Houston is a city that plays to arts lovers. One of only a few cities nationwide with resident companies in all four major performing arts categories (ballet, opera, theater, symphony), plus a world-class Museum District, the Bayou City lets you indulge your artistic passions.
Even better, many of Houston’s arts organizations offer affordable ticket prices paired with top-notch entertainment. Here are just some to consider.
Main Street Theater, founded in 1975, is a resident theater presenting contemporary plays, classic comedies and the occasional musical. This season, MST offered two world-premieres, one of which, The Pie Dialogues, you can see through March 22.
“Our spaces are so intimate that the folks in the seats are virtually living the same moments as the actors onstage,” says MST founder and Executive Artistic Director Rebecca Greene Udden. “Audiences get to know Houston’s professional actors — both the old pros and the new kids — in a very personal way.”
For $25, you can see a show on a Friday night; $20 on a Thursday. If that’s still too steep, grab a ticket to a preview for $10 or, on the first Sunday following a performance’s opening night, get a Pay-What-You-Can seat for a minimum of $5.
“It’s important everyone who wants a ticket should be able to get one,” says Udden of Main Street’s audience-friendly pricing. (713) 524-6706.
Breaking down the price barrier is important to Houston Grand Opera, too. Operas are undeniably expensive to produce, considering the elaborate sets, the orchestra and the principal singers. But showcasing how great opera can be is priceless. Enter the NEXUS Initiative, launched in the spring of 2008, with funding from a consortium of corporate underwriters. $10 is all you need.
“NEXUS makes world-class opera accessible and affordable for many,” says Rochelle Ricks, HGO’s NEXUS program coordinator. “It’s designed for people who have never attended an opera, an HGO production or have not been to an opera in several years.”
This spring, catch Rigoletto (opening April 17) and the world premiere of Andre Previn’s Brief Encounter (opening May 1). (713) 228-6737.
Houston also has incredible classical music concerts. Ars Lyrica, the city’s premiere early music ensemble, hosts a season of Baroque and other early works, played on period instruments for maximum effect. They perform at the Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall, where you can see Il Trionfo del Tempo (May 10), a musical battle between beauty and pleasure, for $25. But on March 14, catch them for free at Bayou Bend, performing A Musical Pleasure Garden of songs by Handel, Arne and others. (713) 315-2525
Just $25 also gets you a ticket to one of Da Camera of Houston’s classical concerts.
“As part of our mission to introduce new audiences to chamber music, Da Camera has always offered affordably priced tickets,” said Executive Director Sarah Loudermilk. “This spring is a great chance to discover the pianist Awadagin Pratt (May 2) or to hear Heidi Grant Murphy sing with the St. Lawrence String Quartet (March 27).” (713) 524-5050.
Some of the best-priced seats in the house can be found at Inprint Houston, a literary organization that brings in authors for book readings and discussions. Upcoming: Richard Price, author of Lush Life (March 9), poets Charles Simic and Edward Hirsch (March 30) and children’s authors Jacqueline Woodson (March 1) and Sherman Alexie (May 3).
“The readings take the private act of reading and writing and make it a public, community activity,” says Rich Levy, executive director. “Hearing a writer share a personal anecdote, explain their writing process, or read a passage in their own voice, connects you to the writer and their works on a much more personal level.” Inprint reading tickets are $5 (and free for the Cool Brains! Children’s series). (713) 521-2026.
Some of the world’s best thinkers and writers discuss their work with Houston audiences, who are encouraged to ask questions during the evening, at The Progressive Forum. $14 gets you a seat for Earth Policy Institute President Lester Brown (April 14).
“Our motto is great minds, great answers. Al Gore launched An Inconvenient Truth with us, his first U.S. book event,” says Randall Morton, president of The Progressive Forum. “$14 for prime orchestra level seats is a great value, especially in the intimate Wortham-Cullen Theater.” (713) 664-0020.
For an outdoor, free-wheelin’ art experience, nothing beats the Art Car Parade, staged along Allen Parkway on May 9. Watch as the coolest and kookiest cars you’ve ever seen roll past covered in sculptural shells, outlandish paintjobs and oodles of objects. This eye-popping celebration of creativity in motion is the largest art car gathering in the nation. (713) 926-6368.
So, as you navigate your way through a shaky economy, and you look for excitement in the Bayou City, remember you have access to dozens of cheap thrills.
Other affordable options:
The Ensemble Theatre ($12 for previews; $18 Saturday matinees); (713) 520-0055.
Alley Theatre ($6 Pay What You Can seats at many performances); (713) 220-5700.
Mercury Baroque ($20 starting price for classical concerts); (832) 251-0706.
The Shepherd School of Music (713/348-8000) and The Moores School of Music (713/743-3313) offer tickets for classical concerts, jazz ensembles and opera for prices ranging from free to $15.
