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As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, Houston\u2019s non-profit performing arts organizations contend with an uncertain timeline to return to the stage. When Theatre Under The Stars<\/strong> originally announced its 2020\/2021 Season in January, the six-show series at the Hobby Center was set to launch yesterday with a pre-Broadway engagement of the musical 1776<\/strong><\/em>. In June, however, TUTS made the decision to postpone the first two shows of the season due to the growing coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\n Today, TUTS delayed its season once again. The musicals will remain the same, but only Come From Away retains its originally-scheduled dates, now launching the season in May. The newly-dubbed \u201cHomecoming Season<\/strong>\u201d runs through February of 2022, ending with Rodgers and Hammerstein\u2019s South Pacific<\/strong><\/em>. Here\u2019s the full line-up:<\/p>\n \u201cThe safety of our audiences, artists, staff and volunteers is our number one priority,\u201d said Dan Knechtges<\/strong>, TUTS Artistic Director. \u201cWhile we\u2019re disappointed to once again delay our season launch, we\u2019re excited that we can retain all six musicals for the Homecoming Season. We want to deliver our supportive subscribers the shows they have been anticipating.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, over 8,600 season ticket holders have subscribed to the upcoming season, which is a lifeline to the non-profit theatre. For their commitment, subscribers get priority seating at discounted prices and additional benefits such as complimentary ticket exchanges.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are heartened that so many Houstonians have chosen to subscribe to TUTS in the midst of this crisis,\u201d said TUTS Executive Director Hillary Hart<\/strong>. \u201cNot being able to perform for an entire year is a substantial financial challenge for us, so it really makes a difference when supporters are willing to commit in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n To date, TUTS has incurred close to $6 million<\/strong> in revenue loss due to the cancellation of performances and major fundraising events. Hart anticipates another $11 million<\/strong> in losses over the next 12 months. For the 52 year-old regional theatre, the losses are unprecedented, leading to layoffs of 10 percent of its staff, significant programmatic cuts, salary reductions and reduced benefits for all employees.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite all of these challenges, TUTS remains focused on our mission to serve the community,\u201d said Knechtges.<\/p>\n During this crisis, the non-profit has found new ways to extend its reach. In April, it moved the annual high school musical theatre celebration, the Tommy Tune Awards, to YouTube. The streaming event allowed students from across the city to participate from home. Additionally, TUTS awarded over $44,000 in college scholarships through the Tommy Tune Awards. This summer, TUTS moved all classes for its two theatre schools to digital platforms, allowing students to continue honing their skills and stay connected. This week, the theatre is launching both a podcast and a webcast series as part of its successful Spotlight initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to do all we can even in the face of a pandemic,\u201d said Hart. \u201cThe theatre is a place to gather and share a collective experience, and the world is yearning for that very human connection. When it\u2019s safe to come back together, we\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, Houston\u2019s non-profit performing arts organizations contend with an uncertain timeline to return to the stage. When Theatre Under The Stars originally announced its 2020\/2021 Season […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":42071,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\r\n As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, Houston\u2019s non-profit performing arts organizations contend with an uncertain timeline to return to the stage. When Theatre Under The Stars<\/strong> originally announced its 2020\/2021 Season in January, the six-show series at the Hobby Center was set to launch yesterday with a pre-Broadway engagement of the musical 1776<\/em><\/strong>. In June, however, TUTS made the decision to postpone the first two shows of the season due to the growing coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Today, TUTS delayed its season once again. The musicals will remain the same, but only Come From Away retains its originally-scheduled dates, now launching the season in May. The newly-dubbed \u201cHomecoming Season<\/strong>\u201d runs through February of 2022, ending with Rodgers and Hammerstein\u2019s South Pacific<\/em><\/strong>. Here\u2019s the full line-up:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Come From Away<\/em> \u2014 May 18 through 30, 2021<\/strong> \u201cThe safety of our audiences, artists, staff and volunteers is our number one priority,\u201d said Dan Knechtges<\/strong>, TUTS Artistic Director. \u201cWhile we\u2019re disappointed to once again delay our season launch, we\u2019re excited that we can retain all six musicals for the Homecoming Season. We want to deliver our supportive subscribers the shows they have been anticipating.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So far, over 8,600 season ticket holders have subscribed to the upcoming season, which is a lifeline to the non-profit theatre. For their commitment, subscribers get priority seating at discounted prices and additional benefits such as complimentary ticket exchanges.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWe are heartened that so many Houstonians have chosen to subscribe to TUTS in the midst of this crisis,\u201d said TUTS Executive Director Hillary Hart<\/strong>. \u201cNot being able to perform for an entire year is a substantial financial challenge for us, so it really makes a difference when supporters are willing to commit in advance.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To date, TUTS has incurred close to $6 million<\/strong> in revenue loss due to the cancellation of performances and major fundraising events. Hart anticipates another $11 million<\/strong> in losses over the next 12 months. For the 52 year-old regional theatre, the losses are unprecedented, leading to layoffs of 10 percent of its staff, significant programmatic cuts, salary reductions and reduced benefits for all employees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cDespite all of these challenges, TUTS remains focused on our mission to serve the community,\u201d said Knechtges.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n During this crisis, the non-profit has found new ways to extend its reach. In April, it moved the annual high school musical theatre celebration, the Tommy Tune Awards, to YouTube. The streaming event allowed students from across the city to participate from home. Additionally, TUTS awarded over $44,000 in college scholarships through the Tommy Tune Awards. This summer, TUTS moved all classes for its two theatre schools to digital platforms, allowing students to continue honing their skills and stay connected. This week, the theatre is launching both a podcast and a webcast series as part of its successful Spotlight initiative.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWe continue to do all we can even in the face of a pandemic,\u201d said Hart. \u201cThe theatre is a place to gather and share a collective experience, and the world is yearning for that very human connection. When it\u2019s safe to come back together, we\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To become a subscriber to the Theatre Under The Stars Homecoming Season<\/a><\/strong>, or to make a tax-deductible donation to the \u201cCurtain Will Rise Fund<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[666],"class_list":["post-40479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mainstage","tag-1776come-from-awaydan-knechtgesdisneys-the-little-mermaidhillary-harthomecoming-seasonrock-of-agessister-actsouth-pacifictheatre-under-the-starstuts"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
HOUSTON\u2019S THEATRE UNDER THE STARS POSTPONES SEASON UNTIL MAY 2021 DUE TO PROLONGED COVID-19 CRISIS<\/h1>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Rock of Ages<\/em> \u2014 Aug. 10 through 22, 2021<\/strong>
1776<\/em> (Direct from Broadway) \u2014 Sept. 28 through Oct. 10, 2021<\/strong>
Sister Act<\/em> \u2014 Nov. 2 through 14, 2021<\/strong>
Disney\u2019s The Little Mermaid<\/em> \u2014 Dec. 7 through 24, 2021<\/strong>
South Pacific<\/em> \u2014 Feb. 8 through 20, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n