Dish-Houston

The weather has started to cool a bit, the trees are gently rustling in the breeze and Theatre season is officially under way!

Last night at the beautiful new home in West University Sharin Gailly and her fiance Larry Norman graciously hosted the preview to the Alley's new season.

Among the crowd of patrons: Elizabeth and Tom Glanville, Gabriela and Daniel Dror, Caroline and Gary Kenny, Paula Fyhr, Astrid Van Dyke, Lori Freese.

Artistic Director Gregory Boyd had the crowd enthralled while describing the upcoming shows and their history one of which is closely related to Houston and it's art! The show "RED" which will be playing in the smaller theatre is about Rothko who's famous chapel is in the Museum District. John Logan’s intense and exciting two-character bio-drama opens in March.

The very first two shows are the world premier of Ether Dome and Dividing the Estate. Ether Dome is an emotionally challenging piece highlighting the inherent contradiction of profiting from people’s illnesses in the medical industry. Dividing the Estate is written by Horton Foote who famously sets his stories in Harrison, Texas. You won't want to miss this as Bloobmerg calls it "Sharp satire about a Southern dynasty in crisis".

They are even taking Chekov's The Seagull!

Get your tickets to the new season now before they sell out, and they will. This is one of the most cohesive and well thought out season the Alley has had in recent memory.

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR MARK YZAGUIRRE:

Houstonians were generally disappointed when it was determined that the Johnson Space Center would not receive one of the retired space shuttles, now that the space shuttle program has been discontinued.  Instead, the remaining shuttle orbiters and the Enterprise test vehicle will be housed in California, New York, Florida and Washington DC.  Houston political leaders complained about this decision and an investigation occurred into the decision-making process.  This investigation determined that the decision was not a political one.  However, it did state that Charlie Bolden, the chief administrator of NASA, did not believe that a city's ties, or lack thereof, to the shuttle program or NASA should be considerations in whether to house the retired shuttles in that city.

            Let's be blunt - such criteria tipped the scales against Houston.  As stated in a Houston Chronicle article written by Eric Berger:

That decision set NASA on the path toward awarding its now-grounded fleet of orbiters to institutions in Washington, D.C., New York, Florida and California...  "I think the story here is that Houston was deliberately and intentionally denied the shuttle by Administrator Bolden," said Denis Braham, chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership's NASA Task Force. "There's no other way to read that report."  It was not clear exactly why Bolden chose to change the rules of evaluating the 21 proposals submitted by institutions to NASA, but in the end he prioritized putting the orbiters in high-tourism locations.

            Admittedly, Houston is not a major tourism center.  This is a city where people come to make their fortunes, not to spend their summer vacations.  But to prioritize tourism over history is ridiculous.  The space shuttle program was an important step in the history of American space exploration and that history is inextricably tied to the city of Houston.  Historical context matters and ignoring that context shows a disregard for the cultural ties a given artifact has to its location.  Under this logic, perhaps we should move the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Disney World, since more tourists could see it there.  Thanks for nothing, Charlie.

DISH had the most amazing opportunity that only 100 Houstononians are able to experience at a time. In early August, CANTARE Houston performed it's annual Walking Concert through the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. It was a musical stroll through centuries of world class art! This concert featured the exhibit of "Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting," that was on loan from the National Galleries of Scotland, Helhum Newton's WHite Somen, Sleepless Nights, Big Nudes and more.

Artistic director Kevin Riehle and the singers of CANTARE performed cappella treasures from the Golden Age - music of Monteverdi, the Gabrielis, Willaert and other composers of the fertile Venetian period.

As we strolled through the 5 different rooms for music that matched the art of the exhibit we had the gift of historical narration and artistic commentary provided by the curator Helga Aurisch. There was a water song next to Manet and American music next to Tiffany and Jackson Pollock. 

Next time this opportunity comes up you MUST attend! Give yourself the gift of Hearing the Art!Admission is limited to 100 people each night and tickets are $50 each. DISH Encourages you to Hear the art of the MFAH, like you've never heard it before!

PLUS...there is a champagne reception and unique door prize giveaways following the concerts...=)

CLICK HERE for the Cantare Houston Schedule and to purchase your tickets now.

DISHIES! This is an open letter to all of Houston from one of our favorite DISHIES Ernie Manouse.
We all know the economy has been really hard on everyone for more than a year now. Local businesses are going as lean as they can and a lot are unfortunately having to close their doors. Well a bad economy also means  cut back in our donation habits and while this is understood there are still certain places where our money really is needed because it means education and jobs...one of these places is your public television! Here is Ernie's Letter:

This year marks my 15^thyear with HoustonPBS – what a ride it has been!  Working for Channel 8 has given me the opportunity to share Houston’s stories with you…from the opening of the Hobby Center to the farewell performance of Houston Ballet’s Lauren Anderson; from NASA’s final Shuttle Mission to the brutal murder and aftermath of the James Byrd, Jr. killing. We have cried together, been moved together, learned together and at times laughed together.

Time and again, Channel 8 proves its ability to touch lives, educate children, and broaden horizons – and thanks to your generosity, I’ve been able to continue to share our community’s stories.

But today, the very real economic, political and intellectual challenges we face as a country are directly impacting our ability to serve the community. Local production – the cornerstone of Channel 8 since the station’s inception – is facing its toughest challenges to date as funding from corporations, foundations, and state and federal governments grows increasingly scarce.

Today, I ask for your help.

You are familiar with me asking for support during our pledge drives, but today at my station’s request I am writing to you personally – something I’ve never done before – to ask you to contribute $100 to HoustonPBS. My goal is to raise $20,000 and your help is truly necessary for us to reach it.

Your gift will go directly to help in the production of local programs like InnerVIEWS, allowing us to continue presenting fresh and varied points of view, to offer a platform for all voices to be heard, and to tell the stories of Houston’s communities with honor, respect and pride.

I value your trust in me and my work here at Channel 8. I also know that you might not wish to be included in the mailings and messages that the station sends to members. Unless you elect to receive them (or if you already are a member), I assure you that the only mail Channel 8 will send you is the letter acknowledging your gift.

Please give. The sooner we receive your contribution, the sooner its impact will be felt! Making your online donation is simple and secure. Just click here, or copy and paste the following URL: https://secure2.convio.net/kuht/site/Donation2?4081.donation=form1&df_id=4081

Thank you for standing with me and making the future bright for intelligent, quality local programming.

P.S.

– If you prefer to send a check, please make it payable to KUHT-TV (subject line: “Friends of Ernie”) and mail it to: 

Friends of Ernie
c/o Brad Blunt
HoustonPBS
4343 Elgin

Houston, TX  77204-0008