By William Schexnayder and Cheryl Calhoun
UHCLIDIAN STAFF

If you are looking for weekend entertainment, you do not have to travel far.

Currently, more than 80 community theaters are located in the Houston metropolitan area. Located within just a few miles of UH-Clear Lake are Clear Creek Country Theatre, Harbour Playhouse, Pasadena Little Theatre and San Jacinto College South Drama Department.

Clear Creek Country Theatre has been producing shows in the Bay Area since the 1960s. After years of being located in League City, the theater moved to its current location at the Nassau Bay Shopping Village in 1999. It features a proscenium stage with seating for more than 100 audience members. Theater classes are offered for both adults and children.

Opening Nov. 29 and running through Dec. 15 is "Absurd Person Singular." Included in the schedule for early 2003 are "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean," "The Boys Next Door," "Hospitality Suite" and "The Misanthrope."

Show times and price information are available through the theater box office at (281) 335-5228.

Since 1991, Harbour Playhouse has been a valued point of entertainment for its surrounding community. Located in Dickinson, this non-profit theater offers an array of live performances. Owner Bennie Nipper founded the Playhouse when she retired from a 38-year tenure as a high school fine arts teacher.

"The Harbour Playhouse offers a little of everything-Shakespeare, theaters and comedy," Nipper said.

The year 2002 will be a memorable year for the Playhouse as its summer musical, "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," set new records for attendance.

Currently, the Playhouse is planning for an exciting exit from 2002 and a grand entrance into 2003. Scheduled for the remaining months of 2002 are "Oliver" and "Night Must Fall." Scheduled plays for 2003 include "I Hate Hamlet," "The Tempest" and "Father of the Bride."

"I hope to bring the audience pleasure, joy and a way of escaping the reality of their own lives," said John Lara, an actor at Harbour Playhouse since 1995.

Actors and actresses at Harbour are volunteers. Some are gaining experience while in high school to pursue a career in acting; others have made it a hobby.

Harbour Playhouse also offers voice lessons and acting classes for children. At the end of the course, children demonstrate skills they have developed by putting on a show. This year's season will close with "Peter Pan," "Pinocchio" and "Winnie the Pooh." Pasadena Little Theatre, the oldest theater in Texas, is in its 48th season. The Pasadena Little Theatre season runs from July through May.

Julie Owen, the theater's publicity director and board member, has been acting since childhood.

"The theater is old, well established and has good audiences," Owen said. She loves acting because "you can express yourself in another way."

The troupe of Pasadena Little Theatre is excited about its current season. Some of the scheduled plays include "Little Shop of Horrors," which is currently running, "Little Mary Sunshine" and "Meet My Husbands."

For additional information visit Pasadena Little Theatre at http://web.wt.net/~plth.

San Jacinto College South Drama Department offers five shows each year. Shows at San Jacinto College South are comprised entirely of students in the drama department under the direction of Sheleigh Carmichael, Jim Hackett and Molly Vernon.

The Department of Theater at San Jacinto College South offers a variety of classes for students including acting, technical production, theater history, make-up, voice and diction, and rehearsal and performance. Students contribute to each of the five productions offered during the school year through their roles in acting or technical production.

"I love the program here," said Justin Watts, San Jacinto College South theater student. "It provides you with many opportunities to do different things, not just acting. There's tech work, box office, many things for you to do to stay involved the entire time."

For the fall 2003 semester, San Jacinto College South will open a new fine arts building that will house two theaters, a 350-seat proscenium theater and a smaller 150-seat theater.

"I am looking forward to an incredible future with this program," said Carmichael, art and communication department chairman and artistic director. "We appreciate the support the administration gives this program. You can't achieve goals unless you have support. I believe in the students. They have a voice here, and I think it is very important to give students a voice and opportunities."

San Jacinto College South currently features a thrust stage surrounded on three sides by audience seating. The theater is commonly referred to as "The Black Box at San Jacinto College South."

From top to bottom: Julie Owen dring a performance of "Love Letters," visitors to Clear Creek Country Theatre are greeted by two giant masks, Philip Elder (left) and John Lara (right) in "Star Spangled Girl" at the Harbour Playhouse, Andrea Cahoon and Wayne Houle dance during a production at San Jacinto College South and Pat Bowen as Melvin P. Thorpe (left) harasses Mike Fabian as Sheriff Ed Earl (right) in "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" at the Harbour Playhouse.
photos by William Schexnayder and Cheryl Calhoun

Playing at San Jacinto College South Dec. 4-8 will be "Tell Me That You Love Me, Julie Moon." Curtain time for the show is 8 p.m. for evening performances and 2 p.m. for matinees. For additional information, call (281) 922-3497.

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