Theatre Southwest

About the Theatre

Founded in 1957 and now in its 69th season, Theatre Southwest (TSW) has consistently maintained a reputation for offering exciting, relevant theatre. Plays by the most interesting playwrights, presented by accomplished casts and directors, set the standard at TSW. As one of Houston's premier smaller venues, TSW has successfully proven over the years that an enjoyable night at the theatre can be richly rewarding and inexpensive. Comedy, drama, classics, and original plays are all part of TSW's heritage, and each season brings new and enthralling productions, offering live theatre at its best. Recently revitalized by a move to a beautiful new home (3939 Hillcroft, Suite 160, at the intersection of Hillcroft and Westpark), TSW will continue to offer bold, thought-provoking work to Houston audiences for years to come.

anthropology

Oct 30 – Nov 21, 2026

Houston premiere of anthropology, a new play from award-winning playwright Lauren Gunderson.

An Old-Fashioned Family Murder

Sep 11 – Oct 3, 2026

Theatre Southwest launches its 70th season on September 11 with "An Old-Fashioned Family Murder", a comedic murder mystery by Joe DiPietro.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Jan 2 – Jan 23, 2027

TSW returns to the world of musical theatre with this entertaining romp by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn about six quirky adolescents competing for a school championship. Come for the hilarious audience participation; stay for the songs!

Sweat

Feb 19 – Mar 13, 2027

A hearty drama from the heartland: in this 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Lynn Nottage, a close-knit group of Pennsylvania factory workers has lives and lifelong friendships destroyed by corporate greed and union lockouts.

The Constant Wife

Apr 9 – May 1, 2027

W. Somerset Maugham’s 1926 comedy of manners gets a sharp, feminist adaptation by Laura Wade, as Constance, a self-possessed 1920s woman, figures out how to respond to her husband’s affair with her best friend.

To The Bone

May 28 – Jun 19, 2027

Lost daughters and found humor: this dramatic comedy by Catherine Butterfield weaves together adoption, illness, baseball, and family secrets. Two sisters, former South-of-Boston “hard girls”, revisit their youthful days to face the future.

Articles

Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Broadway At The Hobby Center

by Jonathan Netek · September 30, 2026

A Familiar Favorite Gets a Fresh Voice in THE SOUND OF MUSIC.…

Review: AMADEUS at REC ROOM ARTS

by Brett Cullum · September 28, 2026

At first, when I heard Amadeus as a season opener, I thought, “How safe.” After seeing the show, all I can say is, “How dangerous.”…

Review: COME FROM AWAY at Stages Houston

by Jonathan Netek · September 25, 2026

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing the morning of September 11, 2001, and as a former New Yorker who lived there when it happened, that day is indelibly burned into my memory.…

Review: RHINOCEROS at THE CATASTROPHIC THEATRE

by Brett Cullum · September 22, 2026

This company is at the top of its game, and the performances of George Parker and Kyle Sturdivant are iconic. But please, let’s progress in our politics and not make them do it again!…

Review: BABETTE'S FEAST at MIGHTY ACORN PRODUCTIONS

by Brett Cullum · September 21, 2026

The acting here is superb, a very strong ensemble taking on a literary tale of how art can transform the world. It’s also a meditation on what we gain from immigrants who bring new perspectives, new expressions, and new art. At its heart, it’s about love and generosity of spirit.…

REVIEW: The Ensemble Theatre’s Purpose Is a Funny, Fierce, and Deeply Human Family Affair

by Armando Urdiales · September 20, 2026

What occurs when your family name has more importance than you do? This question sits at the center of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play Purpose, currently being performed at The Ensemble Theatre, and the answer is messy, hilarious, uncomfortable, and profoundly human. Because of the direction by Eileen …

Review: COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE at MAIN STREET THEATER

by Brett Cullum · September 17, 2026

It’s flashy, loud, and has a silliness you can’t avoid. But there are the dark corners, and it does say a lot that you will be surprised to unravel.…

Review: PROOF at 4th WALL THEATRE COMPANY

by Brett Cullum · September 12, 2026

4TH Wall does wonderful work here, and I really admire David Auburn’s script more for what it doesn’t do rather than what it does. It never really boils over into any sort of climax and refuses to offer an easy solution for anyone’s relationship in the show.…

Review: THORNFIELD at ZOOM SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTIONS

by Brett Cullum · September 8, 2026

It is painstakingly faithful to the book, save for some extra beats that make Jane a more modern-minded woman. Rebecca Bernstein’s performance is wonderful and a career-high for her so far. Luke Hales is the right Rochester, and Todd Thigpen is a delicious Mason.…

Review: COLLECTIVE RAGE at MILDRED'S UMBRELLA

by Brett Cullum · September 5, 2026

I never thought I would have such a good time watching five women talk about their sexual organs, but I absolutely understood every moment as if I had been lucky enough to have been assigned female at birth.…

The Memory of Water

Oct 26 – Nov 17, 2018

After years of separation, three very different sisters come together to make arrangements for their mother's funeral in this bitingly savage dark comedy. Each of the sisters have vastly differing recollections of their mother, raising questions as to just how frighteningly...

4000 Miles by Amy Herzog

Sep 7 – Sep 29, 2018

After suffering a major loss while he was on a cross-country bike trip, 21 year-old Leo seeks solace from his feisty grandmother Vera in her West Village apartment. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other...

The 21st Annual Festival of Originals (The FOO)

Jul 20 – Aug 4, 2018

The 21st Annual Festival of Originals Produced by Mimi Holloway The FOO consists of five, 20-minute original plays by five different playwrights, with five different directors and five different casts. It is an eclectic grouping of plays submitted from all over the U.S., as well...

When We Were Young and Unafraid by Sarah Treem

May 28 – Jun 17, 2017

In the early 1970s, before Roe v. Wade, before the Violence Against Women Act, Agnes has turned her quiet bed and breakfast into one of the few spots where victims of domestic violence can seek refuge. But to Agnes’ dismay, her latest runaway, Mary Anne, is beginning to...