Theatre Under The Stars Introduces Public Works Houston

Theatre Under The Stars' (TUTS) announces the creation of Public Works Houston, a new community engagement program that seeks to engage the people of Houston by making them creators and not just spectators.

Through Public Works Houston, TUTS will provide tailored programming for five community partners - Dress for Success Houston, Wesley Community Center, New Hope Housing Reed, and YMCA of Greater Houston. In the spring, participants in the program will have the opportunity to participate in the professional Miller Outdoor Theatre production.

"Through Public Works Houston, we are engaging our top teaching artists to collaborate with diverse communities across Houston," said Hillary Hart, Executive Director of Theatre Under The Stars. "These professional artists and the people they're working alongside will have the opportunity to learn from one another. In creating this program as residencies inside these communities, our goal is to break down barriers to arts access and create opportunities for community building."

Over a nine-month period, TUTS teaching artists will provide workshops and classes that are customized for each community partner, based on their constituents' needs.

"I love our partnership with TUTS because it allows us to offer the professional development topics we would normally present in a completely new format," said Monica Roberts, Program Manager for Dress for Success Houston, which works to empower women to achieve economic independence. "The expansion of this partnership through Public Works Houston gives us the ability to intentionally foster this community of women, allowing them to learn and hone communication and leadership skills that they will be able to use within their careers and their families."

Public Works Houston is an affiliate of The Public Theater's highly-successful Public Works program in New York City, founded in 2013.

"We're thrilled to be working with the Public on this ground-breaking program," said Dan Knechtges, Artistic Director of Theatre Under The Stars. "We are intentionally collaborating with community partners and theatre professionals, deepening connections across our community and expanding the power of the arts throughout Houston."

Theatre Under The Stars is grateful to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors: Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, United Airlines, KTRK ABC-13, The Four Seasons Hotel Houston and Phoenicia Specialty Foods. TUTS is supported in part by the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board and the Theater District, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

THEATRE UNDER THE STARS ("TUTS") - (Dan Knechtges, Artistic Director; Hillary J Hart, Executive Director) - was founded by Frank M. Young in 1968 and is Houston's leading musical theatre company for performance, arts education and professional theatrical training; ranging from the classics to new work development. As a 501c3 performing arts organization, TUTS is dedicated to breaking down barriers to access by focusing on inclusivity, education, and community engagement through a commitment to artistic excellence, programs in the community, technique-based curriculum at the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre, and explorative, creative life-skills at The River Performing and Visual Arts Center. For more information, visit www.tuts.com.

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