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Miss LaRaj’s House of Dystopian Futures

In a world where civilization and the environment that birthed it has been decimated by myriad human-made cruelties, the question remains: will humans ever learn?

In this post-apocalyptic riff on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Fred’s long since gone and Nature itself is now the main character. Enter Miss LaRaj—our wise and wisecracking MUTHA of the New World Order.

Talking trees, judgmental rocks, all natural forces sing and move, attempting to guide humankind back to true symbiosis. And what better way to learn than from a kid’s show? What are humans anyway if not the petulant children of this planet?

 What if we used our imaginations?Read more

Blackbird

Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.

Blackbird

WRITTEN BY DAVID HARROWER; DIRECTED BY MALINDA L. BECKHAM

Ray, 56, has a new identity, a new life, and is trying to put the past behind him. Una, 27, thinks of nothing else. When Una arrives at Ray's new office unannounced, guilt, rage, and raw emotions run high as they reexamine the relationship they had 15 years ago. Never able to reconcile the brutal truth of this abusive attachment, Una is looking for answers and the consequences are shattering. When one confuses abuse for love, it can disrupt their entire being.Read more

Doubt, A Parable

The Garden Theatre

Doubt, A Parable

By John Patrick Shanley

Set against the backdrop of a 1960s America in the midst of political and social change, Doubt is the story of when a progressive young priest’s conduct comes under question by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the school principal whose beliefs are deeply rooted in tradition. As the actions and motivations of each are scrutinized and suspicion mounts, the two are drawn into a battle of wills that threatens irrevocable consequences for all involved.

The Garden Theatre is honored to have Ann star, Nora Hahn, return to the stage as Sister Aloysius in this production. Ms. Hahn appeared in her star-making role of Governor Ann Richards in the one-woman show, Ann, produced by The Garden Theatre in February of 2024, as well as a brief stint of the same production in Columbus, TX in October of 2024. Ms. Hahn also appeared on The Garden Theatre stage as Clairee in Steel Magnolias and Gov. Ferguson/Cumie Barrow in Bonnie & Clyde, and has appeared on stages across Houston such as Stageworks, Theatre Southwest, and The Country Playhouse.Read more

The Frozen Section

The Catastrophic Theatre

The Frozen Section

(a comedy in aisle 9) by LISA D'AMOUR

In a liminal, existential grocery store, a disorganized collection of bewildered shoppers and workers find comfort in the carefully organized aisles, in the feeling of cold air on one’s face when opening a door in the frozen section.

But the supermarket feels almost empty. Because: Instacart? These collected souls seem so removed from one another, so far from the messy origin of things. Salad mix sweating in a clam shell? How did we get here? In the back alley a cashier converses with a coyote; in Dairy, civilization dances with the wild.

To be adrift solo is one thing, to be so among found community is quite another. And that’s not nothing. Sometimes it can seem like everything. Read more

Bug

Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.

Bug

WRITTEN BY TRACY LETTS; DIRECTED BY MALINDA L. BECKHAM & CURTIS BARBER

Agnes is a lonely waitress with a fondness for isolation. Peter is a Gulf War drifter. As an unexpected love affair develops in a seedy Oklahoma City motel room, mysterious bugs begin to take over their space. Are they simple pests or could they be the result of military experiments? The couple's fears soon escalate to paranoia, conspiracy theories, and twisted psychological motives that disrupt any attempt at normalcy. A Tracy Letts cult classic, Bug explores the darkness in the void.Read more

Another Ding-Dang Tamarie Show

The Catastrophic Theatre

Another Ding-Dang Tamarie Show

Written by Tamarie Cooper and Patrick Reynolds; Directed, choreographed, and starring Tamarie Cooper

Can you even believe that for 28 years Tamarie Cooper has created an all-new, smash-hit musical? It seems impossible, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why everyone’s always saying, “It wouldn’t be summer in Houston without a Tamarie Cooper Show.”

How does she do it? How does she keep these gigantic casts and audiences coming back year after year? What is wrong with you all? And wait a minute… is that even the real Tamarie?

Well, we know a few things you don’t and this year Tamarie’s taking you behind-the-scenes and sharing all her secrets about how the tap-dancing sausage gets made.

Think of it as Catastrophic’s Noises Off. Or just think about it as another ding-dang Tamarie Cooper WORLD PREMIERE.Read more

While Childhood Slept

The Garden Theatre

While Childhood Slept

Book and Lyrics by Sharon Lands Sheppard; Music and Additional Lyrics by Jo Ellen Hubert

While Childhood Slept is a heart-wrenching original musical that follows the true story of the boys of Home Number One in the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin. The children create a secret republic within the camp, publishing their own magazine of art, poetry, and short stories called Vedem. A visit from The Red Cross presents the opportunity to disguise their magazine as a secret message and a means of escape. While Childhood Slept is a story of bravery, determination, and hope with a promise that we will never forget the past and will never allow history to repeat itself.

While Childhood Slept returns after The Garden Theatre's workshop production in 2022, which was produced in partnership with Holocaust Museum Houston, who will return once again as a partner for this production. While Childhood Slept premiered in 1999 in Houston, TX. From there it received an off-Broadway reading, and its finale number, We Will Not Forget, was featured in the documentary Paperclips. In 2005, a revised version with new songs was performed once again in Houston. The Garden Theatre's production in 2022 was the first time the piece had been performed since 2005.Read more

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