Catch some of the city’s most exciting upcoming performances, happening all month long, with our roundup of live theater and performing arts productions in October 2024.
More season openers come this month for Houston arts fans.
Houston Grand Opera kicks off the 2024-25 season with a tragedy/comedy pairing by two of opera’s most-loved composers in repertory. There’s a world premiere and an appearance by a legendary actor and activist from Apollo Chamber Players, along with more world premieres from Tee Zee Productions and The Alley Theatre. Classical Theatre Company also delivers a chilling tale, Open Dance Project teams up with Asia Society Texas and a beloved classic gets a new treatment.
There’s much more to see on Houston stages. Read on to play your arts-going experience.
Top Performing Arts & Theater Shows in Houston: October 2024
Opening This Month: October 2024
- Broadway Across America presents Peter Pan at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts | Tuesday, October 1 through Sunday, October 6 – This brand new production of the classic musical features a book by celebrated playwright Larissa FastHorse, who wrote The Thanksgiving Play. When Peter Pan and Tinkerbell visit the Darling children one event, it sets off a magical adventure the whole family will love. Audiences will instantly recognize songs like “I’m Flying” and “I Won’t Grow Up.” $40 and up. Times vary.
- Fly Dance Company presents I Will Fly: A New Hip-Hop Experience at the Hobby Center | Friday, October 4 – Blending symphonic heritage with the vibrant energy of hip-hop culture, the dance company offers an evening of high energy and incredible choreography. During the performance, Houston’s own street-artist Gonzo247 will create a brand-new mural live on stage. $22.50 and up. 7pm.
- Houston Symphony presents Dvořák’s New World at Jones Hall | Friday, October 4 to Sunday, 6 – Juraj Valčuha and the orchestra kick off the 2024-2025 season with one of the world’s most-loved works. The evening also includes Martinů’s joyful Czech Rhapsody, written in celebration of Czechoslovakia’s 1918 independence. $42 and up. Times vary.
- Apollo Chamber Players presents Liberty at the Hobby Center | Saturday, October 5 – The ensemble opens its season with this reflection on freedom, love and the triumph of the human spirit. Legendary actor and activist George Takei tells the story of his family’s forced internment during World War II. The evening also features the world premiere of a newly adapted commissioned work by John Corigliano, one of America’s most celebrated living composers, and Afghan-born composer Homayoun Sakhi offers a global perspective on the promises and perils of self-government and the eternal quest for liberty. $39.50 and up. 7pm.
- Tee Zee productions presents Papa Où T’es? at the MATCH | Saturday, October 5 & Sunday, October 6 – Rescheduled from last month, this world premiere is a coming-of-age story set in Houston, Texas, following four high school friends: Ahmad, Aly, Zain, and Maaria, all second-generation Americans. They grapple with identity crises and the clash between cultural and religious expectations and their personal aspirations. How does the absence of a father impact it all? Note: This production contains adult themes and depictions of violence. Parental discretion is advised. Times vary.
- Stages & Hershey Felder Productions present Rachmaninoff & the Tsar at the Gordy | Thursday, October 10 through Sunday, October 20 – This musical play brings to life the haunting memory of Rachmaninoff’s encounter with Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II, and the Tsar’s daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Blending the composer’s music with a compelling story, this play offers a mystical musical journey in the Hershey Felder style that fans have come to know and love. $54 and up. Times vary.
- Classical Theatre Company presents Dracula at The DeLuxe Theater | Thursday, October 10 through Saturday, October 26 – Adapted by Chris Iannacone, the action follows Jonathan Harker as he travels to the Carpathian Mountains to visit Count Dracula in his castle to help him purchase a home near London. But strange things are happening at the castle, and the count begins stalking the land as a blood-sucking vampire. $20 and up. Times vary.
- The Garden Theatre presents Assassins at the MATCH | Friday, October 11 through Sunday, October 27 – Stephen Sondheim’s multiple Tony-winning tour de force shines a spotlight on celebrity culture and violence, embodied by America’s four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. A show lauded by critics and audiences alike, this 1990 one-act has been called “bone chilling” and “thrilling.” $25 and up. Times vary.
