University Spotlight

A Hitchcock thriller smashed together with Monty Python style absurdity. This fast, clever romp features nonstop laughs and over 150 characters played by just four actors, an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, espionage, and a dash of old-fashioned romance.

Adapted by Patrick Barlow
From the Novel by John Buchan

By Adrian Einspanier and directed by Destyne Miller. Seven public defenders search for meaning, belonging, and something resembling order through their hurried quest for the perfect lunch while dealing with burnout, inequality, and the demands of their work.

In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish.

Cabaret
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Directed by Fabrice Conte-Williamson and Kyle Craig-Bogard

Rice Theatre brings Thornton Wilder’s American Classic to the Rice University campus. At first glance, Our Town may seem like a simple portrait of everyday life in the small New Hampshire town of Grover’s Corners. However, as the play progresses through its three acts: an ordinary day, a wedding, and a death, it develops into an exploration of the human experience. Through the characters’ everyday joys, struggles, relationships, and losses, Wilder encourages audiences to reflect on the meaning and fragility of life. Its message is universal, reminding us that the same fundamental truths of human existence apply to everyone.

The production will be directed by Kyle Clark. Clark is a professional actor and stage combat choreographer. He has acted and choreographed for many companies such as the Alley Theatre, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Arkansas Shakespeare Festival. Rec Room Arts, Dirt Dog Theatre Co, Unity Theatre, Riverside Theatre, Second Baptist School, Baytown Theatre, Rice University Theatre, and University of Houston. He is also a lecturer for the Rice Theatre department at Rice University where he teaches classes including Stage Combat and Introduction to Acting.

Performances will occur on: October 2nd and October 3rd at 8:00 pm, with a matinee on October 4th at 2:00 pm. Tickets will be $5 for students, $8 for senior citizens/faculty/staff/alumni, $10 for General Admission, and are available at the door starting 1 hour prior to curtain. There are no reservations for this performance, payment will be collected at the door. Performances are at Hamman Hall, entrance 21, off Rice Blvd. For more information, visit facebook.com/RiceTheatre or theatre.rice.edu or call/email the box office at 713-348-4005 and hamman@rice.edu.

The The War of the Worlds 1938 radio broadcast was a famous Halloween episode of the Mercury Theatre on the Air series, directed and narrated by Orson Welles

Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World is a powerful theatrical song cycle about the moments that change everything. Through soaring music, intimate storytelling, and unforgettable characters, the show explores love, loss, hope, fear, and the choices we make when life suddenly takes an unexpected turn. Each song tells a different story, but together they ask one question: What do you do when you find yourself in a new world?

A stage play adaptation of Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel: Fahrenheit 451, brought to life by LSC-Tomball's Drama Department in collaboration with the Center for Civic Engagement.

This play adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury follows Guy Montag as he begins to question the society he has always trusted. As he discovers the power of books and independent thought, Montag must choose between conformity and freedom. Step into a world where firefighters burn forbidden books instead of putting out fires and experience a powerful story about censorship, courage and the fight to think for yourself.

A Farce by Michael McKeever. Directed by Eric C. Skiles.

It’s 1942, and two of Hollywood’s biggest divas have descended upon the luxurious Palm Beach Royale Hotel – assistants, luggage and legendary feud with one another in tow. Everything seems to be in order for their wartime performance until they are somehow assigned to the same suite. Mistaken identities, overblown egos, double entendres and a lap dog named Mr. Boodles round out this hilarious love letter to the classic farces of the 30s and 40s.

Join us for the opening production of the University of Houston Moores School of Music’s 2026–2027 Opera Season with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. One of the most enduring works in the American musical theater canon, Carousel is a moving exploration of love, forgiveness, redemption, and the possibility of personal transformation. The production opens the season with a powerful story that continues to resonate with audiences through its emotional depth, unforgettable score, and timeless themes.

Beneath its sweeping melodies and beloved songs lies a profound examination of individuals struggling against circumstances they cannot easily overcome. As its characters grapple with difficult choices, Carousel raises enduring questions about mercy, accountability, and the role communities play in both judgment and compassion.

Presented in the Moores Opera House, this compelling production invites audiences to experience one of the most influential works in American musical theater as the first chapter in a season dedicated to stories of resilience, justice, connection, and the search for belonging.

Now that she’s dead, Penelope thinks she knows everything. Yet, as she tries to recount her life with her husband Odysseus, her cousin Helen of Troy, her child, her suitors, and her maids, she struggles to understand her life. Through songs and stories, Penelope’s world ravels and unravels around her. And through acts of devotion, her maids end up suffering the most. Acclaimed writer Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, takes a footnote in Homer's Odyssey—the murder of Penelope's maids—and creates a world of beauty and pain on stage.

By Margaret Atwood
Directed by Vicky Lantz

Come join us at the University of Houston-Downtown’s O’Kane Theatre for The Underpants, a hilariously chaotic comedy adapted by Steve Martin. After one embarrassing public mishap sparks a whirlwind of romance and ambition, the stage is set for an evening full of sharp wit, eccentric characters, and nonstop laughs. Don’t miss this playful satire and the chance to experience live theatre with us at UHD!

Adapted by Steve Martin from the classic German farce, The Underpants is a fast-paced comedy of embarrassment, ambition, and unexpected celebrity. After Louise Maske suffers a very public wardrobe mishap during a royal parade, her anxious husband Theo becomes convinced the incident will destroy his career and their carefully ordered life. Instead, their spare room suddenly becomes the most sought-after rental in town, attracting an eccentric parade of admirers with motives that are anything but innocent.

As Theo eagerly chases the extra income, he unknowingly invites chaos into his home. Jealousy, deception, misplaced affection, and nonstop misunderstandings collide in a whirlwind of clever dialogue and perfectly timed comic mayhem. Steve Martin's sharp adaptation transforms a century-old satire into a fresh, laugh-out-loud farce that pokes fun at vanity, social conventions, and the absurd lengths people will go in pursuit of love, status, and opportunity.

Neil Simon’s fast-paced farce follows guests arriving at an anniversary party only to discover their host injured and his wife missing. Their attempts to conceal what happened quickly spiral into misunderstandings and chaos. Directed by Zach Steele.