06/29/08

Great productions

by Johnceesmith

Great venue. Top performances. I've seen two shows here now, and we had a great time. "Ain't Misbehavin" was wonderful, and the singing blew me off my feet.

• Pros: Top notch performances
• Cons: Seating could use some upgrades.

This sparkling facility houses one of the most distinguished professional African-American companies in the Southwest.

by Contributor

Fulfilling Potential
The troupe has grown exponentially from its beginnings in 1976 as a touring company that rehearsed in a church basement to its million-dollar, state-of-the-art facility on Main Street. Such development is reflected in the Ensemble's annual play selections: It mounts literary classics and contemporary fare but it also produces local work and children's programs.

Honoring Precedents
The Ensemble's mission is to preserve African-American artistic expression. To do so, it presents such current voices as Joseph A. Walker, Pearl Cleage, Cheryl L. West and Shay Youngblood. It reinterprets Shakespeare, tinkers with the Harlem Renaissance, sponsors area playwrights and considers what black musicals are and can be. And to enlighten and entertain children, it offers, for instance, an adaptation of "To Be Young, Gifted and Black."

02/04/03

Great

by odomcliff

I have seen about 12 shows here, and they were great. The building is very good for the compact size. You feel like you are right on the stage with the actors. When there is a fight scene you duck, when there is a love scene you pucker. All the facilities work adn are first rate.

• Pros: Size of Theatre
• Cons: Street Construction

01/12/03

Assemble at the Ensemble

by dmitchl2003

Splendid performances in very comfortable surroundings with a flavor of "old" Houston.

• Pros: Inexpensive
• Cons: Crowded, Street congestion