“One of the casualties of Hurricane Harvey has been parts of Houston’s thriving arts and culture community,” reports John Burnett on Saturday (12/9) on National Public Radio. “Four days of torrential rainfall nearly drowned the city’s opera, ballet, and theater companies, along with a revered mural. But they’re drying out and starting over.” In the fall, the Houston Symphony returned to its home, Jones Hall, which suffered minimal damage, after giving concerts elsewhere. “Rebuilding the Wortham [Theater, home to the Houston Grand Opera] may cost as much as $60 million. Losses incurred by all six performing companies based in the theater district add up to another $60 million…. While renovation of the Alley [Theatre]’s flooded-out subterranean theater goes on, it is staging A Christmas Carol in its above-ground theater that was not damaged. The Houston Ballet—which also uses the Wortham—has moved its production of The Nutcracker to alternate venues.… The mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs has identified 71 arts groups, in all, that were impacted by Harvey.”
Posted December 11, 2017
Pictured: Dean R. Gladden, managing director of Houston’s Alley Theatre, indicates areas of the theater that were damaged by flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Multiple arts groups that make their homes in the city’s Theater District, include the Houston Symphony, suffered damage.
