Each week we highlight an enterprising Houstonian in “My Top 5,” who shares her for favorite spots, activities and things to do around Houston. This week we hear from Rebecca Greene Udden, executive artistic director at Main Street Theater on Montrose in the Museum District.
My Top 5 Things to Do in Houston
by Rebecca Greene Udden
- Chandelier Ballroom – My husband Mark and I, in the past few years, have been taking ballroom dancing classes and we love going to the Chandelier. It is always a very fun night out, with a wide variety of people (of all ages) enjoying the live Big Band music. You don’t have to be an expert dancer to enjoy it.
- High Fashion Fabrics – My background is in costume design, so a trip to High Fashion is always a good time. They really do have an astonishing array of goods and trim notions to satisfy anyone with a home sewing project or a costume design conundrum for one of Main Street’s shows, which is what I’m usually there to solve!
- St. Stephens Episcopal Church – My family and I have been a part of the St. Stephens community for over 20 years. The open, collaborative, welcoming atmosphere helps me refocus and recharge my batteries – so important in a big city like Houston.
- Rice Village shops and restaurants – Main Street Theater has been a part of the Village for over 30 years, and Mark and I have lived across Kirby from the Village for several decades now. I regularly take advantage of the marvelous restaurant and shopping options there. We love El Meson, Nash D’Amico’s, and Solento for food and I always run into Ten Thousand Villages for their handcrafted items.
- The Catastrophic Theatre – Jason Nodler and Tamarie Cooper regularly create some of the most challenging, provocative theater in town. At their marvelous theater space near downtown, they bring classic works (like Beckett’s Waiting for Godot) and exciting new works (like Miki Johnson’s American Falls) to life. Edgy, abstract and full of theatricality!
About Rebecca Greene Udden
Rebecca Greene Udden serves as executive artistic director of the Main Street Theater Company, which she helped found in 1975 and where she has directed more than 100 productions. Under her leadership, the theater has particularly championed the work of women playwrights. Udden has taken a leadership role in the Houston arts community, serving on grants panels, various ad hoc committees and the Board of Directors for the Cultural Arts Council of Houston. She is currently a member of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors and has served on the Board of Directors of the Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Houston. She has been a guest director at Rice University, College of the Mainland and University of Houston/Clear Lake’s Shaw Festival and has also directed for a locally produced educational television production. She is a member of American Leadership Forum/Houston’s Class XVII. Ms. Udden is married to Dr. Mark Udden, Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. They have two daughters.
