Executive Director
The Ensemble Theatre
I love Houston! I enjoy spending time in the places that you don’t find everywhere else, like the Water Wall in the Galleria area, the Japanese Gardens of Hermann Park and the Health Museum. Of course, everyone who knows me knows that I am a butterfly person, and I try to visit the Cockrell Butterfly Center as regularly as possible.
Houston is a special place because the world is literally represented in the citizenry of Houston and their creations. The breadth of arts, food, business, and even language in Houston demonstrates Houstonians’ respect for culture and the value we place in sharing our many cultures with each other and the world.
You can find me out and about – generally not at home. When I am not at The Ensemble Theatre, I am usually out at other city events and supporting the good works taking place in our communities. As a result, my perfect day is a little more relaxed: a late morning at home over breakfast and reading (I always have a stack of books “in progress!”), lunch out with friends, and then a great evening of theatre at The Ensemble or at the movies.
Houston has so many great restaurants to experience, and my regulars include Baba Yega, Field of Greens and Nidda Thai. The Breakfast Klub is also a guilty pleasure! I am not much of a shopper, if you don’t count grocery stores, but you can probably find me in the fresh produce section.
The Ensemble Theatre is Houston’s best kept secret, and one that truly merits attention. Like all theatre, The Ensemble offers insight into the human experience. What makes The Ensemble’s art unique is that our perspective is that of the African American people. We all benefit from “walking in another’s shoes,” and The Ensemble is a welcoming place for all to start this walk together.
My final word about Houston is that our great city remains a frontier: Houston is a city of possibility, a place where dreams can come true. Houstonians embrace what is possible and will support innovators to bring dreams to reality. George Hawkins, The Ensemble’s late founder, and his dream of a black theatre for Houston and the region provides thirty years of proof of Houston’s ability to embrace and sustain all of its fascinating, thriving, and wonderfully diverse community members. As the city of my birth, I can’t think of a better place to be!
