Decision Trees is an evening-length, collaborative intermedia work arranged by Paul Kasperitis for Houston Fringe Festival 2022, centering around his series of compositions by the same name.

Decision Trees are quasi-graphical scores inspired by the mathematical field of combinatorics that invite the performer to choose their own path through a complex web of possibilities. The Decision Trees are framed in a form which itself explores all possible configurations of the members in the ensemble and is pinned together by interludes crafted by the performers themselves.

The Magpie Parliament Society is an ongoing collective art project facilitated by Paul Kasperitis and Mark Medina; established in 2019 through a series of livestreamed improvisations, the mission of MPS is to seek out people with a penchant for the offbeat and see what happens when they bring their minds and oddities together.Read more

Join us for a unique program of contemporary and traditional indigenous Moroccan dance choreographed and performed by Kristina Koutsoudas and company, including dancers participating in a recent program of classes sponsored by a Let Creativity Happen Grant through the Houston Arts Alliance and the city of Houston and Dance Source Houston. Read more

“Friday I’m In Love is a love letter to Numbers Nightclub. I want this film to be an anthem for those of us who have felt rejected; those misfits, queers and weirdos who craved a world of belonging where one could be whatever the hell they wanted to be and not be bothered, ridiculed, or hated for it.”
Marcus Pontello, Director

In 1978 during Houston’s gay rights movement, Numbers Nightclub opened as a gay disco in the heart of Montrose - an LGBTQ enclave located in central Houston. Numbers progressed into the ‘80s as an alternative music venue, becoming a home of acceptance and showcasing legendary performers such as Grace Jones, The Cure, Ministry, Björk, Nine Inch Nails, and drag star Divine.

Filmmaker Marcus Pontello navigates the history of Numbers as a narrator, paying primary tribute to its former owners and best friends, Bruce Godwin, a flamboyant DJ extraordinaire and Robert Burtenshaw, an introverted British video artist. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Bruce and Robot exposed Houston to cutting edge music and fought to create a gathering spot of inclusivity in a historically conservative city. Current owner Rudi Bunch, a staff member of the club since 1982, with longtime Numbers DJ, Wes Wallace, have maintained the vision set forth by Bruce and Robot and are also prominent voices in Friday I’m in Love.

A supporting cast of staff, patrons, and bands such as Erasure and Ministry deliver heartwarming and personal stories that show the evolution of the venue, while also exposing some of the difficulties Numbers and Montrose have endured over the years. LGBT police violence, the AIDS epidemic, legal issues with City Hall, and the unprecedented rise of hate crimes in Houston during the ‘90s are among the topics explored. Now in its 43rd year of operation as one of the longest running alternative nightclubs in the United States, Numbers continues to attract large and eclectic crowds who come to dance to the nostalgic music the club has become known for.Read more

The Fairytale Project is a historically inspired tale of a young African American family re-connecting with their East Texas roots. With peculiar encounters with the past- the family cherishes the things that matter the most- family, faith, love and legacy.

The Fairytale Project is inspired by the historical accounts of Jim and Winnie Shankle. Jim, Winnie, and their children were separated when Winnie's master sold her and their children to a slaveholder in Deep East Texas. Unwilling to live without his family, Jim Shankle tested his faith by escaping slavery and making the journey to East Texas through dense forests and the Mississippi River. Reuniting under a Sycamore tree, the reunited couple along with other community members founded Shankleville, which is one of Texas' many Freedom Colonies. Their descendants honor and commemorate their resilience, bravery, and love.

Pneuma is a new dance work by local dance artist Kristina Prats that explores our innate connection to nature, and the idea that from ashes we rise, and to ashes we will return. Pneuma is a representation of the spirit and soul that grounds and connects us to nature and all that it gifts to us.Read more

by Social Movement Contemporary Dance

We The People conveys Gibson's observations of what happens when people’s daily lives are interrupted by the world's harsh realities and they begin to demand change.Read more

Grouping artists from all different backgrounds to bring you a collection of contemporary dancing and aerial arts. This piece was created to shine a light on the importance of versatility in the performance world. Movement, strength, flexibility and aerial. Putting this piece together has allowed these performers to learn from and work with different movement types. Bringing them all together to create The Collection.Read more

Invisible Lines presents Each New Journey, a theatrical sampler from the poetry of the Fabulous Billie Duncan, a long-time Houston poet, writer and community activist. Based on her books, Beneath the Desk and Requiem for the Plastic Clown, Invisible Lines takes the audience for a rollercoaster trip through the mind of one of Houston’s most beloved and lyrical artists.

