris
Musical Direction with Original Songs by Carton Leake
Previews: June 25, 26 and 29
Runs: June 30 - July
31,
2016
Kansas City jazz filled nights awakened to
cracks of baseball bats as change for Black Americans seemed enticingly close in
1947. Satchel Paige and many other all-stars flourished in Negro League
Baseball, and Jackie Robinson has just integrated major-league baseball.
It's a snapshot of America in extraordinary times at the verge of extraordinary
change. This story celebrates the triumphs and humanity of these players
as business men and family men who are best described in Satchel Paige's quote
"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching."
The Ensemble Theatre's 2014-2015 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United Airlines is the exclusive airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre.
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For information regarding subscriptions, tickets and group sales call The Ensemble Theatre Box Office: 713-520-0055 or visit www.ensemblehouston.com.
The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community. The theatre is known as the only professional theatre in its region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African-American experience. In addition to being the oldest and largest professional African-American theatre in the Southwest, it also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African-American theatres that owns and operates its facility with an in-house production team. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble's $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997.
The Ensemble Theatre produces a main stage season of contemporary and classic works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience by local and national playwrights and artists. The theatre's Performing Arts Education program provides educational workshops, Artist-in-Residence experiences and live performances for students both off-site and at the theatre. Through its varied programs, The Ensemble Theatre benefits an audience and artistic constituency of approximately 65,000 people annually.
Join us for the 2015 - 2016 Season!
For information regarding subscriber opportunities, tickets and group
sales, call The Ensemble Theatre Box Office at ph.713-520-0055. Ride the Metro Rail to your stop for culture -- The Ensemble!
THE ENSEMBLE THEATRE
3535 Main Street, Houston Texas 77002
Phone 713-520-0055 Fax 713-520-1269