Mildred's Umbrella Announces 2019-2020 Season

Mildred's Umbrella offers some interesting collaborations and some off-the-beaten path projects, as we continue our quest for a new permanent space. As you might have heard, the space we were calling home was sold to developers, leaving our little company homeless for the time being. However, we wouldn't let a little thing like that stop us from creating a season of projects that we think will keep our audiences engaged and our artists creating while we look for a new home. "We've been a gypsy company before" said Artistic Director Jennifer Decker. "We will not be doing as many full blown productions, but we can still create amazing art in different spaces while we look for a new home. Great art can happen anywhere."

The season includes reading festivals celebrating Israeli women playwrights and Asian-American Playwrights, some rarely before seen short plays by Samuel Beckett featuring only female characters, our 3rd annual WOMEN ROCK benefit concert, and a staged reading of THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, produced in conjunction with Stages' and Main Street's productions of her soldier's trilogy in February. We are also very excited to produce the world premiere of TOOTH AND TAIL by Houston's own Elizabeth A.M. Keel, in collaboration with The University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance, as well as our 12th annual MUSEUM OF DYSFUNCTION short play festival, highlighting new works by emerging and established playwrights from Texas and beyond.

FEMFEST HOUSTON: Voices of Israel December 5-8, 2019)

A theatrical celebration of women playwrights from Israel. We will present staged readings of three new to Houston plays, as well as one student performed play presented by the Israeli Consulate Houston.

Directed by: Jon Harvey, Elizabeth A.M. Keel, Leighza Walker and Guy Cohen

Where: TBA- Details to be announced in July 2019

When: December 5-8,2019. Details to be announced in July 2019.

LADIES' NIGHT WITH Samuel Beckett (January 9-January 18, 2020)

Four short pieces by acclaimed playwright, Samuel Beckett that explore the human condition through the voices of women: NOT I, ROCKABY, FOOTFALLS and COME AND GO.

Directed by: Greg Dean, Jennifer Decker and Jeff Miller

Where: The Rec Room, 100 Jackson St #130c, Houston TX 77002

When: January 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18 at 8pm, and Sunday, January 12 at 3pm

Tickets are 'pay as you can' and will be available on our website at www.mildredsumbrella.com July 1, 2019.

The Third Annual WOMEN ROCK FUNDRAISER BENEFIT CONCERT

February 22, 2020 6pm to midnight at Rudyard's British Pub! 2010 Waugh Dr, Houston, TX 77006.

For the third year in a row, Mildred's Umbrella (MU) is teaming up with Rudyard's British Pub for 'Women Rock,' a fundraiser benefiting the theater company's 2020-2021 season. The benefit concert will feature local female-fronted bands and solo artists and a silent auction. Details coming soon at mildredsumbrella.com.

THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST (a Staged Reading) (March 6-8, 2020)

By: Quiara Alegría Hudes

Directed by: Danielle Ozymandias

Where: Main Street Theatre, 2540 Times Blvd. Houston, TX 77005
When March 6,7 at 7:30pm and March 8 at 3pm
The final play in Hudes' "soldier's trilogy," this reading follows productions of the other plays in the series by Stages (WATER BY THE SPOONFUL) and Main Street (ELLIOT, A SOLDIERS FUGUE), which both take place in February.
In a barrio kitchen in North Philly, a professor moonlights as the local soup kitchen queen, offering rice and beans to any hungry neighbor. Halfway around the world, her cousin relives his military trauma on a Hollywood film set. With the Egyptian revolution booming in the distance, and local unrest erupting in Philly, these two cousins sing a defiant song of protest. But will Philly, or Egypt, listen? (from http://www.quiara.com).

Tickets are 'pay as you can' and will be available on our website at www.mildredsumbrella.com July 1, 2019.

TOOTH AND TAIL (SPRING/SUMMER 2020 - Details coming soon)

By: ELIZABETH A.M. KEEL

Directed by: Rob Kimbro

Where: TBA

When: Spring/Summer 2020 (TBA)

TOOTH & TAIL has been developed and workshopped through the support of Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company, and their ongoing commitment to the empowerment of female artists and their stories. Jam-packed with princesses, dragons, pirates and more, TOOTH & TAIL is part fairy-tale, part rescue mission, part love story, and all adventure. A world premiere.

Ticket information will be available on our website by fall 2019.

FEMFEST HOUSTON: Voices of Asia (May 15-16, 2020)

A theatrical celebration of Asian and Asian-American women's voices with three staged readings of Houston premiere plays by Asian/ Asian-American Women Playwrights. Presented in partnership with Shunya Theatre and Asia Society Texas Center.

Where: The Asia Society.1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston, TX 77004.

When: May 15 (7:30pm), and May 16 (2:30pm and 7:30pm)

Tickets will be available through Asia Society in fall 2019. Check our website for updates.

MUSEUM OF DYSFUNCTION XII (SUMMER 2020)

Various Playwrights and directors TBA.

Where: TBA

When: SUMMER 2020

The 2019-2020 season will wrap up with the12th annual showcase of original shorts: MUSEUM OF DYSFUNCTION. The plays will be read blind by local authors and directors and 20 with the highest scores will be selected by the Mildred's Umbrella artistic team to be performed by the professional actors of MUTC.

For more information, check our website: www.mildredsumbrella.com, call 832-463-0409 or send an e-mail info@mildredsumbrella.com.

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