Duncan is a poet, publicist, journalist, photographer, and artist. She is the director and performer with The Balcony Poets performance troupe, which melds multi-voice poetry with live music and art inspired original poetry. She also has served as communications director of Houston Poetry Fest, coordinator of Houston Poetry Summit, founder of the Houston branch of A Hundred Thousand Poets for Change, as well as promoting and consulting for many other poetry organizations. 

Invisible Lines is a poetry performance troupe that specializes in theatrical immersions in original and canonical poetry.Read more

Exploring the African heritage of Louisiana through its dance traditions from Bamboula to Zydeco, Who Yo' People? takes the audience on a journey through the vibrant history and culture of the peoples who would become known as Louisiana Creoles, while interrogating ideas of identity.Read more

The 2022 Houston Fringe Festival closes its fifteenth anniversary year with its signature finale event: Anything Goes! This showcase-style evening features ten performing artists presenting works of ten minutes or less. Artists of all disciplines are put together on one program for a fast-paced, full-filled evening of Fringe artists. The 2022 Anything Goes roster includes:

Houston Contemporary 2, The Pilot Dance Project with Ashley Horn, Anna Bauer (Austin), Roxanne Claire, Margo Stutts Toombs, Roberta Cortes, Brittani Broussard, Christie Gorman, and Stormie HolmesRead more

In its 5th year, the Houston Greek Film Festival (HGFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that showcases new films from Greek and Cypriot filmmakers, producers and actors from Greece, Cyprus and the diaspora. Featuring both feature-length and shorts, the HGFF aims to promote Greek cinema to Houston and all of Texas and the Southwest!Read more

Basta de sentirte triste, poco atractiva porque tus curvas ya no son las mismas de cuando tenías 20 años. Llegó el momento de entregarte a tus años y abrazarlos completamente para sentirte perfecta tal y como eres: una mujer hermosa, valiente, inteligente, guerrera, llena de virtudes y por supuesto de defectos, como cualquier terrenal, con la diferencia, de que ahora estás consciente de ellos, los trabajas e intentas ser un mejor ser humano todos los días.Y es que cuando las “tonas” nos entonamos, sabemos que todo es posible, solo que a veces nos hace falta ese empujoncito que nos lleva a reconciliarnos con nosotras mismas para entender que si nos equivocamos o no, estamos en el momento justo, en el tiempo perfecto, para rectificar y volver a intentarlo. “FelizmenteTonas”, el monólogo presentado por la periodista y empresaria colombiana, Lizzette Díaz, autora del libro “Felizmente 40tona”, quien después de cinco años de este lanzamiento, decidió enfrentar un nuevo reto, esta vez sobre las tablas, con este monólogo introspectivo, reflexivo, pero sobre todo, profundamente divertido.Read more

LOST/Return to Beirut is one hour of music and visual art performance. It’s the meeting of a feature film and a documentary with a powerful solo piano performance. The return of Rami Khalife to his homeland, Lebanon, is a rediscovery of his country that he painfully left as a child because of the war, a scar of the exodus that has never healed.Read more

Based on the iconic film starring Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Geller, Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical pulls you into the manipulative world of Manhattan’s most dangerous liaisons: Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil. Fueled by revenge and passion, the diabolically charming step-siblings place a bet on whether or not Sebastian can deflower their incoming headmaster’s daughter, Annette Hargrove. As the two set out to destroy the innocent girl— and anyone else who gets in their way — they find themselves playing a perilous game with only one rule: Never fall in love.

Featuring your favorite throwback hits by artists like Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, REM, 'NSYNC, and, of course, Britney Spears, this sexy, hilarious, and so-very-cruel musical is “the ultimate night out” (Entertainment Weekly).

Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical is not intended for young audiences due to strong sexual situations, drug use, and language. The intended audience is ages 16+. Parental discretion is advised.Read more