- Janeiad at Alley Theatre | Friday, October 11 through Sunday, November 3 – This world premiere finds Jane, a woman whose husband was lost in 9/11, finding comfort in the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and her faith in his return. If Penelope believes against all odds her warrior husband will return, can’t Jane believe in miracles, too? $58 and up. Times vary.
- Japan’s National Bunraku Theater at The George Theater | Saturday, October 12 – Japan-America Society of Houston (JASH) presents the Texas debut of stunning production of Japan’s traditional Japanese puppetry, with live music and scenography by Kazuo Oga of Studio Ghibli. Officially designated as UNESCO artform, Bunraku is known three-person puppet manipulation, a technique invented in the mid-18th century.
- Houston Contemporary Dance Company & Open Dance Company present Butterfly Effect at Asia Society | Friday, October 18 & Saturday, October 19 – Bringing together Houston’s two leading contemporary dance companies, the performances include original work by ODP Artistic Director Annie Arnoult. This is a chance to see a world premiere laced with athleticism and artistry in an exceptional setting. $35. 7:30pm both nights.
- Houston Grand Opera presents Il Trovatore at the Wortham Center | Friday, October 18 through Sunday, November 3 – Verdi’s thrilling score propels this family drama about a family coming to terms with its secret past, unfolding against the backdrop of a politically divided Spain. Lies, murder and revenge swirl around the love triangle of a loyal royalist, a passionate revolutionary and the beautiful Leonora. $28 and up. Times and dates vary.
- The Year of Magical Thinking at Main Street Theater | Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, November 17 – Based on Joan Didion’s memoir of the same name, this one-woman play stars one of Houston powerhouse Pamela Vogel in a story of compassion, bewilderment and the power of love. Moving from grief to acceptance, the play follows a year in Didion’s life where she copes with the unexpected death of her husband and the prolonged illness of her daughter. $45 and up. Times vary.
- ECHO Orchestra & Fly Dance Company present The Gentlemen of Hip Hop at Strake Jesuit HIgh School Parsley Center | Thursday, October 24 – The orchestra and dance company team up for an incredible evening of original spoken word works paired with music. Houston’s fifth poet laureate Outspoken Bean will also perform. $25 and up. 7:30pm.
- Houston Grand Opera presents Cinderella at the Wortham Center | Friday, October 25 through Saturday, November 9 – This tale of goodness in the face of cruelty is set to one of opera’s most sparkling scores. Rossini’s opera follows the story of Angelina, stepdaughter to Don Magnifico (and known to many of us as Cinderella), who must fight for the love of her prince. A wildly colorful production that’s a feast for the senses, this is a Cinderella tale many may not have seen before. $25 and up. Times and dates vary.
Closing This Month: October 2024
- 4th Wall Theatre Co. presents Swing State at Spring Street Studios | Through Saturday, October 5 – Making its regional premiere, Rebecca Gilman’s play explores the life of widow Peg, who lives a quiet life on the prairie. When she calls the authorities after items belonging to her late husband turn up missing, it ignites a chain of events that shatter the idea of trust. $15 and up. Times vary.
- Catastrophic Theatre presents Spirits to Enforce at the MATCH | Through Saturday, October 12 – The company opens its 2024-2025 season with this play by Mickle Mahr. It’s about a group of tele-fundraisers attempting to raise money for an upcoming production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, to be performed by local superhero team “The Fathom Town Enforcers.” Yeah, and it only gets funnier and stranger from there. Pay-What-You-Can. Times vary.
- Stew at the Ensemble Theatre |Through Sunday, October 13 – Making its regional premiere, this play finds three generations of Turner women under one roof, preparing for a meal. With tensions already high, things get complicated when the violence that is around the periphery of their lives begins to intrude on Mama’s kitchen. $25 and up. Times vary.
- Noises Off at Alley Theatre | Through Sunday, October 27 – The Alley kicks off its 2024-2025 season with a popular comedy that perfectly captures the chaos of life backstage in a theater production. Find out what happens when a bunch of eccentric actors attempt to stage a play. $28 and up. Times vary.
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