BAY AREA HOUSTON BALLET & THEATRE ENSURES THE PLACE OF ARTS IN LEAGUE CITY
They are sayings everyone knows . “ The show goes on .” “ The show MUST go on .”
As our region ’ s premiere performance and production company , The Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre knows this all too well . The Ballet & Theatre has entertained League City and its surrounding communities for 46 years , something Jill Reason has been proud to witness .
Jill Reason has been involved with the Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre for 20 years . As the theatre ’ s Executive Director , Reason sees firsthand the many things that make Bay Area Houston Ballet such a unique and prominent company .
“ What makes us unique ? The way we collaborate ,” Reason said . “ We partner with a lot of people . We help them . They help us . Houston Methodist Hospital really helped us during the pandemic . The thing that is amazing to us is the way people collaborate with the arts . But the thing that sets us apart too is our artistic staff is world renowned . They are known throughout the world . Nelson Madrigal , our artistic director , is amazing . Our assistant artistic director is Lorena Feijoo and Natalie Zundel are world renowned in the ballet world .”
This December sees the theatre put on one of their most popular shows : The Nutcracker ! The Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre has put on the Nutcracker since its founding , making this a show with great anticipation and excitement .
“ We are beyond excited ,” Reason said . “ I can ’ t even begin to describe it . We are thankful to have partnered with Houston Methodist because they helped us with maintaining safety last year .”
For Reason , The Nutcracker is one of many shows that demonstrates the sense of community the theatre has , with much of the cast being community members who auditioned .
“ We have a company of about 70 dancers but the Nutcracker has a cast of 200 ,” the executive director said . “ We open auditions up to the whole community . We bring everybody in . All the extra characters consist of people throughout the community and so to have things be normal this year we are excited to bring that
aspect .”
There will be a total of 14 performances , with six being for school children and the elderly . Opening night of the show is December 3 at 7:30 p . m . The show will particularly be playing at the University of Houston Clear Lake ’ s Bayou Theater .
“ If you have not seen our show before you must ,” Reason said . “ There is a treasure in your backyard . We thank those who have continued to support us . Come see our productions . Our dancers are not just this entity on stage . We want you to get to know them . They are your community kids who are passionate about the arts and give up their time to perform . Please come out to support the arts in your community .”
While The Nutcracker will be the show that ends
2021 , the theatre has many other exciting shows planned for the next year , including an 80 ’ s themed show !
“ Visit our website regularly ,” Reason said . “ We ’ re always updating what ’ s going on . Follow us on social media . Meet our characters . See rehearsals . Just follow us on social media and we appreciate any support you can give . We love it .”
As the new year ends , one thing for sure is that for Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre , the show shall always go on .
For more information , check out their website .
Photo credit : Caitlin Cannon Photography
Photo credit : Caitlin Cannon Photography
December 2021 – January 2022 13