The Queensbury Theatre, an icon of stage and community in West Houston, is celebrating its 60th anniversary with its 2016-2017 season. What started as the Country Playhouse, a small community theatre driven by passionate volunteers, has blossomed to include a new state-of-the-art venue and preforming arts school, still driven by passionate volunteers and professionals.
The theatre opened its doors in 1956 as the Country Playhouse, preforming Personal Appearance at Memorial Drive Elementary School. Over the next 14 years they would relocate twice-once to an abandoned church on Katy Road where they operated until 1970, and once to Barryknoll Lane-before making a final move in 1981 to Queensbury Lane.
In 2013 the Country Playhouse board of directors began a reimaging of the theatre that included the expansion of its property, the hiring of paid staff, and enrichment and growth of its community impact.
Board president John Paul Stevenson says, “One of the things that we’re really focused on is being something new and significant and providing an impact in our community, while being mindful of where we came from. The theatre works hard to advance its mission of serving the diverse community and cultures of West Houston by providing exceptional theatrical entertainment and education while creating an environment where Houston artists can do meaningful work.”
In June 2015, the new 21,000 square foot, 250-seat Queensbury Theatre was opened 100 feet from where the Country Playhouse stood for over 30 years. With a Main Stage as well as a 100-seat Black Box, the Queensbury Theatre is the only professional theatre in Houston outside of the 610 Loop.
In addition building a dynamic, multi-use venue in the Town & Country area, the Queensbury Theatre is now home to the Tribble School of Preforming Arts. The school offers classes in dance and drama to 250 K-12th grade students each semester culminating in full-length productions at the end of each term. The spring semester shows include Annie Jr., The Music Man Jr. and Les Miserable, School Edition.
Queensbury Theatre has grown since the reimagining in 2014. The organization hired executive director, Ernest Lewis III, in August 2016. With a strong background in development and nonprofit, and named one of the Houston Business Journal’s “Top 100 People to Watch”, Stevenson says, “He is the right person to bridge us to the next level.”
The theatre has since added other key roles in education, artistic direction, production and operations to the staff, including individuals with knowledge of the business vertical to allow for growth of the theatre and to deepen the contribution to the community. Part of that community focus is the work Queensbury Theatre is doing and hopes to do with local schools. In December 2014, Kristina Sullivan came onboard as education director of the Tribble School for the Performing Arts. She’s helping to develop education outreach, a component early identified as key to the theatre’s success.
Stevenson concludes, “It is an exciting time in the life cycle of Queensbury Theatre...If it weren't for the 60-year history of our dedicated volunteers, the organization as we know it, wouldn't be here today. Now that we have expanded our infrastructure, we look to continue our commitment to the community by offering arts education, visual and performing arts as well as a venue for other organizations to utilize and grow.”
For more infomation on the Queensbury Theatre, to purchase tickets for upcoming shows, learn about the Tribble School or book the venue for an event, visit queensburytheatre.org/.
The Memorial District is a municipal management district, created in 1999, to promote and encourage development and commercial interests within its boundaries. Encompassing approximately 850 acres, the district is bounded by Beltway 8 to the west, Memorial Drive to the south, Bunker Hill to the east, and spans both sides of 1-10.
Management districts are established by commercial property owners who come together and place a voluntarily assessment on their properties in order to create a clean and beautiful sense of place for those who live, work and play in the area.
Major employers within the Memorial District include Memorial City Mall, the Memorial City Memorial Hermann Medical Center, CityCentre, Town & Country Village, Village Plaza Shopping Center, Metro National, Midway, Moody Rambin, and Fidelis Realty Partners. With 6.5 million square feet of retail and office space, it’s no wonder business in the district employs more than 8,000 Houston-area residents. The district is home to world-class dining, fine shopping, unique entertainment, and the only professional theatre in the city outside the 610 Loop.
The Memorial District devotes the most attention to five major areas: maintenance, mobility and tansportation, environmental & urban design, public safety and security, and building relationships.
Maintenance
Have you ever driven on the frontage roads along I-10 between Bunker Hill and the Beltway and noticed the beautiful landscaping? It’s not there by accident.
The Memorial District believes our freeways are the front door to our businesses and spend time and money to keep them well-maintained and looking nice.
In addition to mowing and planting, the district sweeps the streets twice a month and makes sure all underpasses are clear and clean. Special attention is also given to the medians to keep them looking lovely.
These efforts are but a few of the little things the Memorial District invests in each month to ensure the boundaries of and all public spaces within the district have a warmth and welcoming appeal synonymous with the Memorial District.