Houston Ballet Staff Share Their Harvey Recovery Story At National Conference

Houston First Theaters

When the Wortham Theater Center flooded during Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Ballet not only lost many costumes, wigs, and practice studios, but they also lost their place to perform.

Since the water receded and the long rebuilding process at the Wortham began, the Ballet has had to hold performances all around town — from the George R. Brown Convention Center, to the Hobby Center, to the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, just to name a few. And they won't be back in their home theater space until the holidays — about a year after they were initially displaced.

Two members of the Houston Ballet's production staff are speaking this week about their organization's experience during and after the storm at the national conference for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT).

Mary Elsey, the Ballet's associate production manager, and Travis Richardson, its technical director, tell Houston Matters producer Michael Hagerty about how the ordeal has changed the way they work and what advice they plan to give other arts organizations around the country to help them be better prepared for a natural disaster.