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The Ensemble Theatre, located in the heart of midtown at 3535 Main Street in Houston, Texas, is the largest
The Ensemble building, with its glass-enclosed lobby, hosts three stages located in the heart of Midtown, where a
The Ensemble Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ensemble Theatre, The Theatres in Houston Theatre companies in Houston African-American theatre companies 1976 establishments in Texas Midtown, Houston
The Ensemble Theatre, located in the heart of midtown at 3535 Main Street in Houston, Texas, is the largest African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
professional theatre company
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
in the United States that produces plays in-house and owns its own facility.
History
The Ensemble Theatre is anon-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
founded by George Hawkins in 1976 as a touring company that rehearsed in a church basement.
In 2003, the company was awarded $250,000 from the Houston Endowment Inc., with which it retired its original capital campaign debt and made some improvements to the facility. Since 1991, Houston Endowment Inc. has granted a total of $1,220,500 to the Ensemble, including an annual operating grant.
In August 2006, the Ensemble Theatre celebrated its 30-year anniversary, as it launched its 2006/2007 production season. This celebration included the presentation of an award to American actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
and director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
Danny Glover, as the 2006 "Lifetime Achievement" honoree.
The theatre building
The Ensemble building, with its glass-enclosed lobby, hosts three stages located in the heart of Midtown, where a METRORail
METRORail is the light rail system in Houston, Texas (United States). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . METRORail ranks as the second most-traveled light rail system in the Southern United States and the 12th ...
stop bears its name, Ensemble/HCC station
Ensemble/HCC is an island platformed METRORail light rail station in Houston, Texas, United States. The station was opened on January 1, 2004, and is operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO). Located Midtown ...
, an honor shared with the nearby Houston Community College ("HCC"). The facility includes a main stage
Main stage or mainstage refers to the largest or most prestigious space of a Theater (structure), theatre building and to the productions performed in that space. Mainstage theatre has been historically distinguished from smaller-scale studio the ...
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
with seating for 200, an arena stage that seats 125, and a grand performance hall that accommodates 500 people.
The company
Each year the theatre presents a repertoire of critically acclaimed dramas, comedies and musicals that demonstrates the artistic ability of more than 250 professional local, regional and national artists and support staff. Anon-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
, the Ensemble Theatre also has an educational touring program and a summer young performers training program.
The Ensemble's mission is to preserve African-American artistic expression. To do so, it collaborates with and presents works by artists such as Joseph A. Walker, Pearl Cleage
Pearl Cleage (December 7, 1948) (pronounced: “cleg”) is an African-American playwright, essayist, novelist, poet and political activist.Spratling, Cassandra. "Pearl Cleage's Storied Life Cover Story." Detroit Free Press, Feb 21, 2010. ProQue ...
, Cheryl L. West and Shay Youngblood.
Though the Ensemble is an African-American run troupe, it is colorblind when it comes to welcoming directors, designers, performers, playwrights
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
and audiences. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
has visited the Ensemble, and influential dramatist
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
Ntozake Shange
Ntozake Shange ( ;
FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018. October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018) ...
has directed the troupe. Performers FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018. October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018) ...
Ossie Davis
Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...
and Ruby Dee have also offered their support to the company.
In August 2006, the Ensemble announced its selection of Eileen J. Morris as its new artistic director. As the artistic airector, Morris will manage the Ensemble's repertoire of six main stage productions, an aggressive tour education program, a young performers program and other projects to advance the artistic mission of the theatre.
See also
*National Black Theatre
The National Black Theatre is a non-profit cultural and educational corporation, and community-based theatre company located on 5th Avenue in Harlem, New York.
History
The National Black Theatre (NBT) is a non-profit cultural and educational ...
* History of African Americans in Houston
References
External links
The Ensemble Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ensemble Theatre, The Theatres in Houston Theatre companies in Houston African-American theatre companies 1976 establishments in Texas Midtown, Houston