Houston Grand Opera to be homeless for entire 2017-18 season
Houston Grand Opera will be forced out of its flood-damaged home at the Wortham Theater Center for the entire 2017-18 season, the company announced this week.
Not only did Hurricane Harvey flood the center’s basement, as already reported, but the deluge damaged elevators and at least a third of the venue’s 60 air-conditioning units, said Houston First Corporation, which operates the center, in a statement. A full assessment of the damage is likely to take two to three more weeks, but they estimate repairs will take at least until next May to be completed.
The company has yet to announce a venue for its season-opening productions of La Traviata and Giulio Cesare. Artistic director Patrick Summers and managing director Perryn Leech were already negotiating with Houston First about another venue for the company’s fall productions, and now are extending those talks to cover the entire season.