LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JANUARY 2016 | Page 51

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE

P

...IS FOR PERFORMING ARTS

“The diversity of the performing arts in the city of Houston
is like one of our well-known foods in Texas – gumbo,”
says Eileen J. Morris, artistic director of Houston’s
Ensemble Theatre, which for nearly 40 years has been
sharing stories about the African-American experience
with audiences. “It’s a roux filled with various ingredients
that make the flavor unique and prominent.”
Indeed, artistic variety abounds across the Bayou City’s
performing arts scene, taking in myriad stories, histories
and cultures, leaving audiences all the richer for the
experience.
Billing itself as “the inclusion theatre of Houston,”
Dionysus Theatre uses the talents of performers with (and
without) disabilities. Founder Deborah Nowinski says,
“My passion is to have people with disabilities up on
stage where they can create, connect and let their voices
be heard.” Theatre Under The Stars’ The River
Performing and Visual Arts Center provides singing,
dancing and acting classes and workshops for children
with disabilities. “This program is not just about the arts
and not just about education; it is about buil