A.D. Players News

Heading into the 2019 portion of the 2018/2019 theatre season, Houston has a wealth of productions that deserve your attention. In this feature, I break down the nine shows of 2019 that I will definitely be getting tickets to see. From farcical comedies, to emotionally intense straight plays, to soul-awakening musicals--you've got a ton of styles and genres to choose from, so go out there and get your tickets before they're gone!

ReelAbilities Houston Film & Arts Festival, a free, citywide event that promotes inclusion through visual arts, films, UP Abilities speakers and a ReelMusic concert, returns February 12 - 21, 2019 for its seventh year. The nation's most multifaceted ReelAbilities Festival in scope, the ten-day Festival showcases and leverages the unique contributions of people who live with disabilities, with the mission to foster inclusion, erase stigmas, change perceptions and create pathways to employment in the nation's most diverse city.  

A.D. Players at The George, is pleased to open the new year with a story of friendship, love, and what it means to truly live.

The year is 1872, the setting is London, and the bet was made at exactly 8:55pm for 20,000 pounds. Or, at least that's how our practical, punctual main character Phileas Fogg would describe the scene. Fogg, a logical and calculated gentleman is willing to bet his entire fortune on the latest claim that with the developments of railways and steam engines, one is able to go around the world in 80 days (I bet you can guess the title of this little play now, huh?). Fogg is so convinced, that he intends to complete the trip himself, with his newly hired servant Passepartout (Braden Hunt), and a few others that get strung into the chaotic voyage along the way.

As part of National Arts-in-Education Week, the Houston Arts Partners Conference will be held on Sept. 14 and 15, 2018, at the Klein Multipurpose Center. Through this annual arts-in-education conference, public school districts and Houston's outstanding arts organizations provide arts advocacy tools and arts integration strategies to K-12 educators, district leaders, teaching artists, and parents.

A.D. Players at The George, one of Houston's largest resident theatre companies, opens its 52nd season with the Jules Verne classic, Around The World In 80 Days! at The George Theater from Friday, September 14th - Sunday, September 30th, 2018, with preview night performances September 12th & 13th. "Around The World in 8o Days" takes the classic story and spins it by using 5 actors to play up to 39 characters. It is a story of adventure and ultimately of love.

Neil Simon's GOD'S FAVORITE does what I believe good theatre is intended to do: take a multifaceted, complex topic and present it in a humanized, relatable, and entertaining manner. This can take many forms, and GOD'S FAVORITE pinpoints perhaps one of my favorite forms of theatrical communication: framing a meaningful, hard-to-wrap-your-mind-around concept within the familiar language of comedy.

A.D. Players at The George, one of Houston's largest resident theatre companies, will revive Neil Simon's imaginative play, "God's Favorite," at The George from Friday, July 13 - Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, with preview nights July 11-12. "God's Favorite" is a contemporary, humorous tale of the Book of Job with a hint of the Prodigal Son, that explores the challenges and rewards of morality.

Studio Theatre (FST) kicks off its 5th Summer Sidekicks Cabaret Series with the high energy music revue Carole's Kings. Honoring one of the most cherished and revered singer-songwriters of the 20th century, this cabaret transports audiences back in time to when Carole King was queen of the airwaves. Carole's Kings opens in FST's John C. Court Cabaret on June 14, and is part of a 3-show Summer Cabaret subscription package, which can be purchased for as little as $49.

A.D. Players at The George, one of Houston's largest resident theatre companies, announced show times and dates for its featured show for the month of June, "David, the Best Slinger in the West," a recounting of the story of David and Goliath, Wild West-style. The show will run from Tuesday, June 5 - Saturday, June 23.

A.D. Players, one of Houston's oldest and largest resident theatre companies, is now A.D. Players at The George. The theatre company is pleased to announce its upcoming spring show, "The Lilies of the Field," taking place April 20-May 13, with preview performances April 18-19 at the Jeannette and L.M. George Theater. The critically acclaimed story earned Sidney Poitier the accolade of being the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role in the 1963 movie adaptation.

4th Wall Theatre Company's 2017 - 2018 season wraps up with the regional premiere of Suzanne Bradbeer's hilarious comedy, Shakespeare in Vegas May 17 - June 9, 2018, at Studio 101, Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring Street, Houston, TX 77007. 4th Wall offered a staged reading of the play during its 2017 "4th Wall Reads: Women's Voices" series. 4th Wall audiences will remember Bradbeer's work from the 2014 production of her political drama, The God Game.

A.D. Players, one of Houston's oldest and largest resident theatre companies, is now A.D. Players at The George, led by Executive Director Jake Speck and Interim Artistic Director Kevin Dean. The theatre company hosted its first-ever fundraising gala on Saturday, March 24. More than 450 guests enjoyed a Gatsby-themed evening of food, drink and entertainment. The non-profit raised nearly $200,000, which the company will use to support the Gift of Theatre Fund, The A.D. Players' Performing Arts Academy and A.D. Players' Special Populations Program.

A.D. Players, one of Houston's oldest and largest resident theatre companies, will host a showstopper gala in celebration of its 51-year history and upcoming season. Drawing inspiration from old Hollywood, the "A.D. Players First Annual After Dinner Affair" promises an evening of food, drink and knock-your-socks-off entertainment for attendees. Tickets for the event, which will take place from 6:30-10 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, are available now for purchase.

Updated this week! Check out upcoming Equity Auditions from Sunday, March 11, 2018 for both productions in your area and around the country including what/when/where and how to audition!

The votes have been counted... Check out the fill list of winners for the 2017 BWW Regional Awards!

Friends and colleagues from Houston and around the world mourn the death of Jeannette Clift George, Founder and Artistic Director of the A.D. Players, Golden Globe-nominated film and stage actress, playwright, author, Bible teacher, radio personality and national speaker. Mrs. George, a native Houstonian, was the beloved wife of Lorraine M. George and the daughter of Hubert E. Clift and Jeannette C. Clift, all of whom preceded her in death.

The 2017 awards honor productions which opened between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017. Nominations were completely reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended October 31, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors.

This January, a powerful story of racial tension and reconciliation is coming to Houston. Best of Enemies, presented by A.D. Players, will open January 12 in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and will run through the beginning of Black History Month at the Jeannette & L.M. George Theater.

The 2017 awards honor productions which opened between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017. Nominations were completely reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended October 31, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors.