SPECIAL EVENTS

The Houston Theater District will celebrate its 19th Annual Theater District Open House event on Sunday, August 26 from noon - 4 pm. An event that Houstonians look forward to at the beginning of each fall, this FREE, family-friendly event will take place in the heart of the Theater District at the Alley Theatre (615 Texas Ave.), Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (800 Bagby), Wortham Theater Center (501 Texas Ave.) and Jones Hall (615 Louisiana Ave.).

Theater District Open House is a fun-filled afternoon of learning more about the arts and Houston’s nine major performing arts organizations: Alley Theatre; Da Camera of Houston; Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center; Houston Ballet; Houston Grand Opera; Houston Symphony; Society for the Performing Arts; Theatre Under The Stars and Uniquely Houston®.

“Houstonians have grown accustomed to coming to Open House each year to check out what the different groups have to offer for the upcoming season,” said Andrew Huang, President & CEO, Houston Downtown Alliance. “Those who are regular arts patrons or who may be new or occasional art-goers know that this is the best time to get great prices on a season subscription or even a special package deal only available at Open House.”

This year’s Open House allows Houstonians to do just that with interactive and informative events including: backstage tours; live performances by professional and community entertainers; sneak previews of the 2012-2013 Theater District seasons; question and answer sessions with performers; activities for the kids such as a costume trunk and an instrument petting zoo; season ticket information booths and a free Houston Symphony concert starting at 4 p.m. in Jones Hall.

Guests can register to win exciting prizes by participating in the much-beloved Theater District Open House Scavenger Hunt, a fun way to learn interesting facts about your Theater District. Scavenger Hunt questions pertaining to Theater District performing arts groups and organizations are in the event program available at each of the four event venues. Guests must visit each member’s information table to obtain answers. After completing the Scavenger Hunt with correctly answered questions, guests turn in their entries at a specified location in each venue to be entered in a drawing for a chance to win free tickets to Theater District performances.

More than two million people visit Houston’s Theater District annually. Houston is one of only five cities in the U.S. that boasts permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines of opera, ballet, music and theater, and is the only city in America that has a collective Open House involving all of these groups and their multiple venues.

Theater District Open House is a program of the Houston Downtown Alliance sponsored by Houston Area Cadillac Dealers, United Airlines – The Official Airline of the Houston Downtown Alliance, Houston Endowment Inc., Houston First Corporation, KUHF, and funded in part by the City of Houston.

For additional event information, call 713.658.8938 or visit houstontheaterdistrict.org.