Theatre & Film

Houston Matters

A Mother’s Remarkable Experience with Her Sons at the Theater

Posted on · We hear a story about a mother who took her sons to the theater for the first time and had an unexpected experience. The story is told by Janette Cosley, executive director of the Ensemble Theatre of Houston, which focuses on productions benefiting a multicultural audience. This segment was produced by Houston Public Media’s Abner Fletcher.

Houston Matters

Rec Room Stages Stravinsky’s Once-Riotous ‘Rite of Spring’

Posted on · (Above: Performers from Rec Room’s production of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet “The Rite of Spring.” Photo: Natasha Gorel) When Igor Stravinsky’s famous — and perhaps infamous — ballet: The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris in 1913, it caused riots in the streets with the almost primitive sounds of the music – and equally primitive choreography depicting a story […]

Houston Matters

Flying Drones for College Credit at UH

Posted on · (Above: A drone hovers overhead as University of Houston students prepare to shoot video for a class project. Photo: Michael Hagerty, Houston Public Media)They’re filming a remake of The Fast and the Furious movies on the University of Houston campus. Well, sort of. Instead of Dodge Chargers and Corvettes, they’re using golf carts. And instead […]

Houston Matters

Adapting Orwell’s ‘1984’ for the Stage

Posted on · George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is perhaps the best-known depiction of a fictional, authoritarian dystopia where constant surveillance, distortion of facts, history, and language and subtle (or event overt) government oppression are important themes. Even for those who haven’t read it, the idea of “Big Brother is watching you” has found its way into the culture, and […]

Houston Matters

Houston Pet Peeves: Unburden Yourself Before Your Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on · Every couple of months, we like to give you the opportunity to vent. It could be something about Houston — like the traffic or the weather. It could be something about your life. It could be something you just wished was a little bit different. It’s your Houston pet peeve, that one thing that sticks […]

Houston Matters

How the Zapruder Film Changed One Family — and the Nation

Posted on · The idea of citizen journalism is fairly familiar these days. We’re used to seeing video footage on the news shot by someone with a smartphone. But one of the first, prominent such instances is the Zapruder film — 26 seconds of footage a bystander named Abraham Zapruder took of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy […]

Houston Matters

‘Fun Home’ Peers Into the Inner Workings of Families and Relationships

Posted on · The musical Fun Home won five Tony Awards in 2015, including best musical. Now it’s on tour at Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars May 16-28, 2017. Fun Home is an in-depth look at how families operate and relate. It’s based on a graphic novel memoir called Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by cartoonist Alison Bechdel. […]

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Pumping Away Rainwater, and Actress Kate Shindle of ‘Fun Home’ — Friday’s Show (May 19, 2017)

Posted on · What are some new ways we could deal with excess rain water in Greater Houston after we have severe weather? For one, Harris County is studying the possibility of using high-powered pumps to move excess water into aquifers – or even old oil wells. The water would be preserved for later if – and when […]

Houston Matters

Society for the Performing Arts Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary

Posted on · (Above: The interior of Houston’s Jones Hall. Image Courtesy: SPA Houston) The Houston-based Society for the Performing Arts is somewhat unique in the region’s arts scene because it features, well, a little bit of everything. SPA performances range from musical acts to puppetry shows to dance companies to appearances by authors. This year, SPA celebrates its 50th anniversary […]

Houston Matters

Extremely Shorts Film Festival: Telling a Story in 3 Minutes or Less

Posted on · For 20 years, Aurora Picture Show has presented its Extremely Shorts Film Festival, showcasing hundreds of short-form film and video works. The festival features films from all over the world, each of which is required to be less than three minutes long. This year’s festival is May 19-20. We learn what’s in store this year […]

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Political Roundup and Lunch Shaming: Wednesday’s Show (May 16, 2017)

Posted on · It’s time again for our weekly political round up and analysis of national, state and local political stories. On this edition of Houston Matters, we discuss the latest on reports that fired FBI Director James Comey wrote a memo recounting President Trump asking him to shut down the Bureau’s investigation into the President’s former national security […]